It's official - NVIDIA to acquire Arm for $40 billion

The combination will see the merging of NVIDIA’s AI computing platform with Arm’s ecosystem. SoftBank says it will remain committed to Arm’s long-term success through its ownership stake in NVIDIA, expected to be under 10%. “AI is the most powerful technology force of our time and has launched a new wave of computing,” says Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, in a press release. “In the years ahead, trillions of computers running AI will create a new internet-of-things that is thousands of times larger than today’s internet-of-people. Our combination will create a company fabulously positioned for the age of AI. “This combination has tremendous benefits for both companies, our customers, and the industry. For Arm’s ecosystem, the combination will turbocharge Arm’s R&D capacity and expand its IP portfolio with NVIDIA’s world-leading GPU and AI technology,” Huang continues. Following the transaction, Arm will remain headquartered in Cambridge, but with some added muscles. According to the press release NVIDIA intends to expand this site and build a new AI research facility, supporting developments in healthcare, life sciences, robotics, self-driving cars and other fields. The companies a also intends to build an AI supercomputer, powered by Arm CPUs. “NVIDIA is the perfect partner for Arm,” says Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of Softbank. “Since acquiring Arm, we have honored our commitments and invested heavily in people, technology and R&D, thereby expanding the business into new areas with high growth potential. Joining forces with a world leader in technology innovation creates new and exciting opportunities for Arm. This is a compelling combination that projects Arm, Cambridge and the U.K. to the forefront of some of the most exciting technological innovations of our time and is why SoftBank is excited to invest in Arm’s long-term success as a major shareholder in NVIDIA.” “Arm and NVIDIA share a vision and passion that ubiquitous, energy-efficient computing will help address the world’s most pressing issues from climate change to healthcare, from agriculture to education,” adds Simon Segars, CEO of Arm. “Delivering on this vision requires new approaches to hardware and software and a long-term commitment to research and development. By bringing together the technical strengths of our two companies we can accelerate our progress and create new solutions that will enable a global ecosystem of innovators.” As part of NVIDIA, Arm will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining the global customer neutrality. Following the closing of the transaction, NVIDIA intends to retain the name and brand identity of Arm and expand its base in Cambridge. Arm’s intellectual property will also remain registered in the UK. The press release also states that SoftBank and Arm are fully committed to satisfying the undertakings made by SoftBank when it acquired Arm in 2016, which are scheduled to complete in September 2021.These commitments were to maintain the headquarters of ARM in Cambridge and also (at least double) the employee headcount in the UK over the next five years NVIDIA will build on Arm’s R&D presence in the UK., establishing a new global center of excellence in AI research at Arm’s Cambridge campus. Under the terms of the transaction, which has been approved by the boards of directors of NVIDIA, Softbank and Arm, NVIDIA will pay to SoftBank a total of USD 21.5 billion in NVIDIA common stock and USD 12 billion in cash, which includes USD 2 billion payable at signing. The proposed transaction is as usual subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals for the UK., China, the EU and the United States. The companies expect to complete the transaction within approximately 18 months.