U.S. trade regulators have opened an investigation into Samsung Electronics and several major technology companies following allegations that Samsung’s memory chips infringe patents owned by California-based Netlist. The case could affect products sold by Google, Nvidia, Broadcom and Super Micro Computer because those companies allegedly use the disputed Samsung components in servers and other advanced computing systems.
The investigation was launched by the U.S. International Trade Commission, or USITC, after Netlist filed a complaint accusing Samsung and its American subsidiaries of violating patents covering dynamic random-access memory technology. DRAM temporarily stores information needed by processors and is essential for cloud computing, data centers and artificial-intelligence systems. As technology companies invest heavily in AI infrastructure, high-performance memory has become an increasingly valuable and strategically important part of the semiconductor market.
Netlist is asking the commission to block imports of the allegedly infringing Samsung chips and products containing them. It also wants the companies involved to stop selling the disputed products in the United States. An administrative law judge will conduct an evidentiary hearing and issue an initial determination, which will then be reviewed by the full commission. The USITC plans to establish a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days.
An import ban would represent a particularly powerful remedy. Unlike a traditional patent lawsuit, which usually results in financial damages, an ITC proceeding can prevent products from entering the United States. Any exclusion or cease-and-desist order would take effect immediately after the commission’s decision and become final after 60 days unless the U.S. trade representative overturns it for policy reasons. However, the opening of an investigation does not mean that the agency has concluded the patents were infringed.
The complaint marks the latest escalation in a long-running legal conflict between Netlist and Samsung over high-performance memory technology. In 2023, a Texas jury awarded Netlist approximately $303 million in a related patent case. Another jury ordered Samsung to pay $118 million in 2024 after concluding that certain memory products infringed Netlist patents involving data-processing technology. Samsung has disputed Netlist’s claims, arguing in earlier litigation that the patents were invalid and that its products operated differently from Netlist’s inventions.
Netlist has also pursued similar cases against other memory manufacturers. In 2024, a jury awarded the company $445 million in a dispute with Micron Technology involving patents for improving memory capacity and performance. These cases demonstrate the financial value of the intellectual property involved and the growing competition over technologies used in advanced servers.
The timing of the investigation is significant because demand for memory chips has surged alongside the rapid construction of AI data centers. Companies such as Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are competing to supply the memory required to operate increasingly powerful processors. A restriction on Samsung products could therefore affect not only the Korean manufacturer but also American technology companies that rely on its components.
Google, Nvidia, Broadcom and Super Micro Computer were included because Netlist alleges that their products incorporate the disputed chips. Their presence broadens the case beyond a disagreement between two memory companies and raises the possibility of supply-chain disruption across the AI industry.
The investigation represents an important test of Netlist’s patent claims and Samsung’s position in the expanding AI-memory market. The outcome could produce financial settlements, licensing agreements or restrictions on imports. It could also influence how technology companies assess patent risks when selecting the chips used in servers, data centers and artificial-intelligence systems.
