The U.S.-based memory firm Micron has frequently spoken out against Apple. When Apple stated that rising memory costs led to increased pricing for its major products, Micron argued that these increases resulted from consumers pushing too hard for lower prices during an economic slowdown, thereby limiting investment in production facilities. Some analyses suggest that the conventional relationship, wherein final product manufacturers had significant influence over memory suppliers, is beginning to change.
Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive officer of Micron, made comments during a CNBC interview held on the 30th (in local time), stating, "During the memory market slump in 2023, customer pricing dropped to about one-third of initial values," and noted, "This significantly affected the sector's ability to invest." His remarks subtly targeted Apple for leveraging its substantial buying influence to reduce memory costs.
This isn't the first instance of Micron focusing on Apple. Apple has lately increased prices for items such as MacBooks, attributing this change to rising memory expenses. Not long after the price increase, Sumit Sadana, Micron's Chief Business Officer (CBO), mentioned to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "A key factor preventing the company from investing during the downturn in the memory market was that certain clients bought products at extremely low rates."
Experts in the industry point out that Micron's recent statements indicate a change in the dynamics between memory firms and final product makers. Previously, when smartphone demand influenced the memory sector, major clients such as Apple had significant advantage in pricing discussions. Nevertheless, this scenario has evolved with the surge in demand for memory used in the AI era (HBM) and server DRAM.
Micron is further strengthening its political ties. On the 30th, the firm revealed it will contribute $250 million (about 390 billion South Korean won) to the "Trump Account," a new long-term savings fund created by the Trump administration.