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SoftBank’s $6.5 billion all-cash acquisition of Ampere Computing is complete. SoftBank announced the agreement on March 20, 2025, and reported that it closed on November 25, 2025, in U.S. time. Ampere is now a wholly owned SoftBank subsidiary; the March announcement itself was only a conditional agreement.
What SoftBank bought
SoftBank Group agreed to acquire all equity interests in Ampere Computing Holdings LLC for $6.5 billion in cash. SoftBank’s announcement valued that consideration at approximately ¥973.0 billion using an exchange rate of $1 = ¥149.69.
The buyer used its subsidiary Silver Bands 6 (US) Corp. The transaction structure involved purchasing interests in entities holding Ampere units, followed by a reverse triangular merger. The agreement was signed on March 19, 2025, U.S. time, and announced publicly on March 20.
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At announcement, the transaction still required customary closing conditions, including U.S. antitrust clearance and approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). SoftBank announced completion on November 25, 2025, U.S. time, and said Ampere’s results would be included in SoftBank’s consolidated financial statements from that date.
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Announcement versus closing
| Event | Date | Status and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement entered | March 19, 2025 (U.S. time) | SoftBank and the Ampere sellers signed the acquisition agreement. |
| Deal announced | March 20, 2025 | SoftBank disclosed the $6.5 billion cash transaction, subject to closing conditions. |
| Acquisition completed | November 25, 2025 (U.S. time) | Ampere became wholly owned by SoftBank. |
| Closing confirmation published | November 26, 2025 | SoftBank publicly confirmed that the acquisition had closed. |
That distinction matters: headlines from March described an intended acquisition, while the November announcement established that ownership had actually transferred.
Who sold Ampere
SoftBank identified three pre-transaction voting-interest holders. Carlyle and Oracle were the principal outside sellers, while an Arm affiliate already held a minority position.
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| Holder before closing | Voting interest | Role in the transaction |
|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Partners VI Denver Holdings, L.P. | 59.65% | Seller |
| Oracle Project Denver Holdings LLC | 32.27% | Seller |
| Arm Technology Investment Limited | 8.08% | Arm affiliate and seller |
SoftBank described its own pre-deal exposure as an indirect 8.08% holding through the Arm affiliate. After closing, its interest became 100%, making Ampere a wholly owned subsidiary rather than a partly owned investment.
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What Ampere does
Ampere designs high-performance, energy-efficient processors based on the Arm compute platform. Its stated product scope covers cloud workloads from edge deployments through cloud data centers, including processors aimed at artificial-intelligence workloads.
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SoftBank said Ampere had approximately 1,000 semiconductor engineers and that its ability to develop and tape out Arm-based chips would complement Arm’s design strengths. Ampere’s chief executive, Renée J. James, said the company would continue its AmpereOne roadmap for high-performance Arm processors and AI.
Those statements describe the companies’ rationale and plans. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate that a particular integration, product release, performance target or financial outcome has already been achieved.
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Why SoftBank pursued the acquisition
SoftBank framed the purchase as part of a broader computing and AI strategy. Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said, “The future of Artificial Super Intelligence requires breakthrough computing power.” The company expects Ampere’s processor expertise to work with Arm, SoftBank’s portfolio companies, investees and business partners.
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James said Ampere was “excited to join SoftBank Group and partner with its portfolio of leading technology companies,” and described the transaction as a way to advance the AmpereOne roadmap. These are management’s public expectations, not independent evidence that the planned partnerships or growth have occurred.
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Ampere’s reported financial history
SoftBank’s acquisition announcement included Ampere’s revenue and operating loss for the fiscal years ended in December. Revenue declined across the three reported years, while the company recorded operating losses in each period.
| Fiscal year ended December | Revenue | Operating loss |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $151.822 million | $(518.290) million |
| 2023 | $46.704 million | $(714.689) million |
| 2024 | $16.460 million | $(510.623) million |
These figures are historical amounts reported by SoftBank in its acquisition materials. They provide financial context but do not, on their own, explain the $6.5 billion valuation or establish what SoftBank expects Ampere to earn after the closing.
What the deal means for Arm and the chip market
The acquisition gives SoftBank direct ownership of a company that develops Arm-based server and AI processors. SoftBank’s stated logic is complementary: Arm contributes processor architecture and ecosystem strengths, while Ampere contributes a team experienced in turning Arm designs into finished chips and taking them through tape-out.
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Quick Recap
Bottom line for readers
- The price was $6.5 billion in cash, approximately ¥973.0 billion at SoftBank’s stated exchange rate.
- The deal was announced on March 20, 2025, but did not close until November 25, 2025, U.S. time.
- Ampere is now wholly owned by SoftBank.
- Carlyle, Oracle and an Arm affiliate were the pre-closing holders and sellers.
- SoftBank’s strategic case centers on combining Ampere’s Arm-based chip engineering with Arm and its wider AI-computing strategy; the announced benefits remain forward-looking expectations.
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