Memory Chip Giants Face Lawsuit Over 700% DRAM Price Spike

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.

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

Fuente original: Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/memory-chip-giants-face-lawsuit-155835457.html)