NVIDIA is to acquire UK-based computer chip designer ARM Holdings from SoftBank Group in a transaction valued at $40 billion.
The combined operation will bring together NVIDIA’s AI computing platform with ARM’s extensive global ecosystem to create what NVIDIA has called ‘the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence’.
NVIDIA has said it will expand ARM’s R&D presence in Cambridge in the UK by building a world-class AI research and education centre, along with an AI supercomputer incorporating technology from NVIDIA and ARM that will be used for ground-breaking research.
NVIDIA said it will continue ARM’s open-licensing model and customer neutrality and expand the UK player’s IP licensing portfolio with NVIDIA technology in several fields.
“Together we will create the world’s premier computing company for the age of AI,” commented Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, in a post-announcement briefing. “AI is the most powerful technology force of our time – the automation of automation, where software writes software. It can build models where intent is inferred, where up-coming actions are predicted and where complex relationships are understood.”
He pointed out that ARM is present across a vast ecosystem of edge devices, and that by combining it with NVIDIA’s strengths in AI computing company, true global leadership can be established.
“We want to take ARM to even higher levels and propel it to global AI leadership,” he added. “The world class AI laboratory we will create in Cambridge will be like a Hadron Collider or Hubble Telescope, but for AI. This AI centre of excellence will feature a state-of-the-art supercomputer that will let leading scientists and engineers do ground-breaking work in areas like healthcare, self-driving cars and other fields.”
“ARM and NVIDIA share a vision and passion that ubiquitous, energy-efficient computing will help address the world’s most pressing issues from climate change to healthcare, from agriculture to education,” said Simon Segars, CEO of Arm. “Delivering on this vision requires new approaches to hardware and software and a long-term commitment to research and development. By bringing together the technical strengths of our two companies we can accelerate our progress and create new solutions that will enable a global ecosystem of innovators. My management team and I are excited to be joining NVIDIA so we can write this next chapter together.”
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