Qualcomm is working with domestic DRAM leader Changxin Memory (CXMT) to develop customized mobile DRAM solutions for smartphones.It is reported that this customized DRAM is expected to be mass-produced in the second half of 2026, and will initially be supplied to Chinese brand smartphones.

In fact, the fate of Qualcomm and Changxin Memory has been foreshadowed for a long time. In February this year, Qualcomm revealed that Changxin Memory was one of the “first suppliers to obtain Qualcomm’s memory supply certification.”

The core background of this cooperation is that global mobile phone DRAM is experiencing an unprecedented crisis.

In order to meet the AI ​​industry's explosive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), major DRAM manufacturers such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have shifted their production capacity to HBM, causing a sharp contraction in the supply of traditional mobile DRAM.

Market data shows that the contract price of DRAM for mobile phones in the first quarter of 2026 has skyrocketed by 80%-95% from the previous quarter. In the current bill of materials for mobile phones, storage costs have already eaten up the cost of the entire machine.

Take entry-level mobile phones as an example,DRAM accounts for 35% of the overall bill of materials, and together with 19% of NAND flash memory, the two account for a total of 54%.

In the cost structure of a thousand-yuan machine, memory + storage alone consumes more than half of the budget. Mobile phone manufacturers have no way out.

This cost pressure has been transmitted to the end market. Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Honor and other brands have successively raised the prices of many mid- to low-end models since March this year, with some models increasing by more than 8%.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm and MediaTek have been forced to respond. MediaTek and Qualcomm have simultaneously reduced shipments of 4nm mobile processors, with a total production reduction of 15 million to 20 million units, mainly in entry-level and mid-to-low-end SoC product lines.

It was under this predicament that Qualcomm chose to cooperate in depth with Changxin Memory.