Tesla faces regulatory investigation, Intel's stock hits a setback: Tech giants' movements shake the crypto market nerves

Tesla recently drew renewed attention from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration due to a petition regarding a defect investigation into the mechanical door unlock device of the 2022 Model 3.

Almost simultaneously, the semiconductor industry reported that NVIDIA has paused testing of Intel’s 18A process technology, causing Intel’s stock price to drop accordingly.

01 Regulatory Developments

Tesla is once again under regulatory scrutiny. On December 25, 2025, it was disclosed that the Defect Investigation Office of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a petition on November 25 requesting an investigation into defects in the mechanical door unlock device of the 2022 Tesla Model 3.

The petition pointed out issues such as hidden design, unmarked labels, and difficulty in intuitive location during emergencies.

Currently, the regulatory agency has initiated the defect petition process to assess the issue and decide whether to approve or reject the petition.

This news comes amid Tesla’s recent strong stock performance. As of December 25, Tesla’s stock price was $485.4, a slight decrease of 0.03% for the day, but it has risen a total of 12.84% in December.

02 Tech Battles

Developments in the semiconductor industry suggest potential cooperation issues. According to Reuters on December 25, NVIDIA has stopped testing Intel’s 18A manufacturing process. Two informed sources revealed that NVIDIA recently tested whether to use Intel’s 18A process to manufacture its chips but has now halted progress.

Following this news, Intel’s stock price plummeted pre-market, with a drop of over 5% during trading, reaching a low of $34.44 per share.

As of the time of writing, Intel closed the day down 0.52% at $36.16, with a trading volume of $1.324 billion. This contrasts with a few days ago when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission officially approved NVIDIA’s $5 billion strategic investment plan in Intel.

03 Market Ripples

While traditional tech stocks fluctuate, the cryptocurrency market also shows complex movements. According to Gate data, as of December 25, BTC/USDT was quoted at $88,001, down 1.5% in 24 hours.

Gate Research Institute’s market analysis on December 25 indicated that BTC is oscillating in the $87,500–$88,000 range, with marginal convergence of bearish momentum but still facing upward pressure.

Market structure-wise, the marginal easing of OTC selling pressure suggests the risk-off phase is nearing its end. According to Wintermute data, the net OTC flow of BTC and ETH has been predominantly negative over the past year.

After a brief positive shift due to event-driven news at the beginning of 2024, professional funds quickly shifted to systematic reduction, reaching a peak of selling pressure in the second half of 2024 through early 2025.

04 Sector Linkages

The correlation between tech stocks and cryptocurrencies has become increasingly evident in recent market performance. On December 25, the U.S. stock market closed higher across the board, with the S&P 500 up 0.46% and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.57%.

Large tech stocks showed mixed performance: NVIDIA rose 3.01%, Tesla fell 0.65%, and Intel declined 0.05%.

Within the crypto market, there is also divergence. Ethereum on the Gate platform was quoted at $2,964, down 0.29% in 24 hours. Meanwhile, some altcoins performed actively, with CXT tokens surging 219.06% in 24 hours to $0.018496.

This divergence indicates that funds are reallocating across assets with different risk levels, as investors adjust their crypto holdings amid increased volatility in traditional tech stocks.

05 Ecosystem Evolution

The crypto ecosystem itself is undergoing significant evolution. RWA platform OpenEden announced that its yield-bearing stablecoin USDO’s composable wrapped version, cUSDO, will soon launch on Solana.

cUSDO continues the core feature of being “fully backed by tokenized government bonds,” with each cUSDO circulating on Solana corresponding to a verifiable tokenized government bond asset on-chain.

This development introduces a risk-free on-chain interest rate anchor directly linked to the yields of regulated government bonds within the Solana ecosystem, potentially improving interest rate pricing and risk benchmarks.

Meanwhile, the publicly listed Solana crypto treasury company Upexi recently submitted a shelf registration with the SEC for up to $10 billion, reserving space for flexible financing through various securities instruments.

Upexi currently holds about 2 million SOL tokens, with a market value of approximately $248 million, making it one of the leading institutional holders of SOL among listed companies.

Future Outlook

Chip giant Intel is seeking transformation, and market observers see CEO Chen Liwu’s trading ability as a catalyst for the company’s turnaround. At the same time, a U.S. Department of Commerce official explicitly stated that although government holdings give Intel a chance to succeed, the company is not “strategically too big to fail.”

When San Francisco experienced a widespread blackout causing Google Waymo’s autonomous vehicle service to halt, Tesla vehicles powered by FSD systems continued to operate normally on the streets. This stark contrast seems to suggest that true technological innovation not only leads industry change but can also demonstrate resilience in extreme environments.