A formal investigation will start later in the year.
The Competitions and Markets Authority will consider whether the Arm sale might lead to it withdrawing, raising the prices or reducing the quality of its IP licensing services to NVIDIA’s rivals.
Daniel Zeichner MP said: “This is a huge deal and I have said from day one it is vital that Arm’s neutrality is preserved. This sale is all about an American company that is eyeing up our tech. We need to protect customers so prices do not rise and quality drops and the government must not hand over decision-making power to a foreign state. I am pleased that the government has finally heeded calls by myself, leading figures in the tech industry and the unions for an enquiry. This is a serious matter, not only does it affect Cambridge jobs, but decisions taken will have a big impact on the role of the UK in the production of global technology.”