According to ChainCatcher, the U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly issued subpoenas to Nvidia (NVDA.O) and other companies seeking evidence that Nvidia has violated antitrust laws, reflecting an escalation in the investigation.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Department of Justice previously only issued questionnaires to relevant companies, but now has issued a legally binding request for the recipient to provide information. This means that the government's investigation is one step closer to formally filing a lawsuit. People familiar with the matter said that antitrust officials are worried that Nvidia is making it more difficult for customers to switch to other suppliers and punishing buyers who do not exclusively use its artificial intelligence chips. Representatives of the Department of Justice and Nvidia declined to comment.

In addition, Nvidia (NVDA.O) closed down 9.5% on Tuesday, with a market value of nearly $280 billion evaporated, and a total market value of $2.65 trillion.