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TOKYO – SoftBank Group President Masayoshi Son said Thursday that the company’s decision to sell British chip designer Arm to US chipmaker Nvidia will create an “amazing combination” that will accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence.
Last month SoftBank announced it would sell Arm, which it bought in 2016 for $ 31 billion, to Nvidia in a $ 40 billion transaction. SoftBank will become a minority shareholder in Nvidia.
In an online conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang that was shared at the SoftBank World 2020 conference in Tokyo, Son said Arm’s energy-efficient chips and Nvidia’s expertise in cloud computing will help accelerate adoption. of AI in cars and factories. Driving, Son said, “will become a hobby” as autonomous cars become mainstream.
The Japanese billionaire investor also hailed Huang as the driving force in the age of AI. “We were talking about our memories of Steve Jobs,” Son said, recalling a conversation with Huang over a dinner four years ago. “His only art, which is the iPhone, has changed the lifestyle of humanity.”
“It’s the last 10 years. I think the next 10 years, you’re the only one, Jensen,” Son said.
SoftBank boss brushed off antitrust concerns about the deal. “The beauty of Arm is the power of distribution [its] many partners, “he said, and asked Huang if chip makers will still be able to license Arm’s intellectual property under Nvidia’s ownership.
“Our dream is to bring Nvidia AI into the Arm ecosystem,” Huang replied. “The only way to bring it into the ecosystem is through all existing customers, licensees and partners. We would like to offer even more to licensees.”
Son also revealed that he and Huang were already discussing a potential partnership at their dinner four years ago.
“This was exactly the time [when] I was deciding to acquire Arm, “Son said.” And this is exactly the time [when] I thought the combination of Arm and Nvidia was some kind of collaboration. We talked about many ideas and we will create [a] new era of computing. … I’m so excited and happy that what we were discussing is coming true. “
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