In a major AI hardware power play, Japan's SoftBank Group has officially completed the full acquisition of U.S. chip designer Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion.
The deal's closure provided an immediate boost to SoftBank, with its Tokyo-listed stock surging as much as 8% following the announcement. A key facilitator was the U.S. FTC, which cleared the transaction earlier in November, removing a significant regulatory hurdle.
Ampere, founded by former Intel executive Renee James, designs data center processors based on Arm architecture. This strategic acquisition deepens SoftBank's ties to the Arm ecosystem, which it already controls, and significantly expands its portfolio in the high-stakes AI infrastructure market. This move follows SoftBank's earlier purchase of UK AI chip company Graphcore, solidifying its end-to-end AI hardware capabilities.
ICgoodFind: This acquisition tightens SoftBank's grip on the AI supply chain, positioning it as an integrated force from core IP to data center hardware.
