The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025.

SoftBank Group announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire US semiconductor firm Ampere for USD 6.5 billion.

The deal comes at a time when demand for chips has soared thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. But it is still subject to regulatory approval, SoftBank said in a statement.

Ampere Computing is a chip design firm "focused on high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable" AI technologies based on the ARM computing platform, the announcement said.

SoftBank Group is now the majority shareholder in Arm Holdings, whose technology is used in 99% of smartphones.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025. It will strengthen SoftBank's aggressive push into AI.

In February, SoftBank Group and US tech giant OpenAI announced that they would form a joint venture to offer advanced AI to businesses.

The two companies were already working together on US President Donald Trump's January announcement of Stargate's drive to invest up to $500bn in AI infrastructure in the US. | BGNES