Samsung will be main memory producer for Apple

Samsung has become the main supplier of RAM for the iPhone 17 lineup, increasing its share to 60-70 percent, while SK Hynix and Micron have shifted their focus to the production of high-speed memory for artificial intelligence tasks. This is reported by The Korea Economic.

Previously, SK Hynix supplied Samsung-compatible RAM volumes for the iPhone, while Micron was the third, smaller supplier. The situation changed after SK Hynix and Micron made a bet on creating HBM memory for AI systems. As a result, LPDDR production volumes decreased, and Apple was forced to rely more on Samsung’s capacity.

As noted in the publication, Apple decided to increase purchases from Samsung, considering the company as a key supplier of LPDDR memory for the production of approximately 230 million iPhones per year. Sources also claim that the Cupertino corporation has already placed a large order for RAM for the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup.

One of the representatives of the semiconductor industry said that Samsung has exceptional production capabilities and is practically the only company capable of consistently supplying Apple’s RAM needs, while other suppliers are focused on the HBM segment.

For Samsung, the current situation means convenience not only due to increased supply volumes, but also due to rising memory prices. The cost of 12 GB LPDDR5X, used in the iPhone 17 Air, Pro and Pro Max models, has increased from $ 30 in early 2025 to about $ 70 at the moment.