Sen. Rubio expresses concerns regarding potential Apple NAND chips purchase

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) forwarded correspondence to Apple CEO Tim Cook, expressing his concern regarding reports that the company is considering purchasing NAND chips from a Chinese manufacturer.

Rubio maintains Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) serves as a company with links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

“The success of YMTC is also integral to Beijing’s Made in China 2025 national strategy, which more broadly aims to supplant United States leadership in economic, military, and technological innovation – and necessarily erode American prosperity and economic security in the process,” Rubio wrote. “In past addresses speaking on behalf of Apple, you have said that “[w]e love this country. We’re patriots. This is our country. [We w]ant to create as many jobs in the U.S. as we can.” I take your words seriously, which is why I was surprised to learn that Apple was reportedly considering partnering with a malign, PLA-connected firm to supply chips for its hardware. Why a pro-America company would consider such a relationship with our key adversary – especially when market analysts have already raised flags about YMTC’s performance compared to peer competitors – is hard to comprehend.”

Per Rubio, YMTC was founded in 2016 and created as a joint venture by several investment funds owned, directed, or administered by the CCP.

“America’s premier tech companies should recognize the tremendous risks – both to American national security and to their own ledgers, should any presidential administration update its export control listings in the near future – incurred by doing business with YMTC for its memory chips or any other products,” Rubio wrote. “No U.S. consumer should be made complicit in the PLA’s evils simply because he or she owns an iPhone.”