Nvidia’s $66 billion acquisition of Arm by SoftBank falls through

In order to list the business, Nvidia will try to resurrect its failed $66 billion agreement to purchase Arm from tech giant Softbank.

The deal was previously valued at $40 billion in Nvidia cash and shares when it was first announced in 2020. Nvidia will pay $1.25 billion to SoftBank as compensation for failing to complete the deal. Rene Haas, head of IP at Arm, will succeed Simon Segars as the company’s CEO. Coincidentally, Rene Haas previously oversaw Nvidia’s Arm division.

Arm will now get ready for an IPO during the fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2023, according to a statement from SoftBank.

Every smartphone CPU, including those in Android phones and Apple iPhones that use Qualcomm chips, is made by Arm. Almost all of the major semiconductor manufacturers are clients of the business.

Since it was revealed, the deal has come under investigation. Arm, situated in Britain, serves as an impartial supplier to numerous rival large tech firms. Both Microsoft and Qualcomm, who both make use of Arm’s top technologies, openly opposed the transaction.

Technology and semiconductor firms were concerned that Nvidia’s acquisition of Arm may put its own interests ahead of those of its clients, who might not have access to alternatives to Arm’s technology.