Softbank Group 4% Call 19.09.2029 ISIN XS1684385591

SoftBank e Nvidia collaborano per la realizzazione di data center AI in Giappone​

SoftBank Group Corp. ha annunciato lunedì una collaborazione con il produttore di chip americano Nvidia Corporation per lo sviluppo di una piattaforma per l'intelligenza artificiale generativa e di applicazioni basate su chip Nvidia 5G e 6G che saranno integrate nei centri dati di SoftBank basati sull'AI in tutto il Giappone.

"Con l'ingresso in un'era in cui la società convive con l'intelligenza artificiale, la domanda di elaborazione dei dati e il fabbisogno di elettricità aumenteranno rapidamente. SoftBank fornirà infrastrutture sociali di nuova generazione per supportare la società super-digitalizzata in Giappone", ha dichiarato Junichi Miyakawa, amministratore delegato di SoftBank.

Secondo la dichiarazione, SoftBank sta cercando di sviluppare applicazioni 5G e 6G per la realtà aumentata e virtuale, le fabbriche AI, i veicoli autonomi e i gemelli digitali.
 
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SoftBank shares swept up in AI chip frenzy ahead of Arm IPO

SoftBank Group Corp shares jumped 5% in early Friday trade as the technology investor - which is preparing an initial public offering of chip designer Arm - was caught up in a frenzy for semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related stocks.
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SoftBank shares swept up in AI chip frenzy ahead of Arm IPO​

By Sam Nussey
June 2, 20233:23 AM GMT+2Updated 14 hours ago

SoftBank's logo is pictured at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 4, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) shares jumped 5% in early Friday trade as the technology investor - which is preparing an initial public offering of chip designer Arm - was caught up in a frenzy for semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related stocks.
The Japanese conglomerate, which has been hit by the slumping value of its tech portfolio, has seen its shares gain 17% since last week's close.
Still, they are up only 6.4% year-to-date, compared with 172% for U.S. chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) - an expected beneficiary of investment in AI - and 39% in the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index (.SOX).

On Friday, SoftBank passed the psychological level of 6,000 yen for the first time since February.
"We expressed a view that SBG stock will rally ahead of the ARM IPO later in the year... But given (the) market's fascination for semi-stocks, we think it makes sense to move early," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note, upgrading his recommendation on the stock to "buy".
Other beneficiaries of enthusiasm for chip-related stocks included equipment makers Advantest Corp (6857.T) and Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T), which have climbed 109% and 50% respectively year-to-date.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who has argued that the rise of artificial intelligence drives his investments, has also been caught up in recent enthusiasm for generative AI, which proponents compare to the arrival of the internet.
"He feels that 'finally my time has come'," SoftBank Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto told reporters at an earnings briefing last month.
Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Christopher Cushing
 

Exclusive: SoftBank prepares new round of layoffs at Vision Fund​

By Krystal Hu
June 13, 20234:54 AM GMT+2Updated 11 hours ago


SAN FRANCISCO, June 12 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) is planning a fresh round of layoffs at its Vision Fund investment arm, two people familiar with the matter said, the latest cost-cutting move at the Japanese conglomerate.
The layoffs, which could be announced in the next two weeks, may impact up to 30% of its staff at the unit, including employees in U.S., one of the people added. SoftBank's Vision Fund unit, which has booked heavy investment losses, had headcount of 349 at the end of March, according to a company report.
The sources declined to be identified as the information was confidential. SoftBank declined to comment.
If finalized, this would follow the elimination of about 150 jobs globally at the investing arm and SoftBank Group International in September.
SoftBank, an aggressive investor in tech companies such as fintech giant Klarna and TikTok owner ByteDance, has seen the valuation of its portfolio drop amid sharp interest rate hikes and rising U.S.-China tensions.
The group reported an annual net loss of 970 billion yen ($7.2 billion) for the year ended March 31. It cushioned the investment loss at the Vision Fund unit by selling down its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK).
Vision Fund 2's portfolio was worth $31 billion at end-March compared with an acquisition cost of $49.9 billion.
SoftBank has radically scaled back its investing activity and Son has withdrawn from public presentations to focus on the listing of chip designer Arm.
The Cambridge, England-based Arm has filed confidentially for a U.S. stock market listing that could land later this year and would provide a much-needed cash injection for SoftBank.
Intel (INTC.O) is in talks with Arm to be an anchor investor in the chip designer's IPO, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
SoftBank's shares were up 5% in Tuesday morning trade following the news.
While SoftBank has been pursuing a defensive strategy to shore up its balance sheet, the conglomerate said in May it is looking to find a "balance between defense and offense" - a signal it could invest more in the future.
Reporting by Krystal Hu in San Francisco and Sam Nussey in Tokyo; Editing by Kenneth Li and Edwina Gibbs
 
