Netlist has filed a new complaint at the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking to block imports of Micron memory chips that end up inside artificial intelligence hardware made by Google, Nvidia and Broadcom. The Irvine-based memory technology company alleges that Micron's chips, along with the Google, Nvidia and Broadcom products that use them, infringe two patents covering high bandwidth memory technology. Netlist wants the trade tribunal to bar imports of Micron DRAM devices as well as Google, Nvidia and Broadcom graphics processing units, servers and other products that incorporate the accused Micron technology.
According to Reuters, the complaint was first filed under seal at the ITC on Friday before becoming public Tuesday, September 29. Reporter Blake Brittain notes that Micron, Google, Nvidia and Broadcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing. The case adds another front to Netlist's long-running legal campaign against Micron over memory patents tied to the booming AI computing market.
A Separate ITC Probe Already Underway
This new complaint is distinct from a case the ITC has already agreed to investigate. As reported by tmcnet.com, the commission instituted Investigation No. 337-TA-1523 into Micron, Supermicro, HPE and Lenovo based on a Netlist complaint filed August 11, 2026. That probe will examine whether Micron memory products should be excluded from U.S. imports for allegedly infringing four Netlist patents — U.S. Patent Nos. 10,025,731, 10,217,523, 12,373,366 and 12,675,407 — which Netlist says cover DDR5 RDIMMs and/or MRDIMMs.
In that case, Netlist is seeking exclusion and cease-and-desist orders against each respondent to stop the products from entering the country, the same outlet reports. The company has said it intends to continue its enforcement efforts against what it calls unauthorized users such as Micron. The tech-trade publication also notes that ITC cases move on an expedited timeline, commonly reaching trial within a year, though there is no projected timeframe for a determination in this newer complaint.
What the ITC Has and Hasn't Decided
Regulators have been careful to note the limits of their action so far. The U.S. International Trade Commission's press office states that, by instituting Investigation No. 337-TA-1523, the commission has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. That caution applies to the pending Micron, Supermicro, HPE and Lenovo probe and underscores that no import ban has been ordered in that matter.
Netlist CEO C.K. Hong framed the broader strategy in comments tied to the case, saying the company has spent decades developing advanced memory technologies now used in rapidly expanding AI infrastructure. Hong added that the action reflects Netlist's continued commitment to protecting its foundational technologies from unauthorized use.
A Pattern of Courtroom Wins and Settlements
Netlist's ITC filings follow a string of favorable outcomes in federal court. The company won a $445 million patent infringement verdict against Micron in 2024 in Marshall, Texas federal court, and it secured $421 million in patent verdicts against Samsung this year in the same court, per Reuters. Netlist also filed another ITC complaint against Micron in August targeting memory chips used in Super Micro Computer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo products, and it settled a separate memory-patent dispute with Samsung that same month.
Micron's own legal history with Netlist stretches back further. A patent dispute between Micron and Netlist was remanded to the District Court for the Fourth Judicial District of the State of Idaho, County of Ada, and closed on August 13, 2024, according to Patsnap. Micron has a manufacturing facility in Taoyuan, Taiwan, part of its global production footprint feeding chips into the AI hardware supply chain, per Reuters.
The stakes for chipmakers and the tech giants that buy from them are significant, given how central Micron's memory products have become to AI computing at scale. Any exclusion order covering DRAM, RDIMMs or MRDIMMs could ripple through server and GPU supply chains used by Google, Nvidia and Broadcom, though the commission has not yet weighed the underlying infringement claims in either the pending investigation or the newly filed complaint.
