U.S. Department of Justice Investigates NVIDIA's Acquisition of Hugging Face

According to Yonhap News Agency citing Reuters, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into NVIDIA's acquisition of Hugging Face, focusing on whether the $12.9 billion deal would allow NVIDIA to control core AI distribution nodes, and whether NVIDIA could use the open-source AI model sharing platform to harm competitors or leverage it as a bargaining chip. The investigation also covers NVIDIA's acquisition, investment, and sales practices and whether it pressures customers, including whether it allocates more AI chips to customers purchasing network equipment and Groq processors after licensing Groq technology and recruiting key engineers, as well as its December 2025 acquisition of SchedMD and Run:ai. Reports state that the investigation does not indicate evidence of wrongdoing, nor will it necessarily lead to litigation; NVIDIA stated that Hugging Face will continue to remain open, with the transaction expected to be completed in the first half of next year.