A federal lawsuit has been filed against RAM manufacturers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, alleging that the companies have participated in price-fixing for RAM chips. The lawsuit comes amidst a major RAM shortage that has plagued the PC and broader electronics industry since 2025.
The RAM supply crisis has been one of the biggest headlines in the electronics industry since early 2025, with prices for RAM chips skyrocketing in recent months. The shortage has largely been attributed to the rapid growth of the field of artificial intelligence and the necessity for AI data centers, with data centers often buying up vast quantities of RAM to power their servers. RAM supply issues have caused prices of computers, video game consoles, and smartphones to soar to unprecedented heights, with Apple recently raising prices on several popular products. Now, a new lawsuit is aiming for some of the industry’s biggest chip manufacturers.
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Federal Lawsuit Accuses RAM Manufacturers of Price Fixing
A lawsuit filed with the US District Court for the Northern District of California allegedly accuses multiple chip manufacturers of price fixing. The case names three companies as the primary defendants, alleging that Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have exacerbated the ongoing RAM crisis by keeping prices high and supply low. The plaintiffs, represented by the New York-based Bathaee Dunne LLP, accuse the companies of violating multiple laws across several states, including the Sherman Act, Cartwright Act, and Minnesota’s Antitrust Law. The plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief in order to “remedy the effects of the defendants’ unlawful and anticompetitive conduct.”
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The federal RAM lawsuit goes into more detail about how the three named defendants have cornered the market on RAM production. The lawsuit alleges that the process of making usable RAM chips has been protected by “decades of trade secrets,” and that export controls in the United States prohibit other methods. The claim also suggests that the newest price spiral for RAM chips is not the first time Samsung and SK Hynix have engaged in similar price fixing, with Samsung paying out nearly $300 million and SK Hynix paying $185 million after pleading guilty to conspiracy between 1998 and 2022.
The rising cost of RAM is a problem that many within the industry have warned is here to stay. Lenovo recently spoke on the ongoing RAM crisis and the resulting higher price points for chips, suggesting that the shortage-driven price increases may end up becoming the “new normal” for the industry. Micron, one of the companies named in the lawsuit, has suggested that the RAM shortage will likely last well beyond the end of 2026, with some even projecting that the shortage could last until 2030.
The RAM shortage has seen many companies looking for ways to counteract the shortage, between raising prices and changing products. Corsair pushed a visual change to its packaging for RAM chips in February 2026, with the company adding a new tamper-evident seal to their packaging in order to combat scammers. Valve has also attributed the high launch price of the Steam Machine to the RAM shortages, with the company originally expecting the price for components to drop instead of rising further. The RAM crisis has already had a sweeping impact on the electronics industry, one that will likely be felt for years to come.
Source: Law360
