SoftBank Acquires Ampere Computing for $6.5 Billion

SoftBank Group has announced its acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal, expanding its AI infrastructure investments.

SoftBank has announced its acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal, . Ampere, founded by former Intel executive Renee James, will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank, retaining its name and headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Ampere's lead investors, Carlyle and Oracle, will sell their shares in the company, with Carlyle holding a 59.65% stake and Oracle 32.27%. Ampere, known for its high-performance processors based on the ARM compute platform, counts major tech companies like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud among its customers.

SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, emphasized that Ampere's expertise in semiconductors and high-performance computing will accelerate SoftBank's AI initiatives in the United States. This acquisition aligns with SoftBank's broader strategy to enhance its capabilities in AI and computing, following its recent investments in AI infrastructure projects such as Stargate and its partnership with OpenAI.

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