Nvidia Corp. has added hundreds of staff in China this year to enhance its research capabilities and focus on new autonomous driving technologies.

The world’s second most valuable company will end the year with about 4,000 people, up from just about 3,000 at the start of 2024, people familiar with its operations said. In a key part of that expansion, Nvdia added about 200 people in Beijing to beef up a team of researchers working on self-driving, the people said, asking not to be named as the information is private. The US company also enlarged its after-sales service and networking software development teams, one person said.

Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia is expanding its headcount globally as it works to fulfill runaway demand for its artificial intelligence chips. China, subject to US trade curbs that prevent Nvidia from selling its most advanced semiconductors there, still yielded $5.4 billion in sales in the September quarter. The country remains an important market and a research hub for the US chip designer.

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While Nvidia has sought to maintain good relations with Beijing, the local antitrust regulator this week announced a probe into Nvidia’s 2020 takeover of Mellanox, which the authorities had conditionally approved earlier. The probe began just weeks after Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang highlighted China’s contributions to technology during a trip to Hong Kong.

Company representatives declined to comment.

The investigation, which may lead to a fine or requests for remedial measures, is seen as likely a part of the growing US-China trade dispute. US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened more tariffs on goods from China, while Beijing has announced an export ban on key materials.

Beijing’s support for domestic electric vehicle makers has given it a leading position in pioneering EV technologies and helped lower prices for a new breed of connected cars. Nvidia has been developing driving automation and AI software for over a decade, though its efforts have yet to bear fruit. The company’s China-based researchers would be well positioned to work with local automakers who are looking for such technologies to enhance their offerings.

As of February, Nvidia had 29,600 employees in 36 countries, the company said in a filing. In China, it expanded over the past couple of years to now have close to 600 people in Beijing and it recently opened a new office in the Zhongguancun tech hub, according to the people.

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