Japanese conglomerate Softbank has invested $2bn into Intel in a move to shore up the struggling chip maker.
www.eenewseurope.com/, Aug. 19, 2025 –
The investment is intended to highlight to the Trump administration that both Intel and SoftBank are deepening their commitment to investing in advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the United States.
Softbank has already invested in AI chip designer GraphCore in the UK and is buying ARM-based datacentre processor designer Ampere in the US. It is also funding the Project Stargate with OpenAI and Nvidia to build a series of AI datacentres in the US. The first datacentre is being built in Abilene, Texas, with Nvidia GB200 racks developed by Oracle.
Intel has fallen behind in the design of AI chips for training and inference and is struggling to sign commercial contracts for its 18A foundry process despite having government contracts for the technology.
“Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry. For more than 50 years, Intel has been a trusted leader in innovation. This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role,” said Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group.
“We are very pleased to deepen our relationship with SoftBank, a company that’s at the forefront of so many areas of emerging technology and innovation and shares our commitment to advancing U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. Masa and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment,” said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel.