A U.S. federal court has allowed a class-action lawsuit against Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang to move forward over claims the company hid crypto mining-related GPU sales.
Investors say more than $1 billion in revenue tied to crypto miners was not clearly disclosed.
According to the court ruling, the case covers investors between August 10, 2017, and November 15, 2018. Plaintiffs claim Nvidia earned large revenue from crypto miners but recorded much of it under its gaming business.
Court filings suggest Nvidia generated around $1.7 billion from crypto mining GPU sales during the period. Of this, roughly $1.13 billion was allegedly not clearly disclosed. Investors argue this created a misleading view of steady gaming demand.
The filings also state that more than 65% of crypto-related demand came from Nvidia’s GeForce gaming GPUs. This means growth in the gaming segment may have been driven by miners rather than gamers.
In addition, crypto demand may have accounted for about 83% of Nvidia’s GPU growth during the time covered by the lawsuit.
The issue became clear in 2018. In August 2018, Nvidia lowered its outlook and said crypto demand had slowed. Then, on November 15, 2018, the company admitted gaming revenue missed expectations due to unsold inventory after the crypto decline.
After this disclosure, Nvidia shares dropped about 28.5% in two trading sessions. Investors say the fall reflected the market reacting to the company’s earlier crypto exposure.
The judge said Nvidia failed to prove that its statements did not affect the stock price.
Because of this, the court allowed the lawsuit to proceed as a class action. A hearing is set for April 21.
This is not the first time Nvidia has faced scrutiny. In 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined the company $5.5 million for failing to clearly disclose how crypto mining affected gaming revenue.
Regulators said investors should have been told that a meaningful portion of GPU demand came from crypto miners.
Following this, Nvidia stock has dropped about 9% over the past month, now trading near $178.68, as investors watch the case closely.
If the case is decided against Nvidia, the company could face significant financial penalties or be required to compensate affected investors. It may also lead to stricter disclosure practices and increased regulatory oversight for how tech companies report revenue sources.
The case could push Nvidia to be more transparent about its revenue streams, especially in volatile sectors like cryptocurrency. It may also influence how the company segments and reports earnings in its financial statements going forward.
The outcome could set a precedent for how companies disclose demand driven by crypto mining. It may also affect how GPU manufacturers manage supply and communicate with investors during future crypto market cycles.
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