The European Commission announced two antitrust investigations on Thursday into the chip maker Qualcomm, the latest in a number of recent competition inquiries aimed at United States technology giants.

Europe’s antitrust officials said they would investigate whether Qualcomm, one of the world’s largest chip makers, had abused its dominant market position in the region by offering financial incentives to potential customers if they bought equipment solely from the American company.

European authorities will also examine whether Qualcomm unfairly set prices below its manufacturing costs to force competitors from the market. The company’s chips are used in smartphones and other mobile devices, which are increasingly central to how people use online services.

“We want to be sure that high-tech suppliers can compete on the merits of their products,” Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s top competition official, said in a statement on Thursday. “Many customers use electronic devices such as a mobile phone or a tablet, and we want to ensure that they ultimately get value for money.”

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved