Peter Clarke, Analog Editor, EE Times Europe
7/18/2016 10:18 AM EDT
Is ARM cashing in its chips after a successful 25-year run or is it simply looking to SoftBank for financial back up because the best is yet to come in a global IoT revolution?
Processor intellectual property licensor ARM has had a stupendous 25-year rise to fame and fortune and so it is interesting that its management has chosen to not only entertain but also recommend an offer to buy the company from SoftBank Group Corp., a Japanese telecommunications company.
SoftBank — essentially the telecommunications creation of entrepreneur, founder and CEO Masayoshi Son – has offered about £24 billion or $32 billion for ARM Holdings plc. This is a 43 percent premium on the share price as of Friday of last week. SoftBank has also made promises to increase UK employment by the company over the next five years and to increase investment globally.