Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron face a class-action antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Consumers and small businesses allege the three companies colluded to restrict conventional DRAM chip supplies. These firms currently control approximately 90% of the global DRAM market.
Plaintiffs claim the companies used the transition to AI-focused High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) as a pretext for supply cuts. This alleged manipulation reportedly inflated DRAM prices by up to 700%. These price increases occurred over the last four years.
The filing references a 2005 precedent where Samsung and SK hynix paid fines for similar price-fixing behavior.