US DRAM anti-dumping ruling expected soon

The US government is expected to issue a ruling in the next ten weeks that may well go against Taiwanese manufacturers of memory products. The complaint, originally issued by US memory manufacturer Micron, alleges that a number of Taiwanese memory companies unfairly hurt its business by selling parts at uncompetitive prices. If the US finds against Taiwanese firms, it is likely to impose swingeing tariffs against them. Taiwanese DRAM companies ship around 30 per cent of the chips they manufacture into the US market. But according to a report on the Taiwanese Computex trade fair site, the island's manufacturers may try to avoid such action by either shipping through third parties or striking deals with various unnamed Japanese partners. That is unlikely to satisfy Micron, if true. ®