The world’s three largest memory chipmakers—Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron—are facing a U.S. class-action lawsuit. According to IT Chosun, 17 U.S. consumers allege the three companies deliberately reduced the supply of commodity DRAM under the pretext of expanding HBM production for AI, systematically restricting supply since 2022 and driving prices up by about 700% over the past four years.

As Wccftech notes, the case, No. 3:26-cv-06345, has been classified as an antitrust lawsuit and assigned to Judge Noel Wise of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The plaintiffs allege that the companies used inventory management as a pretext for production cuts while deliberately restricting supply to drive up prices. They are seeking a court order to halt the companies’ alleged coordinated supply restrictions and award treble damages, IT Chosun reports.

One of the central allegations is that the shift toward HBM production was part of the companies’ alleged coordinated effort to restrict commodity DRAM supply, IT Chosun notes. The complaint also contends that the three companies account for more than 90% of global DRAM sales, creating a market structure that leaves U.S. consumers heavily dependent on them.

Echoes of 2005 Price-Fixing Face New Reality of AI Shortages

To support their claims, the plaintiffs cited the U.S. Department of Justice’s DRAM price-fixing case from the early 2000s. The Biz notes that Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor (now SK hynix) pleaded guilty in 2005 and were fined US$300 million and US$185 million, respectively, for colluding on DRAM prices between 1998 and 2002, while Micron avoided penalties by cooperating with the investigation. The plaintiffs argue that the recent rise in DRAM prices reflects a repeat of that earlier case.

Still, Wccftech notes that the current situation differs from the 2005 case, arguing that today’s supply shortages are driven by surging AI demand. The report adds that the three companies have said they are expanding capacity through new fabs and production lines to increase supply.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)