According to Taiwan’s “Electronic Times”, citing industry sources, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron’s three largest DRAM memory giants are suspected of manipulating market prices in China, and if they are serious, they will be punished with a maximum fine of US$8 billion.
From 2016 to 2017, the global DRAM memory prices continued to rise. Both the PC market and the smart phone market have been severely impacted, triggering the intense attention of the anti-monopoly bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. The latter discussed Samsung in December 2017, but This did not prevent DRAM prices from continuing to rise in the first quarter of 2018.
Just last month, the Chinese anti-monopoly department interviewed Mei Guang, and then launched investigations on the Big Three.
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have confirmed that the Chinese anti-monopoly department has investigated their offices in China and will fully cooperate with them, but all declined to disclose details.
According to China's anti-monopoly law, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron may be fined between US$800 million and US$8 billion if they are found to be subject to price manipulation. This is based on the three Chinese companies’ DRAM market in 2016-2017. Estimates made from revenue.
In fact, in the United States, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, Infineon, and Elpida were fined for manipulating the price of DRAM memory during 1999-2002. Infineon then withdrew from the DRAM market, and Elpida was used by Micron. Acquisition.
China is already the world's largest consumer of DRAM memory. In 2017, it imported a memory chip worth $88.92 billion, which is nearly 40% higher than that of the previous year.
