Apple tests ChangXin Memory DRAM chips; Baidu and Alibaba Qwen join its China AI push

Apple is testing DRAM chips from Chinese memory maker ChangXin Memory (CXMT), with the products targeting its iPhone and MacBook lines, according to Reuters citing the Wall Street Journal, as reported by QbitAI. It is the first reported case of Apple putting a Chinese memory vendor into supply testing for its core product lines.

The move is driven by AI's appetite for memory. On-device models, image processing, writing assistance, and cross-app context understanding all require more temporary DRAM space, while AI companies racing to build data centers have pushed demand for high-bandwidth memory and server DRAM to new heights.

Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have been shifting capacity to higher-margin AI chips, squeezing the conventional memory used in phones and PCs — leaving even Apple, which sells hundreds of millions of devices a year, hunting for new supply. That is where CXMT comes in.

Public data shows the company captured roughly 7% of global DRAM revenue in the second quarter; it recently completed listing financing and plans to expand production lines in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hefei, which would raise monthly capacity further.

On the software side, Apple is rebuilding its AI stack in China. Alibaba's Qwen is confirmed to be part of Apple's AI system: a support document for mainland China Mac users says eligible users can connect Siri and Writing Tools to Qwen.

In July, "Apple智能" completed China's generative AI service filing, with expectations that Qwen will be integrated into the China-facing Apple Intelligence experience across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, covering text understanding, image understanding, and content generation.

Baidu fills the search slot. Apple is reportedly developing an AI-based search feature with Baidu as part of the Apple Intelligence suite, handling images and text for an upgraded Chinese Siri; Bloomberg reported in July that Baidu is becoming a key partner for China's Apple Intelligence, a role similar to OpenAI and Google in the US market.

Memory gets a new backup, AI gets local partners, and search gets a China-based service — Qwen powers understanding, generation, and conversation while Baidu covers search and visual search entry points, all potentially feeding Siri, Writing Tools, and more. The open questions are whether CXMT can pass Apple's qualification and ramp production, and when Qwen and Baidu capabilities go live in China's Apple Intelligence.