AI Push: SoftBank to acquire Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion

SoftBank Group announced Wednesday its $6.5 billion acquisition of Ampere Computing, a U.S.-based startup specializing in Arm-based server chips.

The deal, set to close in the second half of 2025, will see Ampere operate as an independent subsidiary headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Carlyle Group and Oracle are selling their stakes in the startup, which employs 1,000 semiconductor engineers.

SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son emphasized Ampere’s role in advancing AI innovation in the U.S., aligning with the company’s growing investments in AI infrastructure, including a partnership with OpenAI and involvement in Stargate, a $500 billion private AI investment project.

Ampere CEO Renee James, who founded the company in 2017 after nearly three decades at Intel, expressed excitement to join SoftBank and continue developing high-performance Arm processors.

Shares of SoftBank were trading down 2% Thursday.