US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutenick confirmed that the Trump administration does not want Apple to buy memory chips from China, but the American company may do so anyway.

The increasing demand for computer memory from companies building artificial intelligence data centers has led to a shortage of this vital component and a significant rise in the prices of what is available.

High costs are forcing Apple and other consumer electronics manufacturers to significantly raise their prices. To help alleviate the supply shortage, Apple is turning to Chinese manufacturers.

“The Trump administration doesn’t support that,” Lutnick said in an interview after touring an Apple factory in Houston. There must be other solutions to the memory problem, but not for leading American companies to use Chinese memory.

When asked if he had conveyed this message to Apple, Lutnick replied “clearly,” according to a report in The Wall Street Journal seen by Al Arabiya Business.

Apple is testing memory chips made by Chinese companies CXMT and Yangtze Memory Technologies, potentially for use in Apple devices sold in China, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that laptop manufacturers HP and Acer have begun using CXMT memory chips in devices sold outside the United States.

US law requires American companies to obtain a license before sharing product information with CXMT and YMTC. Chinese chipmakers would need this information if they wanted to manufacture custom chips for Apple, but they are free to purchase off-the-shelf components from the two companies and negotiate prices with them.

Apple's chief operating officer, Sabih Khan, declined to confirm whether the company was testing Chinese memory chips in an interview on Thursday. But he said that given the scale of the supply shortage, "we have to look at all options," including working with existing suppliers to ramp up production in the US.

While Apple customizes many components inside iPhones, Khan said there is "not a lot of customization" for memory, hinting at the possibility of using off-the-shelf Chinese memory chips.

These remarks highlighted a new point of contention between the Trump administration and Apple, even as the two sides sought to strengthen their cooperation during a factory tour on Thursday.

As America's largest hardware manufacturer, Apple can play a pivotal role in bringing manufacturing back home. It has taken steps in this direction to secure tariff relief from President Trump. However, it continues to invest heavily in its overseas supply chain.