Against the background of the continued global DRAM shortage, PC manufacturers are accelerating the search for new memory supply channels to alleviate supply constraints and cost pressures. According to industry sources, some purchase orders currently require customers to make a decision within an hour or even pay in advance to lock in memory resources. Under this situation, Lenovo has begun to use products from Chinese memory manufacturer Changxin Memory (CXMT) in some notebook models.
According to reports, Lenovo was the first to introduce a new generation of LPCAMM2 memory form on ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 in 2024, and is now pushing this standard to mainstream consumer notebook product lines. LPCAMM2 is a new memory packaging and interface standard that attempts to strike a balance between the replaceable and upgradeable advantages of traditional SODIMM and the high performance and energy efficiency of LPDDR5X.
The newly exposed ThinkBook 16+ is expected to be Lenovo's first model for the consumer market with standard LPCAMM2 memory, which can be configured with up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory. The machine is equipped with Intel Core Ultra X7 385H processor and its built-in Arc B390 core display. It uses the LPCAMM2 memory module supplied by Changxin.
Changxin demonstrated its self-developed DDR5-8000 and LPDDR5X-10667 memory products at the 2025 China International Semiconductor Expo held at the end of last year, which was regarded as an important signal for its acceleration into the international PC and mobile terminal supply chain. With this progress, more and more OEM manufacturers have begun to evaluate new memory suppliers including Changxin in addition to the traditional "Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron" to cope with the current tight DRAM supply except for AI accelerator-related businesses.
In the field of high-end consumer electronics, Apple is also rumored to be re-evaluating its supply structure in storage and memory. As Kioxia, Samsung, SK Hynix and other suppliers have raised prices amid industry shortages, Apple is facing profit margin pressure while maintaining the current product suggested retail price (MSRP). Foreign media reported that Apple is considering introducing DRAM from Changxin and NAND flash memory from Yangtze Memory Technology (YMTC) into future iPhone 18 series and some MacBook and Mac products to diversify its dependence on Korean and Japanese suppliers.
From Lenovo’s adoption of Changxin LPCAMM2 memory in mainstream product lines such as ThinkBook, to Apple being exposed to evaluate the inclusion of Changxin and Yangtze Memory as mid- and long-term supply options, we can see that China’s local storage manufacturers are accelerating their “going overseas” and playing an increasingly important role in the global PC and mobile terminal industry chain. At a time when global semiconductor production capacity is tightly balanced and major upstream manufacturers prioritize AI and high value-added businesses, this trend not only provides new bargaining space for machine manufacturers, but may also reshape the competitive landscape of the storage market in the coming years.