- Softbank confirms $ 6.5 billion agreement to acquire arm -based chipmaker amps
- The deal could customize ampers with arm and previously acquired graphcore
- The acquisition could put arm in direct competition with its chip artists
We reported earlier that Arm is considering making its own silicon and that the British company’s Japanese owner, Softbank, was considering acquiring Ampere Computing, Arm’s only independent server chip supplier, to make this come true.
Amps, based in Santa Clara, California and supported by Oracle, design high performance, energy-efficient processors optimized for AI and cloud work loads using the Arm Compute Platform.
An acquisition from Softbank could change your arm from mere licensing chip design to the manufacture of its own chips – to put it in direct competition with existing customers and expand arm’s footprint in the growing data center room.
Complements Arm’s design forces
Until now, the acquisition had only been a strong rumor, but it has now finally confirmed that Softbank will buy Ampere Computing for $ 6.5 billion (about $ 973.0 billion).
The deal, which was announced on March 19, 2025, will make Ampere a wholly owned subsidiary through Softbank’s investment arm, Silver Bands 6.
Softbank Group already owns a majority share in arm, and an affiliated company, Arm Technology Investment LTD, also has an 8.08% share in amps.
The transaction has already been approved by SBG’s board of directors, but as always with these things it remains subject to regulatory approvals, including US anti -rust distance and review of the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
In a statement, Softbank said: “Through this strategic adaptation after the transaction, Ampere’s expertise in the development and tapping of arm -based chips can be integrated, which complements design forces in arm holdings.”
It added that amps are expected to collaborate with “group companies, investments and business partners.”
Softbank said the purchase will be financed through loans from Mizuho Bank and others. The Raine group serves as a financial advisor, with Morrison & Foerster providing legal adviser.
Ampere will continue to operate under its current structure until the agreement closes, which is expected to be in the latter half of 2025.
Softbank acquired former UK-based chip designer Graphcore for between $ 400 million and $ 500 million.
This company was once considered a potential rival to Nvidia and AMD, but fell on hard times after not exploiting the AI boom.
It is not too much of a stretch to believe that Softbank could integrate ampere with arm and graphcore to build a more unified AI computer strategy across its portfolio.
