China isn’t holding back in its latest move against US tech giants. Authorities have revived antitrust investigations into Google and Nvidia, adding fuel to the already heated tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Earlier this year, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) paid a visit to Google’s Beijing office, seeking information as part of the probe. This comes after the US tightened export controls on advanced chips, aiming to slow down China’s progress in artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Nvidia found itself in hot water after SAMR announced it was looking into whether the chipmaker broke commitments made during its 2019 acquisition of Israeli firm Mellanox Technologies. While the deal was approved in 2020 with conditions to ensure fair competition, complaints from the industry have since surfaced, prompting the investigation.

For Nvidia, the news came as a shock. Just days before the announcement, the company’s executives met with Chinese commerce officials, who assured them that Nvidia was “welcome to continue growing its business in China.” This is no small matter—China accounts for 13% of Nvidia’s global sales.

The stakes are high. If found guilty, these tech giants could face hefty fines tied to their global revenues or even lose access to one of their largest markets. Intel, for example, sees China as its biggest market, with $15.5 billion in sales in 2024 alone.

Google, while blocked in China, still benefits from Chinese businesses advertising abroad and the widespread use of its Android operating system by Chinese phone manufacturers.

Neither Google nor Nvidia had much to say about the probes, while Intel didn’t respond to requests for comment. SAMR and China’s commerce ministry also remained tight-lipped.

As the US and China continue to spar over trade and technology, these investigations underscore the high-stakes game of economic and political leverage between the two superpowers.