Japan’s SoftBank Group reportedly said the company will discuss forming a strategic partnership between Arm, its British chip design unit, and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics. “I would like to discuss a strategic alliance between Samsung and Arm,” Masayoshi Son, SoftBank Group CEO, said in a statement on Wednesday. He is planning his first visit to South Korea in the past three years.
Masayoshi Son describes Arm as the “core of the core” of his investment group’s business and sees the expansion of the unit as a top priority for the group. As SoftBank’s portfolio suffers from a global technology-related stock slump, he is likely to want to pave the way for a partnership between Arm and Samsung by personally visiting South Korean semiconductor giant Samsung, which could accelerate Arm’s growth.
Arm designs chips for leading global chipmakers such as Qualcomm and Intel, and about 90 percent of the world’s smartphones contain chips designed by Arm. SoftBank Group has previously announced plans to have Arm complete an IPO as early as this year.
