Nvidia (NVDA.US) is suspected of engaging in anti-competitive behavior, and the French antitrust regulator has officially launched an investigation.

France's antitrust regulator Autorité de la concurrence confirmed this week that it is conducting an antitrust investigation into Nvidia (NVDA.US), the industry leader in artificial intelligence computing. The agency's chairman, Benoit Coeure, made that clear at a news conference, saying that if the investigation confirmed the allegations, Nvidia could face legal action.

The disclosure of the news came on the heels of a report by Reuters earlier this month that said Nvidia was about to face a charge from the French regulator. The agency's statement of objection, which followed a series of raids on the graphics card industry and was part of a broader investigation into the cloud computing sector, singled out Nvidia as the main target of those raids last September.

The action by the French competition authority marks a global trend in the regulation of computer chipmakers, as it is the first formal action taken against Nvidia by an enforcement agency. The incident highlights the attention regulators around the world are paying to the technology industry, particularly on the issues of antitrust and competition.

As the investigation unfolds, whether Nvidia will face legal action and how that will affect its business operations globally will be closely watched by the industry and financial markets.