SoftBank Continues Aggressive AI Infrastructure Play with Significant Investment in Graphcore
SoftBank has channeled over $450 million into AI chip developer Graphcore, signaling the Japanese investment titan’s unwavering commitment to bolstering its position in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure and hardware landscape.
According to a filing with Companies House, Graphcore, a company specializing in AI chips and systems that SoftBank acquired in 2024, issued a single share on April 10th valued at $457 million. A spokesperson for Graphcore confirmed to CNBC that this funding originated from SoftBank. SoftBank was approached for comment regarding this transaction.
At the time of its acquisition, SoftBank articulated its strategic vision for Graphcore, envisioning a collaborative effort towards the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – a future where AI capabilities match or surpass human intellect.
Sources close to the companies, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to their inability to discuss private financial details, indicated that this recent capital injection represents a portion of the anticipated funding Graphcore expects to receive from SoftBank this year.
The artificial intelligence sector has become a cornerstone of SoftBank’s investment strategy in recent years, with the company deploying tens of billions of dollars into various AI ventures. This includes a substantial stake in OpenAI and significant commitments to foundational AI infrastructure.
Graphcore, once positioned as a potential challenger to industry leader Nvidia, had previously raised hundreds of millions of dollars. However, the company faced challenges in achieving widespread commercial adoption before its acquisition by SoftBank.
Since SoftBank took the helm, Graphcore has been involved in several high-profile AI infrastructure initiatives. Notably, it participated in the ambitious $500 billion Stargate project, a collaboration involving OpenAI and Oracle, underscoring SoftBank’s strategy to aggregate and support leading AI ecosystem players.
This latest infusion of capital into Graphcore aligns with SoftBank’s broader ambition to solidify its role in the AI value chain. The company is actively exploring avenues to create and list a dedicated AI and robotics entity in the U.S. as early as this year, as reported by the Financial Times in April. Furthermore, SoftBank is reportedly in discussions for a major data center project in France, as detailed by Bloomberg on Monday.
Masayoshi Son, the visionary founder and CEO of SoftBank, has previously lauded Graphcore as “a company with deep expertise in chip design, which further builds on Arm’s leadership in semiconductor IP.” This commentary highlights SoftBank’s strategic perspective, linking Graphcore’s specialized chip capabilities to the broader semiconductor intellectual property ecosystem, particularly through its significant investment in Arm.
SoftBank’s involvement in the semiconductor and AI space is further exemplified by its 2016 acquisition of a majority stake in Arm, a pivotal player in chip design that subsequently went public on the Nasdaq in 2023. The company also strengthened its position in silicon design with the acquisition of Ampere Computing in 2025.
In October, Graphcore announced a substantial commitment of up to £1 billion to establish a new AI campus in Bengaluru, India. This expansion signals a focus on key talent hubs and reinforces its global presence in AI research and development, with active recruitment underway for hundreds of roles across AI, silicon, software, and systems engineering, as detailed on its corporate website. This strategic move positions Graphcore to tap into India’s burgeoning tech talent pool and drive innovation in AI hardware development.
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