By Connor Hart
SoftBank Group inked a deal to purchase Ampere Computing, a fabless semiconductor company, for $6.5 billion in cash.
Japanese investment holding company SoftBank said Wednesday that the purchase would help to enhance its capabilities in key artificial-intelligence areas and accelerate its growth initiatives. The deal comes as the company is broadening its AI-infrastructure investments.
Under the agreement, Ampere's lead investors, Carlyle and Oracle, will sell their respective positions in the company, according to SoftBank.
Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Ampere has moved beyond its initial focus on cloud-native computing to expand into AI, SoftBank said, adding that Ampere has multiple products for various cloud workloads.
The transaction is expected to close in the latter half of the year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Upon the close, Ampere will retain its name and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank.
"The future of Artificial Super Intelligence requires breakthrough computing power," SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said. "Ampere's expertise in semiconductors and high-performance computing will help accelerate this vision, and deepens our commitment to AI innovation in the United States."
Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2025 19:56 ET (23:56 GMT)
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