- The US International Trade Commission voted to institute investigation No. 337-TA-1523 into Micron, Supermicro, HPE, and Lenovo based on Netlist's complaint filed on August 11, 2026.
- Netlist alleges infringement of four patents covering DDR5 RDIMMs and MRDIMMs, memory technologies used in data centers and high-performance computing.
- Netlist is seeking exclusion and cease-and-desist orders that would bar importation of the allegedly infringing products into the United States.
- ITC cases proceed on an expedited basis, commonly progressing to trial within a year.
- Micron and Supermicro shares traded lower on the news, with SMCI down 3.4%.
- Micron also faces a separate patent dispute with Yangtze Memory Technologies over NAND, and Micron has previously had five Netlist patents invalidated.
- Netlist CEO C.K. Hong pointed to the Samsung agreement as an industry benchmark for the value of Netlist's IP.
Quotes
“We are pleased with the ITC's decision to institute this investigation. The Samsung agreement established an important industry benchmark for the value of our IP. We intend to continue our enforcement efforts against unauthorized users such as Micron.”