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China opens antitrust probe into Nvidia | TechCrunch

Dec 09, 2024 - techcrunch.com
Nvidia, currently the second-largest public company by market capitalization after Apple, is under scrutiny as China's market regulator investigates its acquisition of Mellanox, an Israel-based high-performance chip company. This acquisition, completed in 2019 for nearly $7 billion, came with commitments from Nvidia to share product information with rivals and allow Chinese chipmakers to test their products with Mellanox's technology. The investigation is part of the broader economic conflict between China and the U.S. over advanced technologies, particularly in the semiconductor industry. This tension has been exacerbated by U.S. trade restrictions on selling advanced AI chips to China, prompting retaliatory measures from the Chinese government.

The significance of Nvidia in the tech industry is underscored by financial analysts' projections that the top seven big tech companies will see an 18% profit growth in 2025, but only 3% if Nvidia is excluded. This highlights the critical role of artificial intelligence in economic growth. The Biden administration recently announced expanded trade bans on advanced technology, focusing on chips for military and AI use. These developments reflect the ongoing geopolitical struggle over key technologies, with Nvidia at the center due to its pivotal role in AI and semiconductor advancements.

Key takeaways:

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  • Nvidia is the second-biggest public company globally, and its acquisition of Mellanox is under investigation by China's market regulator.
  • The Chinese government had approved Nvidia's acquisition of Mellanox with conditions, including sharing product information with rivals and allowing Chinese chipmakers to test products.
  • Washington's restrictions on semiconductor sales to China have led to retaliatory actions, such as China's ban on some Micron products.
  • Financial analysts predict significant profit growth for big tech companies, largely driven by Nvidia, highlighting the importance of AI for economic growth.
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