In a significant move to strengthen its position in the AI chip manufacturing sector, SoftBank has announced the acquisition of Ampere Computing, a company founded by former Intel president Renee James, for a whopping $6.5 billion in cash. 🚀
Ampere Computing, established in 2018, initially focused on cloud-native computing but has since pivoted towards ‘sustainable AI compute,’ aligning with the growing demand for AI technologies. This acquisition is seen as a strategic step by SoftBank to bolster Arm’s research and development efforts, especially in light of recent reports about Arm working on an in-house chip. 💡
SoftBank’s statement highlighted the acquisition as a means to enhance its AI infrastructure investments, including ventures like Cristal intelligence and Stargate. Post-acquisition, Ampere will continue to operate under its own name as a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank, pending regulatory approvals expected later this year. 📅
Renee James, CEO of Ampere, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, ‘With a shared vision for advancing AI, we are excited to join SoftBank Group and partner with its portfolio of leading technology companies. This is a fantastic outcome for our team, and we are excited to drive forward our AmpereOne roadmap for high performance Arm processors and AI.’ 🎯
