While you’re busy Ghibli-fying your images with ChatGPT’s new image-generation capabilities, OpenAI is out raising a ton more cash. The company is close to finalizing a new $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report noted that other funds, including the hedge fund Magnetar Capital, Coatue Management, Founders…
Category: Softbank
AI, Ampere, ARM Holdings, Enterprise, Global IT News, Global Security News, Mergers and Acquisitions, Softbank
SoftBank to acquire semiconductor designer Ampere in $6.5B all-cash deal
SoftBank Group announced on Wednesday that it will acquire Ampere Computing, a chip designer founded by former Intel executive Renee James, through a $6.5 billion all-cash deal as a strategic move to broaden its investment in AI infrastructure. Ampere will be operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank after the deal, which is expected to…
AI, Enterprise, Global IT News, Global Security News, openai, SB OpenAI Japan, Softbank
SoftBank buys $676M old Sharp plant for its OpenAI collab in Japan
SoftBank is marching ahead on its ambitions to build out a major AI operation in its home market of Japan, on its own steam and in strategic partnership with others like OpenAI. On Friday, the tech company confirmed it would pay $676 million for factory previously used by Sharp to build LCD panels to convert…
AI, ARM Holdings, Global IT News, Global Security News, Malaysia, semiconductor chips, Softbank
ARM to sign $250M chip deal with Malaysia
The SoftBank-backed chipmaker has signed an agreement with the Malaysian government to bolster the country’s chip design ecosystem. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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OpenAI reportedly plans shift from Microsoft to SoftBank
OpenAI is forecasting a major shift in the next five years around who it gets most of its computing power from, The Information reported on Friday. By 2030, OpenAI expects to get three-quarters of its data center capacity from SoftBank, one of its newest financial backers. That represents a major shift away from Microsoft, its…
AI, Global IT News, Global Security News, In Brief, Microsoft, openai, Softbank
Report: OpenAI plans to shift compute needs from Microsoft to SoftBank
OpenAI is forecasting a major shift in the next five years around who it gets most of its computing power from, The Information reported on Friday. By 2030, OpenAI expects to get three-quarters of its data center capacity from Stargate, a project that’s expected to be heavily financed by SoftBank, one of OpenAI’s newest financial…
AI, ARM, Artificial Intelligence, chips, Enterprise, Global IT News, Global Security News, Hardware, In Brief, Meta, semiconductors, Softbank
Arm is launching its own chip this year with Meta as a customer
Public semiconductor company Arm will start making its own chips this year after landing a high-profile enterprise customer. Arm, which is majorly owned by SoftBank, will start making its own chips now that Meta has signed on as a customer, according to the Financial Times. The chip is expected to be a CPU for servers…
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Softbank could soon buy Renee James’ Ampere chip company for about $6.5B
And it’s the latest in an ongoing saga over the company’s future ownership. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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OpenAI doubles down on Asia, partners with Kakao after its big deal with SoftBank
On the heels of Chinese AI firm DeepSeek making a huge splash in OpenAI’s American backyard, OpenAI is diving into expanding in Asia, with major commercial deals that will also help it train its AI on more Asian-language content and user behavior — a gateway to doing more business in these markets in the future…
AI, Fundraising, Global IT News, Global Security News, robotics, Softbank
SoftBank to invest $500M in robotics startup SkildAI
SoftBank is negotiating a $500 million investment in Skild AI, a software company building a foundational model for robotics at a $4 billion valuation, Bloomberg and Financial Times reported. The two-year-old company raised its previous funding round of $300 million at a $1.5 billion valuation last July from investors including Jeff Bezos, Lightspeed Venture Partners,…
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OpenAI’s Stargate project reportedly doesn’t have the money it needs
Stargate — the massive infrastructure project to build data centers for OpenAI in the U.S. — lacks a fully developed plan and hasn’t secured funding yet, according to a report from the Financial Times. Backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, Middle East AI fund MGX, and others, Stargate would funnel around $100 billion — and upward of…
AI, data centers, datacenters, generative ai, Global IT News, Global Security News, In Brief, Infrastructure, mgx, openai, report, Softbank, stargate
OpenAI and SoftBank are reportedly putting $19B each into Stargate
We may now know roughly how much money SoftBank and OpenAI are contributing toward Stargate, the massive infrastructure project to build data centers for OpenAI across the U.S. SoftBank and OpenAI each plans to commit $19 billion of capital to Stargate, according to The Information. The two companies would then both own 40% of the…
AI, data center, data centers, generative ai, Global IT News, Global Security News, Government, openai, oracle, Softbank, stargate, texas
OpenAI teams up with SoftBank and Oracle on $500B data center project
OpenAI says that it will team up with Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and with Oracle, along with others, to build multiple data centers for AI in the U.S. The joint venture, called The Stargate Project, will begin with a large data center project in Texas and eventually expand to other states. The companies expect to commit $100…
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RoboForce raises $10 millions to create a robot workforce
“These are the kind of jobs that we shouldn’t need people to do anymore,” founder Leo Ma said about dangerous factory jobs. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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Softbank CEO announces a $100 billion investment into the US
On Monday, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced that his company would invest $100 billion into the US over the next four years. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.