China’s market regulator announced Monday that Nvidia is suspected of violating the country’s anti-monopoly law following a preliminary investigation, with further probes into the U.S. technology giant set to continue.
The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) initiated its inquiry into Nvidia late 2024, focusing on the company’s 2020 takeover of Israeli network solutions specialist Mellanox, as well as agreements made during that acquisition. Although Chinese authorities approved the Mellanox deal at the time, the approval came with various stipulations.
SAMR stated it had found evidence of anti-monopoly law breaches related to the acquisition, but stopped short of specifying the nature of Nvidia’s alleged violations.
This development comes as Beijing and Washington engage in renewed trade negotiations in Madrid, potentially casting a shadow over ongoing talks. Over the weekend, China also began separate investigations targeting U.S. semiconductor firms—launching an anti-dumping probe into certain American chip imports as well as an anti-discrimination crackdown on U.S. measures affecting China’s chip sector.
