A handful of US semiconductor companies including Motorola Inc and Cypress Semiconductor Corp are apparently being made to apologize to Samsung Group after the South Korean chip giant was dropped from the US Department of Commerce’s SRAM anti-dumping investigation. The DoC is imposing punitive duties between from 42% and 113% against some static random-access memory SRAM makers, although these companies – including the Texas Instruments-Acer joint venture, Hyundai, LG Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor, United Microelectronics and Winbond Electronics – represent less than 8% of SRAM sales into the US. Samsung accounts for 80% of imported SRAMs. Samsung was to have made an announcement on the subject yesterday but has decided to put off going public with the news until next week for fear of confusing the matter with its expected deal with Intel Corp, which will also be announced on Monday (see story above). Observers say duties won’t threaten company’s profits. SRAMS on motherboards are not a subject of the US complaint. Insiders say a review of the DOC’s case early next month may be used as the basis to launch a separate investigation into claims that dynamic RAM is being dumped on the US, a case which would likely include US chip maker Texas Instruments Inc’s Taiwanese joint venture with Acer Group Inc which makes DRAMs, the less-powerful, commodity version of SRAM. SRAM and DRAM prices, have fallen sharply since 1996 due to oversupply.
