Latest news with #ReneeJames
CNBC
06-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Ampere CEO: The key limiter of AI growth is access to power
Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 11:00 CET | 14:00 - 17:00 HK/SG Squawk Box Europe Podcast Renee James, CEO of Ampere Computing, says the semiconductor industry will have to work on artificial intelligence's power consumption problem.
South China Morning Post
20-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
SoftBank Group to acquire Ampere Computing in US$6.5 billion AI-focused deal
SoftBank Group said on Wednesday it would acquire Ampere Computing, a US chip start-up founded by the former president of Intel that is increasingly focused on artificial intelligence, in a US$6.5 billion all-cash deal. Advertisement Ampere makes data centre central processing unit (CPU) chips based on a computing architecture from Arm Holdings that are used by firms such as Oracle in their cloud computing infrastructure. As part of the deal, Ampere's biggest investors, Oracle and Carlyle Group, will sell their respective positions in the company, SoftBank said in a statement. Founded in 2018 by Intel veteran Renee James, Ampere built CPUs with its own custom computing core technology, a step usually only taken by much larger firms like Apple or Qualcomm. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son speaks during the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority Summit in Miami Beach, Florida, on February 21, 2025. Photo: AFP But Arm ultimately became a competitor as it sought to work directly with customers such as Microsoft and Google to help them build their own custom Arm-based CPUs.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SoftBank Group to acquire Ampere Computing in $6.5 billion AI-focused deal
By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) -SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) said on Wednesday it would acquire Ampere Computing, a U.S. chip startup founded by the former president of Intel that is increasingly focused on artificial intelligence, in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal. Ampere makes data center central processing unit (CPU) chips based on a computing architecture from Arm Holdings that are used by firms such as Oracle in their cloud computing infrastructure. As part of the deal, Ampere's biggest investors, Oracle (ORCL) and Carlyle Group (CG), will sell their respective positions in the company, SoftBank said in a statement. Founded in 2018 by Intel veteran Renee James, Ampere built CPUs with its own custom computing core technology, a step usually only taken by much larger firms like Apple or Qualcomm. But Arm ultimately became a competitor as it sought to work directly with customers such as Microsoft and Google to help them build their own custom Arm-based CPUs. Google had adopted Ampere's chips, but a year later after Google worked with Arm to develop its own "Axon" CPU, a Google executive told Reuters it would not be deploying more Ampere chips. Under SoftBank's ownership, Ampere will be a stable mate of Arm in the Japanese conglomerate's growing collection of chip technology companies that are boosting their focus on AI. SoftBank is the majority owner of Arm. "With a shared vision for advancing AI, we are excited to join SoftBank Group and partner with its portfolio of leading technology companies," James said in a statement. "This is a fantastic outcome for our team, and we are excited to drive forward our AmpereOne roadmap for high performance Arm processors and AI." Sign in to access your portfolio
Japan Times
20-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
SoftBank seals $6.5 billion deal for chip designer Ampere
SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire semiconductor designer Ampere Computing in a move that further broadens the Japanese investment firm's push into artificial intelligence infrastructure. SoftBank is buying Ampere in an all-cash transaction that values the Santa Clara, California-based firm at $6.5 billion, according to a statement. The deal for Ampere, whose early backers included Oracle and private equity firm Carlyle Group, adds to a wave of chip companies looking to capitalize on a spending boom in AI. Oracle and Carlyle are selling their stakes in Ampere as part of the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Ampere will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank, retaining both its name and Santa Clara headquarters. Ampere makes processors for data center machinery including technology used by chip designer Arm Holdings, which is majority-owned by SoftBank. Founded and led by former Intel executive Renee James, Ampere was valued at more than $8 billion in a proposed minority investment by Japan's SoftBank in 2021. The chips market has grown more competitive since then, with several large tech companies rushing to develop the same kinds of products that Ampere makes. In acquiring Ampere, SoftBank is getting access to one of the few large design teams for the types of advanced chips used in data centers that isn't already part of another company. It's doing that as demand for those chips explodes amid runaway spending on AI infrastructure. SoftBank also is looking for a way to increase its ability to capture some of that spending with advanced product offerings it