China Accuses NVIDIA Of Violating Anti-Monopoly Law As Tensions With US Escalate

China's market regulators announced today a preliminary finding that U.S.-based chip giant NVIDIA has violated the country's anti-monopoly law. The declaration from the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) adds more sparks to the already tense trade and tech rivalry between the world's two largest economies.

The investigation stems from NVIDIA’s 2020 acquisition of Israeli networking company Mellanox Technologies. At the time, Beijing had granted conditional approval to the $6.9 billion deal, imposing stipulations that were meant to prevent monopolistic practices, such as product bundling and restricting market access. While the SAMR’s statement did not specify the exact nature of the violations, it stated that NVIDIA failed to comply with these commitments and that it would pursue a "further investigation into it in accordance with the law."

SAMR's announcement comes just as high-level U.S. and Chinese trade officials are meeting ...