The move marks an escalation in the DOJ’s investigation. Justice Department lawyers had previously sent questionnaires to several businesses, Bloomberg reported. But the subpoenas delivered to Nvidia Corp. and other technology companies are a new step that brings the investigation closer to a potential lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Nvidia declined to comment.
Business Insider reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
Federal agencies are investigating potential antitrust issues on multiple fronts, according to previous reports.
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 situation. Some advocacy groups have complained that Nvidia threatens clients that use chips from both Nvidia and its competitors.
According to Politico, Justice Department lawyers are also examining Nvidia’s purchase this year of Run:ai, a company that allows computer chips to operate more efficiently.
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Microsoft and OpenAI broke antitrust laws through their partnership. OpenAI uses chips from Nvidia to train the large language models that form the backbone of its products, including ChatGPT.
Nvidia’s stock price has suffered amid a broader market rout, dropping nearly 10% on Tuesday.
This story has been updated.