doesn't already have — even through Arm. Ampere is one of a group of companies that tried to use Arm technology, which dominates in mobile phones, to create a niche in the lucrative data center chip business. Most of those have failed or been acquired. Ampere's acquisition by SoftBank keeps that push alive. The company has touted its chips as being much more power efficient at a time when the massive drain on resources of large data centers is making them increasingly difficult to build and run. Renee James, founder and chief executive officer of Ampere, speaks at an event in Paris last November. | Bloomberg Arm is itself looking to move from being a provider of a layer of technology to a seller of more complete solutions that it can fetch a higher price. For Ampere, the migration to being part of a larger company will give it access to resources and possibly a larger set of customers that will make the economics of chip design work. "The future of artificial super intelligence requires breakthrough computing power,' Masayoshi Son, SoftBank chairman and chief executive officer, said in the statement. "Ampere's expertise in semiconductors and high-performance computing will help accelerate this vision, and deepens our commitment to AI innovation in the U.S.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SoftBank Seals $6.5 Billion Deal for Chip Designer Ampere
(Bloomberg) -- SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to acquire semiconductor designer Ampere Computing LLC in a move that further broadens the Japanese investment firm's push into artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite Cost-Cutting Moves, Trump Plans to Remake DC in His Style Amtrak CEO Departs Amid Threats of a Transit Funding Pullback NYC Plans for Flood Protection Without Federal Funds The Scary Thing About the Wildfire That Was Stopped A Malibu Model for Residents on the Fire Frontlines SoftBank is buying Ampere in an all-cash transaction that values the Santa Clara, California-based firm at $6.5 billion, according to a joint statement Wednesday confirming an earlier report by Bloomberg News. The deal for Ampere, whose early backers included Oracle Corp. and private equity firm Carlyle Group Inc., adds to a wave of chip companies looking to capitalize on a spending boom in artificial intelligence. Bloomberg News reported in February that SoftBank was in advanced talks to acquire Ampere. Oracle and Carlyle are selling their stakes in Ampere as part of the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Ampere will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank, retaining both its name and Santa Clara headquarters. Ampere makes processors for data center machinery including technology used by chip designer Arm Holdings Plc, which is majority-owned by SoftBank. Ampere, founded by former Intel Corp. executive Renee James, was valued at more than $8 billion in a proposed minority investment by Japan's SoftBank in 2021, Bloomberg News reported at the time. 'We are excited to join SoftBank Group and partner with its portfolio of leading technology companies,' James, Ampere's chief executive officer, said in the statement. 'This is a fantastic outcome for our team, and we are excited to drive forward our AmpereOne road map for high-performance Arm processors and AI.' The chips market has grown more competitive since then, with several large tech companies rushing to develop the same kinds of products that Ampere makes. In acquiring Ampere, SoftBank is getting access to one of the few large design teams for the types of advanced chips used in data centers that isn't already part of another company. It's doing that as demand for those chips explodes amid runaway spending on AI infrastructure. SoftBank also is looking for a way to increase its ability to capture some of that spending with advanced product offerings it doesn't already have — even through Arm. Ampere is one of a group of companies that tried to use Arm technology, which dominates in mobile phones, to create a niche in the lucrative data center chip business. Most of those have failed or been acquired. Ampere's acquisition by SoftBank keeps that push alive. The company has touted its chips as being much more power efficient at a time when the massive drain on resources of large data centers is making them increasingly difficult to build and run. Arm is itself looking to move from being a provider of a layer of technology to a seller of more complete solutions that it can fetch a higher price. For Ampere, the migration to being part of a larger company will give it access to resources and possibly a larger set of customers that will make the economics of chip design work. 'The future of artificial super intelligence requires breakthrough computing power,' SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in the statement. 'Ampere's expertise in semiconductors and high-performance computing will help accelerate this vision, and deepens our commitment to AI innovation in the US.' (Updates with Ampere CEO's comment in sixth paragraph.) Tesla's Gamble on MAGA Customers Won't Work How TD Became America's Most Convenient Bank for Money Launderers The Real Reason Trump Is Pushing 'Buy American' The Future of Higher Ed Is in Austin A US Drone Maker Tries to Take Back the Country's Skies ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
