SoftBank is buying $2 billion worth of stock in Intel Corporation’s common stock to drive the current AI revolution.
The investment comes as both Intel and SoftBank deepen their commitment to investing in advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the United States.
In a statement, Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said: “Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry. For more than 50 years, Intel has been a trusted leader in innovation. This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.”
SoftBank will pay $23 per share of Intel common stock. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
SoftBank’s investment in Intel builds upon its long-term vision of enabling the AI revolution by accelerating access to advanced technologies that support digital transformation, cloud computing, and next-generation infrastructure.
“We are very pleased to deepen our relationship with SoftBank, a company that’s at the forefront of so many areas of emerging technology and innovation and shares our commitment to advancing U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. Masa and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment,” said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel.
In March, SoftBank announced plans to invest up to $40 million into OpenAI to advance AI research, expand computational infrastructure and enhance its tools.
The firm announced plans to invest between $10 million and $20 million in Perplexity AI in a move to grow its AI portfolio.
SoftBank also acquired Ampere, a U.S.-based semiconductor design company focused on high-performance, energy efficient, sustainable AI compute based on the ARM compute platform for $6.5 billion.
The firm also part of the Stargate Project, a $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure to secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world.
Stargate investors include SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX. SoftBank and OpenAI are the lead partners for Stargate, with SoftBank having financial responsibility and OpenAI having operational responsibility. Masayoshi Son the chairman.