🥵Nvidia in Antitrust Hot Seat

French antitrust regulator set to charge Nvidia for alleged anti-competitive practices

Key Points 

• Nvidia is expected to face charges from the French antitrust regulator for alleged anti-competitive practices, following dawn raids last year focused on the company.

• The French watchdog expressed concerns about Nvidia's CUDA software dominance and its investments in AI-focused cloud services.

• Violating French antitrust rules could result in fines up to 10% of Nvidia's global annual turnover.

• The European Commission is holding off on broadening its review on account of the French investigation, while the U.S. DOJ and FTC are leading a separate probe into Nvidia.

👨🏻‍⚖️News - Nvidia is expected to be charged by the French antitrust regulator for alleged anti-competitive practices, sources say. This would be the first action taken against the company by any regulator. 

The charges follow dawn raids in the graphics cards sector in September last year, which focused on Nvidia as part of a broader investigation into cloud computing.

Notably, Nvidia has seen increased regulatory scrutiny following the release of ChatGPT, which triggered a surge in demand for its chips. In a regulatory filing last year, the company revealed that regulators in the European Union, China, and France had requested information about its graphics cards.

🥸What's more? In a report released last Friday, the French watchdog highlighted the risk of abuse by chip providers in the generative AI sector. It expressed concerns over the industry's reliance on Nvidia's CUDA chip programming software, which is the only system fully compatible with the GPUs crucial for accelerated computing. The report also noted apprehension about Nvidia's recent investments in AI-focused cloud service providers like CoreWeave.

If Nvidia is found to be in the wrong, it risks fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover for violating French antitrust rules, though it can offer concessions to avoid penalties.

🕵🏻‍♂️See also - According to sources familiar with the matter, the European Commission is not expected to broaden its initial review at this time, given that the French authority is already investigating Nvidia. However, the U.S. Department of Justice is still leading an investigation into Nvidia as part of its oversight of Big Tech, alongside the Federal Trade Commission, as per informed sources.

China's AI sector to see 50+ new standards by 2026

Key Points 

• China plans to establish at least 50 AI standards by 2026 as part of its strategy to narrow the technology gap with the US.

• The standards will address areas such as LLM training, safety, governance, industrial applications, software, computing systems, data centers, and semiconductor testing.

• The goal is to use AI as a pivotal technology driving industrial transformation and economic development.

• A China-backed UN resolution adopted unanimously on Monday in the General Assembly calls for a global business environment that promotes "free, open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory" AI development.

☕News - China is planning to establish at least 50 artificial intelligence (AI) standards by 2026, according to a recent draft policy from Beijing. This effort is part of China's strategy to narrow the technological gap with the United States in AI development. 

The planned standards will cover various areas such as training large language models (LLMs), safety, governance, industrial applications, software, computing systems, data centers, and technical requirements and testing methods for semiconductors.

According to a document released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the standards are anticipated to apply to over 1,000 Chinese technology firms. The document also affirms China's commitment to participating in the creation of at least 20 international AI standards.

🧐What's the goal? The draft policy highlights AI as a crucial and strategic technology driving the next wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Accelerating AI integration into the economy is expected to profoundly alter industrial production and economic development patterns in China. The MIIT emphasizes that AI will play a pivotal role in enhancing China's manufacturing capabilities and expanding its influence in the internet sector.

🤓Also noteworthy - The MIIT's standardization effort aligns with a China-backed UN resolution adopted unanimously on Monday in the General Assembly. The resolution urges the global community to foster a business environment for AI development that is "free, open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory" across both developed and developing nations.