Is There a Price Fixing Scheme Behind High Memory Costs? Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron in Court

Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron, the three main global producers of DRAM memory, have been sued in the United States for allegedly coordinating their production strategies to limit the supply of traditional memory and artificially keep prices high.

The class action lawsuit, filed on June 25 in a federal court in California, comes at a time when the industry is facing a surge in memory prices, and numerous PC manufacturers report a structural increase in costs. According to the plaintiffs, the three companies exploited the growing demand for HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), essential for AI accelerators and high-end GPUs, as a justification to coordinately reduce the production of DRAM, particularly for DDR3 and DDR4 modules. The consequence was a drastic contraction of supply in the market, with a price increase that, according to the lawsuit, has reached about 700% over the last four years.

The class action aims to represent consumers and companies that purchased products containing DRAM memory during the period affected by the price increases. Among the cited examples is the recent price hike applied by Apple to various iPad and Mac models, attributed by the company itself to the increase in memory costs.

The lawsuit claims that Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron exploited their dominant position in the global DRAM market to orchestrate a transition to HBM production, a segment that is now much more profitable due to the strong demand generated by artificial intelligence. While it is natural for manufacturers to invest in the most demanded technologies, the plaintiffs believe that the simultaneous scaling back of conventional memory production was a result of coordinated behavior and not merely independent industrial decisions.

The lawsuit also references previous incidents of antitrust violations. In the early 2000s, Samsung and SK hynix pleaded guilty to price-fixing practices challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice, resulting in total penalties of $731 million and criminal convictions for some executives. The promoters of the class action cite such precedents to argue the existence of a history of anti-competitive behavior in the industry.

Several companies in the tech sector, including Lenovo, have recently mentioned a 'new normal' characterized by stably high prices, while analysts consider a return to previous levels unlikely in the short term. Predictions from the investment bank Jefferies indicate further increases over the coming quarters. Analysts estimate a price increase for memory between 40% and 50% in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter, followed by an additional increase of 30-40% in the fourth quarter. Growth is also expected for 2027 at an annual rate of 40-45%, while a slowdown in price dynamics is only hypothesized for 2028.

At this point, the accusations in the class action represent solely the claims of the plaintiffs and will need to be evaluated during the judicial proceedings.