Federal trade regulators have opened a formal investigation into Samsung Electronics following allegations that the tech giant’s memory chips violate patents belonging to Netlist, a California-based company.
The U.S. International Trade Commission announced Wednesday that the inquiry also extends to products sold by Google, Nvidia, Broadcom, and Super Micro Computer — all of which use Samsung’s chips in their devices.
At the center of the dispute is dynamic random access memory, commonly known as DRAM — a type of chip that temporarily holds data for processors. DRAM has become a critical component in the servers that power the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.
Netlist has accused Samsung and its U.S.-based divisions of infringing on its DRAM-related patents, prompting the federal investigation.
