Netlist Asks ITC to Ban Micron Memory Imports That Power Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom AI

A small memory company is trying to cut off part of the supply of chips that feed the AI boom. Netlist has asked the US International Trade Commission to halt imports of Micron memory components, along with GPUs, servers, and other AI hardware from Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom that allegedly use the contested Micron technology.

The complaint was filed under seal on Friday, September 25, and became public on September 29. It targets Micron's DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, the stacked chips that sit next to AI processors and keep them supplied with data. High-bandwidth memory is one of the tightest bottlenecks in AI hardware, which is exactly what gives the threat its weight.

Two patents, three giants

Netlist alleges infringement of two of its patents tied to high-bandwidth memory innovations that speed data to processors in AI systems. It is not suing Google, Nvidia, or Broadcom for damages here. It is asking the ITC to stop their products at the border if they contain the Micron parts in question.

That is the ITC's particular power. It cannot award money, but it can issue exclusion orders that block infringing goods from entering the US. For companies shipping accelerators and servers assembled overseas, that is a far scarier lever than a damages verdict.

CEO C.K. Hong framed it as a matter of ownership, saying Netlist spent decades building memory technology that now powers AI infrastructure and will defend its intellectual property against unlicensed use. Micron, Google, Nvidia, and Broadcom had not commented as of the day the filing became public.

A long fight with Micron

Netlist and Micron have been at this for years. In 2024 a federal jury in Marshall, Texas, awarded Netlist $445 million against Micron for patent violations.

The pressure has been building since. In August 2026 Netlist filed a separate ITC complaint aimed at Micron memory inside hardware from Super Micro Computer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Lenovo. The same month, it settled with Samsung after jury awards against the Korean chipmaker totaling $421 million.

The Samsung settlement closed one front after those jury awards. Each new ITC filing still widens the circle of customers who have a reason to care how Micron resolves the fight. Adding Nvidia, Google, and Broadcom raises the stakes.

What happens next

An import ban is a request, not a ruling. The ITC has not set a public timeline.

Still, the filing lands at a sensitive moment for AI chip supply. Washington is already weighing new limits on AI chip exports, and Nvidia is separately dealing with a Justice Department probe into its Groq licensing deal. A patent fight that threatens the memory stacked next to its GPUs adds one more front, and gives Netlist real leverage over Micron.