SoftBank to acquire chip designer Ampere for $6.5B

SoftBank Group (SFTBY) announced that on March 19, it entered into an agreement with Ampere Computing Holdings LLC, a U.S.-based semiconductor design company focused on high-performance, energy efficient, sustainable AI compute based on the ARM compute platform, and certain of its equity holders, to acquire all of the equity interests of Ampere for $6.5B through Silver Bands 6 US Corp., one of SBG’s subsidiaries. The Transaction has been approved by SBG’s Board of Directors but remains subject to customary regulatory approvals including United States antitrust clearance and approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, as well as the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions, such as the compliance in all material respects with covenants, failure of a material adverse effect on Ampere to occur and certain employment related matters. SBG expects the closing of the Transaction to occur in the latter half of 2025. As a result of the Transaction, Ampere will become an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of SBG. Carlyle Group (CG) and Oracle (ORCL) both have committed to selling their stakes in Ampere, SoftBank said.