As Apple prepares to unveil its iPhone 14 smartphone at its “Far Out” event today, BusinessKorea add new scrutiny to earlier reports that Apple is compromising American security by shipping devices with chips from the Chinese military chipmaker YMTC.
The new reporting suggests that the partnership is laying the foundation for further Apple devices to be outfitted with the suspect circuits. “The move represents a strong win for YMTC and will ensure steady supply of flash memory for Apple’s next-generation products,” reports Tom’s Hardware.
China Tech Threat raised the concern about Apple’s deal with YMTC in its report “Silicon Sellout: How Apple’s Partnership with Chinese military Chip Makers YMTC Threatens American National Security. The report warns that Apple moving forward with this state-owned chip maker known for its close ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would threaten Americans’ privacy and security, undermine semiconductor jobs in democratic countries, give YMTC undeserved credibility on the world stage, and help China advance its goal to upset and ultimately dominate the global chip market.
Lawmakers have also sounded the alarm about YMTC and the Apple deal. In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Senator Marco Rubio wrote: “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.”
Senator Bill Hagerty said in a tweeted:
CTT’s report outlines for policymakers inside the U.S. government multiple options to mitigate the damage from a YMTC-Apple deal. They just have to use them.