NVIDIA

China has reportedly expanded restrictions on Nvidia chips, impacting the RTX Pro 6000D AI chip in addition to the H20 GPU. This move signals growing confidence in China’s domestic semiconductor industry and a potential negotiation tactic with the U.S. Huawei is emerging as a domestic force with its Ascend chips. Experts view these actions as a strategic attempt to gain leverage in trade negotiations, influencing U.S. policy on export controls. The U.S. may re-evaluate its approach balancing security concerns with economic interests.

Nscale, a UK-based AI infrastructure provider, has rapidly emerged as a key player in the AI market. Fueled by nearly $700 million in funding, including strategic investment from Nvidia, it partners with tech giants like Microsoft and OpenAI to develop hyperscale AI infrastructure in Europe. Nscale plans significant GPU deployments, including a $1 billion investment in Norway. The company focuses on overcoming computing capacity scarcity and market fragmentation in Europe, aiming to become a leader in sovereign AI and support the UK’s AI ambitions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized China as an “adversary” after reports surfaced of Beijing instructing tech firms to stop buying Nvidia’s AI chips, including the RTX Pro 6000D. This move signals China’s growing confidence in its domestic semiconductor industry and its push for self-reliance, substituting Nvidia’s products with alternatives like Huawei’s Ascend 910B. Nvidia’s CEO expressed disappointment, and analysts note potential revenue losses for U.S. chipmakers, highlighting the escalating conflict over AI chip access. China’s strategy may aim to bolster its domestic AI chip development.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addressed challenges in the Chinese market amid escalating US-China tech tensions. He expressed disappointment over reports of China’s potential ban on Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D chip, designed specifically for the Chinese market. Huang highlighted Nvidia’s historical contributions to China but acknowledged broader strategic considerations. He mentioned US export controls, a reported agreement with President Trump, and an anti-monopoly investigation. Nvidia remains committed to both governments while navigating geopolitical complexities and investing in international partnerships, particularly in the UK’s AI infrastructure.

Microsoft is investing $30 billion in UK AI infrastructure, including a major supercomputer project with Nscale. This follows similar large investments from Nvidia, Google, OpenAI, and Salesforce, totaling over $40 billion for the UK AI sector. The investments reflect confidence in the UK’s AI potential, driven by talent, a shifting regulatory environment, and access to the European market. These moves coincide with increased UK-US collaboration on AI, quantum computing, and nuclear technologies.

China’s SAMR has launched an antitrust investigation into NVIDIA, focusing on potential violations of the Anti-Monopoly Law following its Mellanox acquisition. The probe examines whether NVIDIA is abusing its market dominance through unfair pricing and competitive practices. Penalties could include fines up to 10% of previous year’s sales, potentially higher for severe violations. NVIDIA maintains it wins on merit and cooperates with regulators. This highlights increasing regulatory scrutiny on tech companies in China and impacts NVIDIA’s strategy in a key market.

Nvidia is under investigation by China’s SAMR for potential anti-monopoly violations related to its 2020 acquisition of Mellanox. The investigation focuses on whether Nvidia complied with conditions initially set by Chinese authorities during the approval process. The probe has raised concerns about Nvidia’s future operations in China, a critical market for its data center, gaming, and AI businesses. Analysts suggest the investigation may be linked to geopolitical tensions and China’s push for domestic semiconductor development. The outcome could significantly impact Nvidia’s market access and strategic positioning in China.

Nvidia and OpenAI are reportedly in talks to invest billions in UK AI infrastructure, collaborating with cloud firm Nscale. An announcement could coincide with President Trump’s UK visit. This reflects a global trend of nations seeking partnerships with US AI leaders for “sovereign AI” development. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang previously praised the UK as an investment hub. The investment aims to diversify geographic presence and capitalize on AI demand while providing OpenAI access to talent and a supportive regulatory environment.

SK Hynix announced it’s ready for mass production of its HBM4 chips, crucial for AI applications and potentially used in Nvidia’s next-gen architecture. HBM4 boasts double the bandwidth and 40% better power efficiency than its predecessor. This move solidifies SK Hynix’s lead over competitors like Samsung and Micron in the high-bandwidth memory market. Experts predict SK Hynix could hold 50% of the HBM market by 2026. The announcement boosted SK Hynix shares, reflecting investor confidence in its AI-driven strategy. Strong HBM demand contributed to record profits.

Oracle projects cloud sales reaching $114 billion by fiscal year 2029, driven by AI demand and a massive data center expansion. This bullish forecast boosted stocks of Nvidia (up 4%), TSMC (up 4%), Broadcom (up 9%), AMD (up 3%), Micron (up 4%), Super Micro and Dell (up 4% each). UBS analyst notes the projections are decidedly bullish for Nvidia, other AI hardware vendors, and ecosystem partners. Competitor CoreWeave surged over 20%. Oracle’s increased capital expenditure emphasizes cloud infrastructure’s growth.