The move marks a new step in the Justice Department’s investigation. Department lawyers had already sent questionnaires to several companies, Bloomberg reported. But the subpoenas to Nvidia Corp. and other tech companies are another step that moves the investigation closer to a possible trial.
An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment.
Business Insider has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
According to previous reports, federal agencies are investigating possible antitrust issues on multiple fronts.
Justice Department officials are investigating whether Nvidia’s dominance has made it difficult for buyers to use other suppliers, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Some rights groups have complained that Nvidia threatens customers who use chips from Nvidia and its competitors.
According to Politico, Justice Department lawyers are also reviewing Nvidia’s purchase this year of Run:ai, a company that helps computer chips run more efficiently.
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether Microsoft and OpenAI violated antitrust laws in their partnership. OpenAI uses Nvidia chips to train the large language models that form the backbone of its products, including ChatGPT.
Nvidia’s stock price suffered from a broader stock market rout, falling nearly 10% on Tuesday.
This story has been updated.
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