France nears Nvidia antitrust charges

France’s competition authority said on Thursday that its investigation into Nvidia is nearing completion, moving the U.S. chipmaker closer to possible antitrust charges in one of Europe’s highest-profile AI competition cases. Umberto Berkani, the authority’s general rapporteur, told reporters in Paris that the probe was approaching its end, according to Reuters. Nvidia is being investigated over alleged anti-competitive practices tied to its position in artificial intelligence computing. The case has drawn attention because Nvidia’s chips and software have become core infrastructure for cloud providers and AI developers. ### What did the French regulator say on Thursday? Umberto Berkani said on July 9 that the investigation was close to finished. Reuters reported that Berkani, speaking for the French competition authority, told reporters: “We are nearing the end of the investigation.” The authority did not, in the material reviewed, announce charges or a timetable for a final decision. (money.usnews.com) Paris has been examining Nvidia over alleged anti-competitive conduct, according to Reuters-based reports carried by U.S. News and Global Banking & Finance Review. Those reports said the probe concerns Nvidia’s behavior in markets linked to AI chips and related infrastructure. ### Why is Nvidia under scrutiny in France? France’s competition authority has been looking at Nvidia since at least 2023, when investigators carried out a raid connected to a broader cloud computing inquiry, according to earlier Reuters reporting cited by later accounts. (money.usnews.com) The concerns described in those reports included Nvidia’s position in AI chips and its role with cloud providers. The French case matters because Nvidia supplies the graphics processors that many AI systems rely on for training and inference. Reuters-based accounts said the probe has focused on alleged restrictions on competition, while outside coverage has described the inquiry as an early European test of how regulators will police the AI hardware layer. That characterization comes from media reports, not from a formal French ruling. (globalbankingandfinance.com) ### What part of Nvidia’s business is in focus? Nvidia’s position with AI cloud providers is part of the backdrop to the investigation. Reuters-based reports said the authority is examining alleged anti-competitive practices as Nvidia’s products remain central to AI infrastructure. Separate industry coverage on July 9 said Nvidia has been widening ties with emerging AI chip developers as the market moves toward more mixed, or heterogeneous, infrastructure. (money.usnews.com) Digitimes reported on Thursday that Nvidia’s latest example was a collaboration with inference chip startup d-Matrix. That report said Nvidia is increasingly using partnerships as the AI chip ecosystem evolves beyond competition based only on hardware. ### How do Nvidia’s new cloud deals fit into this moment? Nvidia has also introduced revenue-linked infrastructure partnerships with cloud operators. (money.usnews.com) Recent coverage said the company launched a model under which it can combine GPU sales with a share of future cloud revenue from partners. Zawya, citing Nvidia materials, said the program is aimed at bringing large-scale accelerated computing online quickly and keeping systems highly utilized. (digitimes.com) Those commercial moves are separate from the French proceeding, but they show how Nvidia is expanding beyond one-time chip sales into longer-running infrastructure relationships. Reuters-based reports did not say those newer partnerships are the subject of formal French allegations. ### What happens next in the French case? A formal next step would be a statement of objections, if the authority decides to pursue charges. (zawya.com) Reuters-based reports said only that the investigation is nearing its end, not that charges have been filed. Nvidia had not been found in violation in the material reviewed. France’s competition authority will determine whether to issue formal allegations and set out the conduct at issue. (money.usnews.com) Any such filing would identify the legal claims, Nvidia’s opportunity to respond, and the next procedural stage in Paris.