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SoftBank Group Corp.（OTC: SFTBF）（OTC: SFTBY）领导，宣布收购英国芯片制造商Graphcore，这是一项重要举措，旨在加强其人工智能能力。
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.
发生了什么：由孙正义（Masayoshi Son）领导的SoftBank收购了一家名为Graphcore的初创公司，该公司成立于2016年，专注于人工智能领域，由英国半导体行业退休者创立。据《金融时报》周五报道，这项收购是SoftBank数十亿美元人工智能推动计划的一部分，并将在SoftBank的投资组合中与芯片设计商Arm Holdings PLC（NASDAQ：ARM）并列。
"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.
旧金山的SoftBank高管Vikas Parekh表示：“随着人工智能的到来和加速发展，关键将是基础层——不仅是模型，还包括半导体和系统等所有基础设施。”他领导了这项投资。
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.
尽管Graphcore拥有自己的技术，但仍难以实现商业化，2022年仅收入270万美元，税前亏损20500万美元。该公司在去年十月警告称，需要在数月内筹集新资本。
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.
SoftBank和Graphcore均未确认该交易的价值，但根据报道，据知情人透露，该交易价值略高于6亿美元，低于该公司获得的约7000万美元风投额。
SoftBank and Graphcore did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
SoftBank和Graphcore未立即回复Benzinga的置评请求。
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.
为什么重要：这项收购是SoftBank在人工智能领域战略举措之后的重要举措。今年6月，SoftBank宣布与Tempus AI Inc.建立合资企业，使用人工智能来革新日本的医疗保健，并各自投资了150亿日元。
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，SoftBank的股票在7月达到24年来的最高点，这得益于该公司在人工智能方面的战略举措以及其芯片设计子公司Arm Holdings Plc的强劲表现。这项收购进一步巩固了SoftBank在人工智能领域的地位，此前该公司在6月份投资了由Jeff Bezos支持的人工智能初创公司Perplexity AI。
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.
尽管其最近取得了很多成功，SoftBank在2019年却在人工智能领域遭遇了重大损失，当时该公司出售了其持有的所有NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) 股票，错失了超过150亿美元的机会。
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Image Via Shutterstock
图片来自shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
本报道使用Benzinga Neuro生成，并由Kaustubh Bagalkote