Is it worse to be disliked or ignored? Nvidia is too big for the latter, so the former will have to do. The chipmaker that dominates the market for artificial intelligence hardware is in the crosshairs of Chinese antitrust regulators, other chipmakers, and maybe even its own customers. These mounting challenges are a nuisance, but also a compliment.

The company founded by Jensen Huang is virtually the only game in town for high-performance AI chips known as GPUs. The exceptionalism extends to its finances. Nvidia’s sales for the current quarter, for example, are likely to be 60 per cent larger than a year earlier, say Morgan Stanley analysts. It will account for $223bn of a $300bn market by 2027, according to Bank of America, towering over closest peer AMD.

Not everyone celebrates this American success story. Nvidia’s dominance has given the US government a stick with which to beat its major trade rival, China. Export controls deprive Chinese buyers of the company’s raciest ranges. Attempts to use homemade alternatives from companies like Huawei have met with limited success.