Netlist seeks ban on imports of Micron chips used by Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom for AI computing

U.S. computer memory company Netlist announced on Tuesday that it has filed a new complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC), seeking to block imports of memory chips made by Micron that are used in Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom products for artificial intelligence computing, as Reuters reports.

The complaint, initially filed under seal on Friday, alleges that Micron’s chips and the three tech giants’ products containing them infringe two Netlist patents on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technology, the agency reports. Netlist is asking the U.S. trade tribunal to ban imports of Micron’s DRAM devices, as well as the graphics units (GPUs), servers, and other Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom products that include the disputed technology.

Spokespeople for Micron, Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday, Reuters writes. “Netlist has spent decades developing advanced memory technologies that are now used in the rapidly expanding AI infrastructure,” said the company’s chief executive, C.K. Hong. “This action reflects our continued commitment to protecting our core technologies from unauthorized use.”

This is the latest step in Netlist’s long legal battle. The company won a $445 million verdict against Micron in 2024 for patent infringement in the federal court in Marshall, Texas, while in August it filed another ITC complaint over memory chips used in Super Micro Computer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Lenovo products. Also in August, Netlist reached a settlement with Samsung in another patent dispute, after previously securing $421 million verdicts against the Korean giant in the same Texas court.