this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2026
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243
Bombshell lawsuit alleges that RAM manufacturers are colluding to drive up prices. Three companies that account for 90% of RAM revenue are being sued for anti-competitive practices. Samsung, SK Hynix… (www.polygon.com)
submitted 1 day ago by sanitation@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 5 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I'd like to see a lawsuit like this against OpenAI.

They bought a combined total of 40% of the world's 2026 memory production- not as usable modules, but as finished wafers. Those wafers have to be sliced into individual chips, which are then tested (binned) and packaged into modules, which themselves get mounted on a PCB with some support circuity to make a DIMM.
OpenAI (as far as I know) doesn't have the equipment to do that.
So chances are those finished wafers are either in the trash or sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

Question becomes- to what end? To drive up prices for other AI companies? To manipulate the market and then sell those wafers in small batches at great premium?

IMHO- unless they can show those wafers have been processed packaged and put in servers, they should also be sued.

[–] percent@infosec.pub 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

So chances are those finished wafers are either in the trash or sitting in a warehouse somewhere

Is this only based on the assumption that they don't own their own equipment to manufacture DIMMs, or is there some other context to support this?

I would have guessed that they'd send the wafers to some company who has the equipment. That would seem pretty normal to me (though all of my manufacturing experience was with much simpler products at a much smaller scale).

[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I've not been able to find any solid intel on what actually happened to the wafers.

Thing is though- cutting wafers and packaging can be done at any fab so in theory they could find an older fab with excess capacity and pay them to do some of it.

Binning however requires some more specialized equipment, that from what I understand is more specific to the type of chips you're making. This is where you test each individual chip- out of a wafer you'll get some great ones, some good ones, some bad ones, and some that don't work at all. Thus 'binning' is taking a stream of chips and sorting them into bins by their maximum speed, stability, etc.
You might find a fab that has the equipment to bin DRAM chips but not the means to manufacture those chips. Still it seems an odd use of resources to get into the chip production business when your core business has nothing to do with chips.

[–] percent@infosec.pub 2 points 5 hours ago

IMO, nothing (or, more accurately: everything) is odd in the AI industry. AI companies have had to buy compute resources from rivals. Hardware manufacturers can't ramp up fast enough to meet demand. Data centers can't be built fast enough. Energy production is a bottleneck. Three Mile Island is being resurrected. SpaceX now owns xAI, plans to buy Cursor, and is unironically considering building data centers in orbit. Software security vulnerabilities are being discovered/revealed at an alarming rate.

Honestly, OpenAI buying wafers seems kinda tame at this point 😅

[–] Dookieman12@piefed.social 6 points 11 hours ago

My prediction is: There will be a settlement. Neither party will admit wrongdoing. The settlement money will go to the lawyers. The corporations' right to manipulate the market will be enshrined.

[–] TwodogsFighting 3 points 15 hours ago

Shocked Kirk meme.

[–] thepig@lemmy.zip 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Fuck my life, everything is a grift and a cash grab, monopolies are everywhere and our lives get shittier by the day

[–] 0x0@infosec.pub 12 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Our planet is a resort for the Epstein class and we're the servants

[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago

And a ton of dipshits voted for the people who said they were going to do just that, and are surprised that it did, just that.

[–] actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can you really call it a bombshell when they're doing it out in the open? And everybody can see they are doing it? And they are in no way trying to hide it or justify their actions?

[–] cadekat@pawb.social 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The lawsuit is the bombshell I guess?

Also it wasn't obvious to me that RAM manufacturers were artificially inflating prices. It's plausible to me that the stupid AI bubble is actually consuming that much of the supply.

[–] EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

This isn’t even the first time these exact three companies have been caught doing this. Their executives even went to prison last time.

[–] jrs100000@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Article says this is about DDR3 and DDR4 RAM, so it seems unlikely data centers are directly to blame.

[–] plantsmakemehappy@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 day ago

Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron

[–] ContactClosure@lemmus.org 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago

Well, not that shocked.

[–] FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I am in Japan where they have just discovered a cartel of ice cream manufacturers pushing up prices. Supply and demand. This is capitalism, baby!

This is a lawsuit, right? It'll go through a few judges' hands on appeals and what not and by the time the companies get their slap on the wrist in 2-5 years they will have made so much money it doesn't matter.

[–] abc@suppo.fi 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Supply and demand. This is capitalism, baby!

This but unironically.

Cartels are illegal for a reason though so interesting to see if the RAM situation has been a cartel.

[–] belochka@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Of what I've read about Japan, a cartel being considered something bad in the society is an improvement.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can you elaborate? As someone living in Japan for over 15 years, I'm not sure what you mean? Are you implying we welcomed cartels in the past?

[–] belochka@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago

More oligopolies than cartels, but zaibatsu are a common stereotype as something culturally normal for Japan, yes.