Almost every phone and laptop runs on memory chips called DRAM. A US lawsuit says the three firms that make almost all of them keep prices high by limiting supply.

This is not the first accusation against them. Days later, the same firms unveiled a $650 billion spending plan and blamed the shortage on the AI boom.

DRAM Lawsuit Revives Old Cartel Claims

In 2005, Samsung admitted it fixed memory prices and paid a $300 million fine. It was the second-biggest penalty of its kind in US history. Some bosses went to prison. The new lawsuit says the companies later reinstated those same people in their jobs.

The new case is in a California federal court. The buyers suing include 14 people and three small computer shops. One of their law firms, Hagens Berman, won the payout from the original case years ago.

Here is the trick the lawsuit describes. Chips made for AI computers sell for far more than ordinary memory. Plaintiffs say the firms shifted factories toward AI memory chips and let everyday supplies run short. Ordinary memory prices then jumped about 700% in four years.

Shoppers cannot just buy elsewhere. These three firms (Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron) make about 90% of the world’s DRAM. Building a new factory costs more than $15 billion and takes years.

Record AI Spending Lands Days Later

The lawsuit landed just before a big show. On June 29, Samsung Group promised about $650 billion of spending over 10 years. SK Group added its own similar chip plan.

The companies say the spending proves demand is real, not a scheme. Samsung and SK Hynix will each build two new factories. Together, they account for about 80% of the specialized memory that powers AI.

Micron made the same defense for an odd choice. In December, it closed its popular Crucial brand after 29 years, just as prices were peaking. Analysts still debate Micron’s AI bet.

“Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments,” said Sumit Sadana, EVP and Chief Business Officer at Micron.

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Plaintiffs see it differently. Why quit a popular business when profits are highest, they ask, unless the aim is to keep supply tight?

What Comes Next for Memory Prices

Investors were not impressed. Samsung stock fell 5.3% and SK Hynix dropped 3.4%. Apple has already raised some prices to cover higher chip costs.

The squeeze is not ending soon. The bank Jefferies expects memory prices to rise about 50% this quarter and 40% the next. It sees no real relief before 2028.

Winning will be hard. Two earlier versions of this lawsuit failed. Courts ruled that rising prices alone do not prove the firms planned it together.

This time, the plaintiffs say they have more. They point to the same companies, the same product, and some of the same bosses once sent to prison.

Source: BeInCrypto