Overview
- A proposed class action was filed June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accusing Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron of coordinating to cut DRAM output and inflate prices.
- The complaint alleges the three companies synchronized production cuts starting in 2022 while pivoting capacity to high-bandwidth memory, which plaintiffs say served as cover for shrinking supply of DDR3 and DDR4 used in consumer devices.
- Plaintiffs quantify alleged harm as roughly a 700% rise in commodity DRAM prices over four years and say higher chip costs have translated into pricier laptops, consoles and other electronics for consumers.
- The suit seeks class certification, an injunction to stop the alleged conduct, treble damages and legal fees, and the case has been assigned to Judge Noel Wise while defendants have not yet filed public responses.
- The filing cites past DOJ guilty pleas by Samsung and SK Hynix and notes a 2018 civil suit that was dismissed and affirmed on appeal, meaning plaintiffs will need new evidence to distinguish this case from earlier litigation.