Alleged collusion to raise memory interface chip prices! Montage Technology, Renesas, and Rambus' South Korean offices raided; shares plunge as companies respond swiftly
South Korean prosecutors conducted surprise raids on the South Korean offices of Montage Technology, Renesas Electronics Corporation, and Rambus to investigate alleged collusion in raising prices for memory interface chips. As the top three global players, the three companies collectively hold a 93.4% market share. Montage Technology stated that its operations are normal, but its A-shares plunged nearly 10% and its Hong Kong-listed shares dropped over 18% on the news
On July 16, reports emerged that South Korean prosecutors had recently conducted surprise raids on the South Korean offices of Montage Technology, Japan's Renesas Electronics Corporation, and the U.S.-based Rambus, investigating allegations that the three companies colluded on semiconductor component prices.
In response, a reporter from National Business Daily called the office of the board secretary at Montage Technology on the morning of July 16. A staff member replied, "The company is looking into the relevant situation. Currently, the company's operations are normal."
It is reported that Montage Technology, Japan's Renesas Electronics Corporation, and the U.S.-based Rambus are the three leading global players in memory interface chips. According to data from Frost & Sullivan, the memory interconnect market in 2024 exhibited a highly concentrated landscape, with the top three companies collectively holding a 93.4% market share. Among them, Montage Technology ranked first globally with a 36.8% market share.
Founded in 2004, Montage Technology is a global leading fabless integrated circuit design company. Its major customers include memory module manufacturers, large server makers, CPU/GPU giants, and cloud computing service providers.
New CXL memory products launched by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have adopted Montage's interconnect chips.
Montage Technology's stock price has surged since last year, with an increase of 245.8%. Today, Montage's A-shares once fell by 12%. By the midday trading halt, the decline had narrowed to 9.93%, with a total market capitalization of 279.8 billion yuan. As of press time, Montage's Hong Kong-listed shares were down 18.64%.
Additionally, Renesas Electronics Corporation is a semiconductor solutions supplier headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It focuses on providing embedded processors, analog, power, and connectivity products, with its semiconductor solutions applied in fields such as automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
U.S.-based Rambus is a leader in high-performance memory subsystems. The company's products include memory interface chips, DDR5 DIMM chipsets, and more.
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