US government sues to block $40 billion Nvidia-Arm chip deal

By TALI ARBEL
AP Technology Writer

The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block graphics chip maker Nvidia’s $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm. The commission says the deal would create a powerful company that could hurt the growth of new technologies. California-based Nvidia said last year that it was buying United Kingdom-based Arm from Japanese technology giant Softbank. The deal immediately raised competition concerns. Regulators in the U.K. and the E.U. have started investigations into the deal. Nvidia says it will contest the lawsuit and that the company is committed to preserving Arm’s open-licensing model.