BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators will make a decision on U.S. chipmaker Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of Israeli AI startup Run:ai by Dec. 20, according to a European Commission filing.
The EU antitrust watchdog warned last month that the deal threatens competition in the markets where the companies operate and ordered Nvidia to seek its approval before it can close the deal.
The Commission can either clear the deal with or without remedies during its preliminary review or it can subsequently open a four-month long investigation if it has serious concerns.
Antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have in recent years voiced concerns about killer acquisitions where large players buy start-ups in order to shut them down.
Nvidia, whose processors are essential in the chip industry due to their ability to power AI applications including training models like ChatGPT, announced the Run:ai acquisition in April valued at around $700 million according to a report by Tech Crunch.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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