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Microsoft, Google and Qualcomm complain about Nvidia Arm acquisition

Microsoft, Google and Qualcomm complain about Nvidia Arm acquisition

Tech companies Microsoft, Google and Qualcomm have complained about Nvidia's potential acquisition of Arm over antitrust concerns.

As reported by Bloomberg, these giant corporations have apparently voiced anxieties to US antitrust regulators, saying that this will harm competition in the tech sector. These concerns seem to largely stem from the fact that the deal would give Nvidia control over supply contracts to huge companies like Apple, Intel and Amazon.

Nvidia announced in September that it was buying Arm for $40 billion. UK-based Arm was previously owned by Japanese finance giant Softbank.

The deal is already being investigated by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, while the United States Federal Trade Commission is also apparently looking into the acquisition. China and the European Union will also be reviewing the deal.

As it currently stands, Arm licenses designs and software to third-parties, with Bloomberg calling it "the Switzerland" of the chip industry because it isn't a direct competitor to other hardware companies.

“As we proceed through the review process, we’re confident that both regulators and customers will see the benefits of our plan to continue Arm’s open licensing model and ensure a transparent, collaborative relationship with Arm’s licensees,” an Nvidia spokesperson said.

“Our vision for Arm will help all Arm licensees grow their businesses and expand into new markets.”

Microsoft's potential acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media is also pending approval from the European Union at the moment.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.