SoftBank’s $6.5B Ampere Acquisition Clears FTC Review, Bolstering AI and Crypto Infrastructure

SoftBank's $6.5 billion bid to acquire Ampere Computing has received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission, removing the final regulatory hurdle. The deal, first announced in March, positions SoftBank to take full control of a chipmaker specializing in server processors critical for AI models and cryptocurrency infrastructure.

The FTC's early termination of its review comes after a reported in-depth investigation launched in July. Ampere's Arm-based processors are widely used in large-scale data centers, creating strategic synergies with SoftBank's existing holdings in Arm Holdings and Graphcore. This acquisition further consolidates Masayoshi Son's vision of controlling key hardware components for next-generation computing.

With Ampere under its umbrella, SoftBank strengthens its position across multiple layers of AI chipmaking technology. The MOVE reflects growing institutional interest in infrastructure supporting both artificial intelligence and blockchain applications, though neither company commented on potential cryptocurrency-specific implications.