As AI data centres tighten memory supplies, chipmakers have more room to resist Apple’s demands, reportedly prompting the company to consider longer-term supply deals.
Apple’s long-standing leverage over flash-memory suppliers is being tested by the same market forces that once worked in its favour. According to TrendForce, reporting on earlier negotiations suggests Apple often used its buying power to press for lower prices, scrutinise suppliers’ books and, at times, walk away from deliveries when market prices weakened, leaving chipmakers with unwanted stock. That dynamic has now reversed as demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure tightens supply across the memory market and gives vendors more room to resist pressure.
The shift is being driven by the extraordinary pull of AI data centres. SK hynix said in its third-quarter 2026 results that AI infrastructure is supporting demand for memory products and that supply expansion is constrained by the difficulty of advanced manufacturing and the time required to build new facilities. The company expects demand to exceed supply through 2030. Kioxia has made a similar case in its annual report, saying generative AI and digital services are increasing the need for high-capacity, energy-efficient storage in data centres.
That wider squeeze is feeding through to buyers outside the cloud industry. Reuters, in a report carried by Investing.com, said US business groups have warned that memory-chip shortages are affecting prices and availability across consumer electronics, vehicles, telecommunications equipment and medical devices. TrendForce has also reported tightness in NAND markets during 2026, with some buyers shifting between product types as costs rise and suppliers show little appetite for rapid capacity expansion.
For Apple, the result is a less forgiving procurement environment and a higher cost base for products that rely heavily on storage. TrendForce says the company is reportedly weighing longer-term supply agreements, a sign that even a buyer of Apple’s scale may need more predictable access to components in a constrained market. The broader industry picture suggests that memory pricing is no longer being set solely by handset demand, but increasingly by the build-out of AI systems whose appetite for storage is reshaping negotiations across the sector.
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