The co-CEO of South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix does not rule out the possibility that his company will make an offer for Arm together with others. However, the company emphasises that it is rather a thinking exercise that is far from concrete.
SK Hynix is considering forming a consortium with strategic investors to acquire a UK-based Arm. “I don’t think Arm is a company that can be bought by one company,” co-CEO Park Jung-ho told local Yonhap News. The question came from journalists during the company’s shareholders’ meeting.
But at the same time, the company emphasises that it is not a specific plan, rather a theoretical option that is being considered. So we think about it, but no more than that.
The SoftBank Group currently owns a British chip designer, Arm. Last year, it agreed to sell the company to Nvidia for $40 billion. But that deal came under heavy criticism from Nvidia’s competitors, who are themselves customers of Arm and European and American regulators, which led to the deal being called off recently.
Afterwards, SoftBank said it was studying Arm’s IPO. That would come by March 2023 unless other buyers show up in the meantime.
