SoftBank Group Corp. announced its acquisition of U.S. semiconductor design company Ampere Computing Holdings LLC for $6.5 billion, marking another strategic move to expand its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
Under the agreement, Ampere will become a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group while retaining its name. The deal is expected to close in the latter half of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
This acquisition aligns with SoftBank’s broader AI-focused strategy, which includes leveraging its British chip-designing subsidiary, Arm Holdings PLC, to advance AI capabilities across various industries. SoftBank has also been actively investing in AI startups, including companies specializing in machine learning and generative AI.
Ampere specializes in semiconductor designs based on the Arm platform, a technology widely used in energy-efficient computing. SoftBank highlighted that Ampere’s expertise would be integrated to complement Arm’s existing design strengths, further strengthening its AI computing ecosystem.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son emphasized the critical role of advanced computing power in AI development, stating:
“The future of Artificial Super Intelligence requires breakthrough computing power.”
The acquisition marks another major investment in AI and semiconductor technology as SoftBank continues to position itself at the forefront of the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
