On April 3, insiders from South Korea revealed that Apple is aggressively purchasing every available mobile DRAM chip in the market, offering exorbitant prices even at the cost of sacrificing some of its operating profits. This move is aimed at preventing competitors from securing sufficient memory chips. This strategy echoes the perspective put forth by renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in January of this year. Kuo posited that although escalating memory prices would impact Apple's gross profit margin, absorbing these costs could enable Apple to seize a larger market share, and any subsequent losses could be compensated for through its services business.

The current global memory market is grappling with supply constraints, primarily due to a sudden surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory essential for artificial intelligence applications. Traditional memory production lines are operating at full capacity, resulting in a scarcity of mobile DRAM chips. Apple's proactive approach has already exerted a direct influence on the market, leaving some smartphone, tablet, and personal computer manufacturers grappling with a shortage of memory chips.