Given new urgency to launch the probe, SAMR regulators visited Google’s Beijing workplace in January earlier than Trump got here into workplace and demanded associated info to be handed over, in keeping with the folks.
The outgoing Biden administration additionally used its last months to step up export controls on superior chips, looking for to curb China’s rising AI capabilities.
Throughout this era, SAMR introduced in December it was investigating claims about Nvidia violating commitments made throughout its 2019 acquisition of Mellanox Applied sciences, an Israeli firm that makes pc networking gear.
SAMR authorized the acquisition in 2020 with situations to forestall anti-competitive practices and guarantee provides to China, and shortly thereafter started to quietly gather complaints from trade, in keeping with an individual acquainted with the matter.
The probe got here as a shock to Nvidia, the world’s largest maker of superior AI semiconductors.
Days earlier than the SAMR announcement, Nvidia’s executives met officers at China’s Ministry of Commerce to debate the $2.9 trillion chipmaker’s operations in its second-biggest market outdoors the US, in keeping with two folks with data of the assembly.
A kind of folks mentioned the commerce officers suggested: “Nvidia is welcome to proceed rising its enterprise in China.” The nation represented 13 % of its world gross sales through the first three-quarters of 2024, in keeping with firm filings.
The antitrust investigations into giant US tech firms might result in fines linked to the businesses’ world revenues, or shedding sure market entry in one in all their largest worldwide markets.
China is Intel’s largest market worldwide, surpassing the US. The California-based chipmaker recorded $15.5 billion gross sales within the nation in 2024, accounting for 29 % of its world income, in keeping with firm filings.
Whereas Google’s search engine is blocked in China, together with most of its guardian firm Alphabet’s companies, the US firm earnings from Chinese language companies promoting overseas. Chinese language phonemakers additionally largely use its Android working system.
Alphabet doesn’t escape its income from China, however the Asia-Pacific area contributed 17 % of gross sales in 2023.
Google and Nvidia declined to remark. Intel didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark. Beijing-based Mofcom and SAMR didn’t reply to faxed questions requesting remark outdoors working hours.
Further reporting from Wenjie Ding in Beijing.
© 2025 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. To not be redistributed, copied, or modified in any manner.