Signal DOJ investigates Nvidia-Groq licensing deal over antitrust bypass

Summary

The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into Nvidia's licensing and hiring arrangement with AI chip startup Groq, announced in December 2025 and valued at up to $20 billion. Rather than acquiring Groq outright, Nvidia took a non-exclusive license to its inference chip technology and hired several top executives, including founder Jonathan Ross. The DOJ is examining whether this structure was designed to avoid Hart-Scott-Rodino merger notification requirements. On September 9, 2026, the agency sent Nvidia a formal demand for information about the deal. Analysts note this reflects growing regulatory scrutiny of licensing-and-hiring structures used by dominant firms to absorb competitors without formal merger review.