Published , by Asif Khan
Published , by Asif Khan
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has had a rough couple of years with many of his conglomerates investments turning sour. One crown jewel in Softbank's portfolio is technology company Arm, which may still be in play after the failed merger with NVIDIA. “I’m looking forward to visiting Korea for the first time in three years. I’d like to talk with Samsung about a strategic alliance with Arm,” Son said in a statement.
Neither company has issued a statement on Son's proposed strategic alliance, but The Korea Herald reports that Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has confirmed that he plans to meet Son during his upcoming trip to South Korea.
Softbank has spent the past few years trying to figure out the best way to handle the company's investment Arm since the failed deal with NVIDIA, with an IPO remaining a viable possibility. Arm's semiconductor technology is used in many modern consumer electronics devices, from Nintendo Switch to iPhones. Apple has even transitioned most of their Mac line of products over to Arm processors.
There are several rumors that Softbank may offer up stakes in Arm in an effort to build a consortium. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has gone on the record saying that the company is "an interested party in investing" in Arm.
Softbank has felt more pressure to monetize its Arm position after its Vision Fund posted record losses last year. The holding company has sold off its entire Uber stake, and has even sold parts of its stake in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba in the past year.
We will be keeping an eye on the latest news from Masayoshi Son's trip to South Korea, so keep it locked on Shacknews.com for the latest Arm news.