CORRECTED-Intel in talks to be anchor investor in Arm IPO - source
Oggi 05:36 - RSF
(Corrects paragraph 1 & 4 to say Arm is a chip designer, not chip maker)
June 12 (Reuters) - Intel (INTC.O) is in talks with SoftBank Group Corp's Arm to be an anchor investor in the chip designer's initial public offering (IPO), a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Arm plans to sell its shares on Nasdaq later this year, seeking to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion, Reuters reported earlier in April.

Arm's designs are used in the manufacturing of chips made by most of the world's major semiconductor companies, including Intel, AMD , Nvidia and Qualcomm . It was not immediately clear what impact any IPO investment by one or more of those companies would have on Arm's commercial relationships.

The chip designer had filed with regulators confidentially for a U.S. stock market listing in April, setting the stage for this year's largest IPO.

Arm and Intel did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Anirban Sen in New York and Yana Gaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
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BORSA TOKYO-Nikkei chiude sopra 33.000 punti per prima volta in 33 anni
Oggi 08:47 - RSF
TOKYO, 13 giugno - L'indice Nikkei ha chiuso al di sopra della soglia di 30.000 punti per la prima volta in 33 anni, guidato dai titoli tecnologici, grazie ad aspettative di flussi di investimenti in arrivo nel settore dei chip.

** SOFTBANK GROUP ha registrato un balzo del 5,25% su indiscrezioni secondo cui potrebbe creare una venture di IA con l'operatore di ChatGPT OpenAI e la sua unità di semiconduttori Arm è in trattative con INTEL per investimenti. Il produttore di apparecchiature per il test dei chip ADVANTEST è salito del 4,79%.

** Il Nikkei

(Tradotto da Chiara Scarciglia, editing Stefano Bernabei)
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SoftBank to shift to 'offence mode' as AI booms

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son said on Wednesday that his tech investing conglomerate plans to shift its stance to "offence mode" amid excitement over advances in artificial intelligence.
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SoftBank to shift to 'offence mode' as AI booms​

By Sam Nussey and Anton Bridge
June 21, 20233:01 PM GMT+2Updated an hour ago


TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group (9984.T) CEO Masayoshi Son said on Wednesday that his tech investing conglomerate plans to shift its stance to "offence mode" amid excitement over advances in artificial intelligence.
The group had retreated into a defensive stance, curbing investment activity as it booked heavy investment losses at its Vision Fund investing arm.
"The time has come to shift to offence mode," Son told shareholders at the group's annual general meeting.
SoftBank reported a net loss of 970 billion yen ($6.85 billion) for the year ended March 31, cushioning losses at the Vision Fund unit by selling down its stake in Alibaba (9988.HK).
Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto last month said that the group wants to ensure it does not miss investment opportunities, moderating its previous emphasis on defence.
SoftBank's liquid assets, which include cash, cash equivalents and an undrawn commitment line, rose to 5.1 trillion yen at March-end compared to 2.9 trillion yen a year earlier.
Son, who has stepped back from public pronouncements in recent months, spent much of his presentation to a loyal retail investor base on Wednesday speaking about his enthusiasm for AI.

ASTRO BOY​

Son said he asked ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot from startup OpenAI, to write new adventures for Astro Boy, the classic manga series by Tezuka Osamu.
"It creates as if it was human," he said.
The billionaire said he has spent the last eight months creating inventions that he believes can be realised through the conglomerate's chip designer Arm.
"We want to bring these inventions to fruition step by step. Arm is the key," he said.
SoftBank aims to list Arm on Nasdaq later this year and is seeking to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion, Reuters has reported. Arm is in talks with companies including Intel (INTC.O) about potential participation in the IPO.
SoftBank shares closed up 3.7% and have gained 22.9% year todate.
Observers debate the ability of Son, who suffered high-profile stumbles such as his backing for office-sharing firm WeWork, to pick winners in an economy expected to be increasingly powered by AI.
Son said he invested in companies that he thought would succeed in an AI-driven society and, while there have been failures, he believes enough of his portfolio companies will succeed.
"If you have one or two out of a hundred smash hit, that will pay back everything," Son said.
"I think at least I have found more than several of them ... I think that's enough."
($1 = 141.5900 yen)
Reporting by Sam Nussey and Anton Bridge; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Sonali Paul
 
