After Losing $150B Nvidia Opportunity, Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Acquires UK Chipmaker Graphcore In Major AI Push
After Losing $150B Nvidia Opportunity, Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Acquires UK Chipmaker Graphcore In Major AI Push
SoftBank Group Corp. (OTC:SFTBF) (OTC:SFTBY) led by has announced the acquisition of Graphcore, a UK-based chipmaker, in a significant move to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities.
由軟銀集團公司（場外交易代碼：SFTBF）（場外交易代碼：SFTBY）領導的軟銀集團宣佈收購總部位於英國的芯片製造商Graphcore，這是增強其人工智能能力的重大舉措。
What Happened: SoftBank, led by Masayoshi Son, has acquired Graphcore, a startup focused on AI, founded by UK semiconductor industry veterans in 2016. The acquisition is part of SoftBank's multibillion-dollar AI push and will position Graphcore alongside chip designer Arm Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:ARM) in SoftBank's portfolio, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
發生了什麼：由孫正義領導的軟銀收購了Graphcore，這是一家專注於人工智能的初創公司，由英國半導體行業的資深人士於2016年創立。《金融時報》週五報道，此次收購是軟銀數十億美元的人工智能計劃的一部分，它將使Graphcore與芯片設計師Arm Holdings PLC（納斯達克股票代碼：ARM）並駕齊驅軟銀的投資組合。
"With the advent and the acceleration of AI, what's going to be critical is the foundation layers — not just the models but all the infrastructure around it, including on the semiconductor and systems side," said Vikas Parekh, a San Francisco-based SoftBank executive who led the investment.
領導這項投資的駐舊金山軟銀高管維卡斯·帕雷克說：“隨着人工智能的出現和加速，至關重要的是基礎層——不僅是模型，還有圍繞它的所有基礎設施，包括半導體和系統方面。”
Despite its technology, Graphcore has struggled to commercialize, generating only $2.7 million in sales and $205 million in pre-tax losses in 2022. The company warned last October that it needed to raise new capital within months.
儘管採用了技術，但Graphcore一直難以實現商業化，2022年僅創造了270萬美元的銷售額和2.05億美元的稅前虧損。該公司去年10月警告說，它需要在幾個月內籌集新的資金。
Neither SoftBank nor Graphcore confirmed the deal's value, but the report, which cited sources familiar with the matter disclosed it to be slightly above $600 million, less than the approximately $700 million the company had raised in venture capital.
軟銀和Graphcore均未確認該交易的價值，但該報告援引知情人士的話透露，該交易略高於6億美元，低於該公司籌集的約7億美元風險投資。
SoftBank and Graphcore did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
軟銀和Graphcore沒有立即回應本辛加的置評請求。
Why It Matters: This acquisition comes on the heels of SoftBank's strategic moves in the AI sector. In June, SoftBank announced a joint venture with Tempus AI Inc. to revolutionize healthcare in Japan using AI, investing JPY 15 billion each.
爲何重要：此次收購是在軟銀在人工智能領域採取戰略舉措之後進行的。6月，軟銀宣佈與Tempus AI Inc.成立合資企業，利用人工智能徹底改變日本的醫療保健，每人投資150日元。
Additionally, SoftBank's stock hit a 24-year high in July, driven by strategic moves in AI and a strong performance by its chip-design subsidiary, Arm Holdings Plc. This acquisition further cements SoftBank's position in the AI sector, following its investment in Jeff Bezos-backed AI startup Perplexity AI in June.
此外，受人工智能戰略舉措及其芯片設計子公司Arm Holdings Plc的強勁表現的推動，軟銀的股票在7月份觸及24年高點。繼6月份軟銀投資傑夫·貝佐斯支持的人工智能初創公司Perplexity AI之後，此次收購進一步鞏固了軟銀在人工智能領域的地位。
Despite its recent successes, SoftBank also faced a significant loss of opportunity in the AI sector when it sold all of its NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares in 2019, missing out on an opportunity of more than $150 billion.
儘管最近取得了成功，但軟銀在2019年出售了NVIDIA公司（納斯達克股票代碼：NVDA）的所有股票，錯過了超過1500億美元的機會，在人工智能領域也面臨着巨大的機會損失。
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Image Via Shutterstock
圖片來自 Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
這個故事是使用 Benzinga Neuro 創作的，由 Kaustubh Bagalkote