Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology are facing a class-action lawsuit over allegations that they deliberately restricted DRAM production and drove up memory prices during the AI boom.
The three companies dominate the global DRAM market and supply memory used in smartphones, personal computers, servers, and other electronic devices. The lawsuit was filed on June 25, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
The plaintiffs, which include individuals and small computer businesses, accuse the companies of coordinating production cuts while demand for conventional DRAM remained strong.
The complaint alleges that the chipmakers shifted manufacturing capacity towards high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, which is used in AI servers, while reducing supplies of standard DRAM products such as DDR3 and DDR4.
According to the lawsuit, the companies used inventory management and growing HBM production as reasons for limiting conventional DRAM output. The plaintiffs argue that these actions created an artificial shortage and pushed prices far beyond levels that normal market conditions would explain.
DRAM prices have risen by hundreds of percent in some categories. The complaint claims prices increased by approximately 700% over four years, contributing to a shortage described as the “RAMpocalypse” or “RAMageddon.”
The lawsuit alleges that Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron violated Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by coordinating actions that restricted supply and increased prices.
The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status, a court order stopping the alleged coordinated restrictions, and damages equal to three times the losses covered by the case. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The companies have faced similar allegations before. Samsung and the company now known as SK Hynix pleaded guilty in a US DRAM price-fixing investigation in 2005 and received fines of $300 million and $185 million, respectively. Micron avoided penalties after cooperating with investigators.
A separate lawsuit filed in 2018 also accused the three companies of coordinating production cuts. A district court dismissed that case in 2020, and the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision in 2022 after finding that the conduct was more likely the result of independent market decisions than an unlawful agreement.
Micron has denied the allegations and said it remains committed to lawful and fair competition. Samsung and SK Hynix have not provided detailed public responses to the new case.
The companies have previously maintained that their production and pricing decisions reflect changing market conditions and rapidly increasing demand from the AI industry.
They have also said they are expanding manufacturing capacity through new factories and production lines. However, semiconductor plants require several years and billions of dollars to build before they can begin supplying memory chips.
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