Contrary to an earlier report regarding a potential federal antitrust investigation, Nvidia said Wednesday it has not been subpoenaed but remains willing to answer questions from regulators.
Bloomberg had reported on Tuesday that US Justice officials sent subpoenas to Nvidia and other companies in an attempt to seek evidence that Nvidia violated antitrust laws. That report said Justice was sending legally binding requests that obligate recipients to provide information, according to unnamed sources who spoke to Bloomberg.
But an Nvidia spokesman sent a statement to Fierce Electronics and other outlets that said the company denied receiving a subpoena after making its own inquiry with Justice about any subpoena. Nvidia also defended its business practices briefly, saying it “wins on merit” while customers have the ability to choose the technology they want.
Here is the entire Nvidia statement:
“Nvidia wins on merit, as reflected in our benchmark results and value to customers, and customers can choose whatever solution is best for them. We have inquired with the US Justice Department and have not been subpoenaed. Nevertheless, we are happy to answer any questions regulators may have about our business.”
The earlier Bloomberg report said antitrust officials are concerned Nvidia is making it harder to switch to other suppliers and penalizes those buyers who don’t exclusively use its AI chips, according to unnamed sources.
Bloomberg also said regulators have questioned Nvidia’s acquisition of Run:ai, a deal announced in April. The alleged concern is that the deal will make it more difficult to switch away from Nvidia chips. Also, regulators want to know whether Nvidia gives preferential pricing and supply availability to those customers that use its technology exclusively or buy complete systems, according to the sources that spoke to Bloomberg.
The Los Angeles Times ran a story late Wednesday that continued to assert the subpoena had been sent to Nvidia.