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Apple finds new memory suppliers for iPhone and iPad, pushing Samsung further away

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:29PM EST
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As Apple and Samsung continue to battle over patents and product design, Samsung seems to be positioned to take the biggest hit. The South Korea-based electronics giant has already seen sales of its tablet blocked in multiple regions and Apple is digging deeper. Dow Jones reported back in February that Apple was expected to make roughly $7.8 billion in component purchases from Samsung in 2011, but the future of the relationship is now in jeopardy. Reports from this past June that Apple moved away from Samsung for its mobile processors were seemingly confirmed last month, and DigiTimes on Thursday reported that Apple is looking beyond Samsung for its mobile memory chips as well. Read on for more.

DigiTimes reports that Apple has secured two new suppliers for its DRAM and NAND flash chips. Japan-based Toshiba and Elpida Memory have received increased orders for memory chips destined for Apple’s mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, the site reported, citing multiple unnamed industry sources. Toshiba will supply Apple with NAND flash chips while Elpida will supply mobile RAM. Is is unclear if Samsung, the world’s leading supplier of both NAND flash memory and DRAM chips, will retain any of Apple’s mobile memory business or if the iPhone maker will move all orders to Toshiba and Elpida.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.