SoftBank’s $6.5 billion move to buy Ampere Computing cleared a major roadblock after the Federal Trade Commission ended its review on November 12, based on a notice posted on the agency’s website.
The decision removes the one barrier that had been slowing a deal SoftBank first announced in March, and it gives the company a direct path to take full control of a chipmaker that builds server processors used inside the same data centers powering AI models and crypto infrastructure.
Bloomberg claimed that in July that the FTC had launched an in‑depth investigation into the transaction, which now ends with what the FTC calls “early termination.”
SoftBank and Ampere both declined to comment on the FTC’s decision. The deal plays directly into SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s broader push to load up on hardware tied to artificial intelligence.
Ampere already designs processors for large‑scale servers, and those processors are built on Arm’s fundamental technology.
Arm is already controlled by SoftBank, and Ampere is one of Arm’s customers, making this deal another key link in Son’s plan to control more of the stack behind AI and high‑performance computing.
SoftBank builds hardware leverage
SoftBank holds a majority stake in Arm Holdings, and it also owns UK chip design group Graphcore, giving the company a direct hand in three separate technology units tied to AI chipmaking.
Masa has said these holdings put SoftBank in position to control important building blocks for next‑generation processors.
With Ampere added to the list, SoftBank would own more of the pieces shaping the backend of AI work, including the type used by crypto miners, exchanges, and firms building large‑scale compute systems.
SoftBank also revealed in its latest earnings report that it sold 32.1 million Nvidia shares in October, and it cut part of its T‑Mobile position, bringing in $9.17 billion.
Chief financial officer Yoshimitsu Goto told investors during a presentation that the company wants to create more investment options “while we can still maintain financial strength.”
Nvidia has history with SoftBank already. Its Vision Fund once built a $4 billion Nvidia stake back in 2017, before exiting in January 2019. Even after the latest sale, SoftBank remains tied to Nvidia through other business lines.
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said the Nvidia sale should be seen as SoftBank doubling down, not pulling back, calling it “a bullish signal.” Analysts say SoftBank’s interest in OpenAI continues, but hardware sits at the center of its plan.
New Street Research analyst Rolf Bulk said SoftBank is prioritizing its work with Arm, including co‑developing new products with the British chip designer.
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