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TAKEAWAYS KEY
- SoftBank Group announced Thursday that it has reached a deal with Ampere Computing Holdings, a U.S. chip designer, for $6.5 billion. This is part of SoftBank’s plans to increase its exposure to artificial-intelligence development.
- Ampere, based in Santa Clara, California, has around 1,000 semiconductor engineers and “designs high-performance, energy-efficient processors specialized for next-generation cloud computing and AI workloads."
- SoftBank’s board has approved the deal, but it still needs regulatory approvals.
SoftBank Group announced Thursday that it had struck a deal with Ampere Computing Holdings, a U.S. chip designer, for $6.5 billion. This is part of SoftBank’s plans to increase its exposure to artificial-intelligence development.
SoftBank shares, whose majority owned chip designer Arm Holdings has a stake Ampere, fell 2% on Thursday in Tokyo.
Companies from Apple (AAPL) to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) have been announcing plans to boost their production of cutting-edge technology in the U.S. recently, as the Trump administration launches tariffs globally with the aim of bringing manufacturing onshore.
SoftBank announced Thursday that its purchase of Ampere would be consistent with its “broader vision and commitment to driving innovations in AI and computation.”
SoftBank stated that Ampere is based in Santa Clara and has around 1,000 semiconductor engineers. “Ampere designs high-performance, efficient processors for next-generation cloud computing workloads and AI,” SoftBank added. According to a press release, Arm owns 8.08% Ampere. Other investors include Carlyle Group and Oracle Project Denver Holdings.
SoftBank has approved the deal. It still needs regulatory approvals. This includes U.S. antitrust clearance as well as the green light of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which vets takeovers on U.S. National Security grounds.
