Three of the world’s biggest memory chip producers, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, are now facing a federal class-action lawsuit filed in California on June 25, 2026, over allegedly creating an artificial RAM shortage.
The lawsuit, which was filed by frustrated consumers, accuses the aforementioned companies of deliberately restricting RAM supply to push prices higher. Together, these three firms control the vast majority of the global DRAM market.
The lawsuit arrives at a moment when memory prices have reached historic highs. DRAM contract prices rose an estimated 90-95% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026 alone.
The price hikes have not been limited to DRAM alone. NAND flash prices have also climbed, driving up SSD costs and increasing manufacturing expenses for a wide range of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and gaming consoles.
The complaint alleges that the manufacturers have used the AI boom over the past few years as cover for the artificial price hike.
Plaintiffs claim all three companies began coordinating production cuts in late 2022, reducing output, scaling back investment, and slowing expansion while prioritizing AI data center memory over standard consumer DRAM. Critics argue this was a strategic choice, not simply a market response to demand.
Plaintiffs further note that in a healthy competitive market, rising prices would typically prompt at least one supplier to ramp up output and capture customers, but that didn’t happen here, with all three companies simultaneously pulling back.
Previously, we’ve seen Samsung and SK Hynix plead guilty to price-fixing charges related to a conspiracy spanning 1998 to 2002, paying hundreds of millions in fines.
That precedent could be exactly what plaintiffs are banking on. No trial date has yet been scheduled, but the pressure on these companies is certainly mounting.
