- Japan’s SoftBank Group has acquired British artificial intelligence chipmaker Graphcore for an undisclosed sum, putting an end to long-running speculation about the company’s future.
- The acquisition of Graphcore by SoftBank is a significant development in the AI technology sector. SoftBank’s investment provides Graphcore with the necessary financial backing to enhance its competitive stance against giants like Nvidia. This move highlights SoftBank’s strategic focus on bolstering its AI and semiconductor portfolio, reinforcing its position in a rapidly growing market.
OUR TAKE
SoftBank swooping in to save Graphcore is like a tech industry Cinderella story. But it also shows how tough it is for UK startups to get funding. Seems like our pension funds need to loosen their purse strings and back the next big thing before it’s too late.
–Miurio huang, BTW reporter
What Happened
Japan’s SoftBank Group has acquired British artificial intelligence chipmaker Graphcore for an undisclosed sum, putting an end to long-running speculation about the company’s future. Once seen as a potential rival to Nvidia, whose valuation has skyrocketed due to the surging demand for AI computer chips, Graphcore has faced significant challenges in securing the necessary investment to compete.
In 2020, Graphcore was valued at $2.77 billion, but a filing published last year revealed that the company needed additional funds to reach profitability. The company reduced its workforce by 20%, bringing it down to 494 employees, and ceased operations in Norway, Japan, and South Korea.
During a media briefing on Thursday, co-founder and CEO Nigel Toon stated that the SoftBank deal would provide Graphcore with the resources required to compete on a global scale, though he acknowledged the difficulties the company had faced. Toon remarked, “The piece that surprised us was the speed at which this has taken off, and the scale that is involved. This is a level of investment that is utterly massive. Graphcore, as a modestly-sized company compared to those we’re competing with, has actually managed to go toe-to-toe and build world-class technology.”
Despite remaining in his role, Toon declined to disclose the amount SoftBank paid for the acquisition. Reflecting on the British tech industry’s condition, Toon pointed out that British pension funds’ historical reluctance to invest in fast-growing startups has hindered growth. He explained, “There’s a massive opportunity here, but there’s a lot of structural things that still need to be fixed. If you look at where our money came from, some of it came from the UK, but the majority of it came from other regions. That’s the reality of it, and that’s the piece that we’re going to need to fix, going forward.”
When asked about a potential collaboration with Arm Holdings, a leading chip designer also owned by SoftBank, Toon stated that Graphcore would work with partners across its parent company’s portfolio.
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Why It’s Important
The acquisition of Graphcore by SoftBank is a significant development in the AI technology sector. SoftBank’s investment provides Graphcore with the necessary financial backing to enhance its competitive stance against giants like Nvidia. This move highlights SoftBank’s strategic focus on bolstering its AI and semiconductor portfolio, reinforcing its position in a rapidly growing market.
Graphcore’s struggle to secure investment underscores the broader challenges faced by the British tech industry, particularly the reluctance of domestic pension funds to invest in burgeoning tech startups. This acquisition could serve as a catalyst for addressing these structural issues, potentially leading to more robust support for innovative companies within the UK.
Furthermore, the potential collaboration between Graphcore and Arm Holdings opens up new possibilities for technological advancements. Arm Holdings, known for its expertise in chip design, could complement Graphcore’s AI capabilities, leading to the development of cutting-edge solutions that could revolutionise various industries.
SoftBank’s acquisition of Graphcore not only provides a lifeline to a promising tech company but also signifies a broader trend of strategic investments in AI technology. This move could pave the way for significant advancements in the field, with potential benefits extending beyond the immediate parties involved to the broader tech industry and global market.