UPDATE 2-SoftBank's Arm Ltd aims upto $70 bln valuation in September IPO - Bloomberg News
02/08/2023 09:04 - RSF
(Adds Arm, SoftBank declined to comment in paragraph 7.)
Aug 2 (Reuters) -
British chip designer Arm Ltd is targeting an initial public offering (IPO) at a valuation of between $60 billion and $70 billion as soon as September, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The roadshow is scheduled to start in the first week of September with pricing for the IPO to come in the following week, Bloomberg said.

The chip designer, owned by SoftBank Group Corp , filed with regulators confidentially for a U.S. stock market listing in April, setting the stage for this year's largest initial public offering.

Arm plans to sell its shares on Nasdaq later this year, seeking to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters in April.

Arm's designs are used to manufacture chips made by most of the world's major semiconductor companies, including Intel, AMD (AMD.O), Nvidia and Qualcomm . It was not immediately clear what impact any IPO investment by one or more of those companies would have on Arm's commercial relationships.

Earlier this year, Arm rebuffed a campaign from the British government to list its shares in London and said it would pursue a flotation on a U.S. exchange.

Arm and SoftBank declined to Reuters' request for comment.



(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza, Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Sohini Goswami)
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Japan's SoftBank Corp posts 2.1% increase in Q1 profit
Oggi 08:24 - RSF
TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Corp , the domestic telecoms arm of SoftBank Group , posted a 2.1% increase in first quarter operating profit on Friday.

Operating profit was 246.3 billion yen ($1.73 billion) in the April to June period, marginally higher than the 241.2 billion yen in the same period a year earlier.

SoftBank maintained its annual profit forecast of 780 billion yen in the year through March 2024, compared to an 838.8 billion yen average estimate from 18 analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

($1 = 142.3900 yen)

(Reporting by Anton Bridge Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
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PREVIEW-SoftBank seen returning to profit as tech stocks gain
Oggi 02:03 - RSF
By Anton Bridge
TOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Group is likely to report a return to profit when it announces first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, analysts said, as its Vision Fund investing arm's portfolio of technology stocks enjoyed a rebound.

The tech investor has posted two consecutive years of loss on the slumping value of the Vision Fund portfolio and sold down its crown-jewel stake in Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding to bolster its balance sheet.

A return to profit could ease pressure on founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who shook up the tech investing world with aggressive bets on late-stage startups but suffered a series of high-profile stumbles as investments underpeformed.

Investors will also be looking for updates on the potential blockbuster listing of portfolio chip designer Arm, which if successful would provide a further cash injection for the group and burnish Son's credentials as a farsighted tech investor.

"It's a major catalyst for the company and a very important event for tech as a whole, considering Arm's important position in semiconductors," said analyst Rolf Bulk at New Street Research.

SoftBank is set to post net profit of 75 billion yen ($525 million) for April-June, showed the average of four analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv.

Its Vision Fund unit has booked five consecutive quarters of investment loss after backing high-growth firms which fell out of favour with the market, forcing the conglomerate into a defensive stance to preserve cash.

"Public valuations in tech are trending up again and I would expect private valuations to follow suit," said Bulk.

Listed gainers during the quarter included food delivery company DoorDash and ride hailing business Grab Holdings .

Analysts expect a return to profit could herald an uptick in new deals. Son in June said he plans to shift to "offence mode" amid excitement over advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

Recent activity by SoftBank includes its creation of a joint venture to build automated warehouses and investment in insurance tech company Tractable.

Analysts have also expressed enthusiasm over Arm's prospects for expansion in data centres and in the automotive sector.

Already, expectation that investment in AI will drive industry growth has boosted the market capitalisation of chipmaker Nvidia - a former Arm suitor - above $1 trillion.

Given elevated valuations of industry peers, Macquarie analyst Paul Golding said he sees potential upside of $31.4 billion for Arm from its current book value.

"SoftBank mandated Arm to reinvest all of its profit to enter new markets," New Street Research's Bulk said. "Arm is now in a phase where they can reap the benefits of that investment."

($1 = 142.6600 yen)

(Reporting by Anton Bridge; Editing by Sam Nussey and Christopher Cushing)
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