Micron Technology—Micron participated in DRAM price-fixing conspiracy but received immunity as whistleblower
Between July 1998 and June 2002, five DRAM manufacturers including Micron, Hynix, Infineon, Samsung, and Elpida participated in an international price-fixing conspiracy. Micron received immunity from the DOJ for being the whistleblower that exposed the cartel. Other participants paid hundreds of millions in fines and executives served prison time.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antitrust & Competition | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Transparency | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.221 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
DOJ confirmed five DRAM manufacturers participated in international price-fixing conspiracy; Micron received immunity as whistleblower
The DOJ confirmed that Micron, along with Hynix, Infineon, Samsung, and Elpida, participated in DRAM price-fixing from 1998-2002. Micron received immunity for being the whistleblower. Other manufacturers paid hundreds of millions in fines.