AMD and Nvidia have been put on notice by the US Department of Justice in relation to an investigation around possible anti-trust violations by graphics chip makers.

The two companies this week confirmed the receipt of subpoenas from the DOJ. They were quick to note that no specific allegations have been made thus far and were then quick to note little else. The DOJ would only add that it's probing "the possibility of anticompetitive practices involving the graphics processing units and cards industry."

Intel, the other major graphics player, has thus far escaped the DOJ's legal touch.

The DOJ spent much of the last year handing out fines and jail sentences to DRAM makers after it found a number of companies conspired to elevate the price of memory.

AMD, thanks to its purchase of ATI, and Nvidia stand as the largest makers of standalone graphics chips. ®