SoftBank Group Corp. plans to buy Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion cash. This deal will make Ampere a complete subsidiary of SoftBank Group. Under the agreement, Ampere will keep its current name. The main financial backers of Ampere - Carlyle and Oracle Corp. - agreed to sell all their shares as part of this deal.
SoftBank Group aims to expand its AI tech investments, which already include companies like Cristal Intelligence and Stargate. Buying Ampere will help SoftBank strengthen its abilities in important areas and move faster with growth plans. Masayoshi Son, the Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said AI needs much stronger computing power. He believes Ampere brings valuable semiconductor knowledge that supports their vision and shows SoftBank's commitment to AI progress in the United States.
Renee James founded Ampere and led it as CEO. She expressed excitement about joining SoftBank Group and partnering with its technology companies. James described it as a fantastic outcome for her team and talked about moving ahead with their AmpereOne roadmap for Arm processors and AI. Ampere started in Silicon Valley in 2018, initially focusing on cloud-native computing before expanding into sustainable AI computing. The company makes various products for cloud systems ranging from edge computing to data centers.
The agreement lets SoftBank take full control of Ampere for $6.5 billion paid entirely in cash. Both businesses must satisfy standard closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. They expect to complete the transaction during the latter half of 2025. After everything is finalized, Ampere will continue operating from its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
SoftBank Group aims to expand its AI tech investments, which already include companies like Cristal Intelligence and Stargate. Buying Ampere will help SoftBank strengthen its abilities in important areas and move faster with growth plans. Masayoshi Son, the Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said AI needs much stronger computing power. He believes Ampere brings valuable semiconductor knowledge that supports their vision and shows SoftBank's commitment to AI progress in the United States.
Renee James founded Ampere and led it as CEO. She expressed excitement about joining SoftBank Group and partnering with its technology companies. James described it as a fantastic outcome for her team and talked about moving ahead with their AmpereOne roadmap for Arm processors and AI. Ampere started in Silicon Valley in 2018, initially focusing on cloud-native computing before expanding into sustainable AI computing. The company makes various products for cloud systems ranging from edge computing to data centers.
The agreement lets SoftBank take full control of Ampere for $6.5 billion paid entirely in cash. Both businesses must satisfy standard closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. They expect to complete the transaction during the latter half of 2025. After everything is finalized, Ampere will continue operating from its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
