SoftBank is all aboard the AI train!
Over 50% of SoftBank's deals in the last two years have been for AI or AI hardware companies. Today's acquisition of Ampere is the latest in a series of deals that position SoftBank to dominate the AI space.
Three key components of SoftBank's wholistic AI strategy:
1. AI Infrastructure & Computing
SoftBank is deploying massive amounts of capital across the foundational layers of AI including the Stargate Project (data center infrastructure), strategic acquisitions at the silicon level of the AI stack (Ampere and Graphcore), and partnerships with NVIDIA to establish Japan's most advanced AI supercomputing capabilities.
2. Foundation Models & AI Development
SoftBank has secured positions in today's most influential AI companies including significant investments in OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity.
3. Vertical AI Applications
Beyond infrastructure, SoftBank maintains a diversified portfolio of AI applications including healthcare innovation (XtalPi and Exscientia), enterprise solutions (Glean and Observe.ai) and retail transformation (Standard AI and Trax).
With the acquisition of Ampere, SoftBank strengthens its position as a strategic partner to companies across the AI value chain. As deals for AI companies becoming increasingly competitive, SoftBank can now bring more than just capital to the table as they woo future investment and partnership targets.
Will we see an increase in the number of firms taking the approach of acquiring companies to both provide a strategic advantage to their existing investments and to maintain a competitive edge when approaching investment targets?
More data on the investors taking this approach available from CB Insights