"We comply with the law in all respects," a spokesperson for Nvidia said in a written statement to AFP.

"We will continue to cooperate with all relevant government agencies as they evaluate the impact of export controls on competition in the commercial markets," the statement added.

The California-based AI chip leader has found itself wound up in a tense competition between China and the United States for supremacy in the critical field of semiconductors.

Washington restricts Nvidia from exporting its most advanced products to China and last month confirmed the company would pay the US government 15 percent of revenue from certain AI chip sales in the country.

Beijing has responded by expressing national security concerns about Nvidia chips and urging Chinese businesses to rely on local semiconductor suppliers instead.

And after opening an investigation into Nvidia in December, China's top market watchdog said Monday the firm had violated anti-monopoly laws, according to preliminary findings.

The statement did not provide details about Nvidia's alleged wrongdoing and vowed to conduct a further probe.

China's announcement came after officials from Beijing and Washington gathered for a second day of closely watched trade talks in Madrid.

Following discussions, the two sides said they had reached a "framework" deal to resolve a key dispute over TikTok that calls for the Chinese-owned app to pass to US-controlled ownership.

Top diplomats and defence chiefs from both nations held back-to-back phone calls last week, which analysts said could mark a step towards a meeting between leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

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NVIDIA