Softbank launches new $108bn Vision Fund for AI investment July 26, 2019 Softbank has unveiled its second mammoth Vision Fund, which it said will have $108bn (£87bn) to invest in AI-focused tech firms. Read more: Softbank earns $11bn for selling some of its huge Alibaba stake Softbank said it has received backing from a string of companies including Apple, Foxconn, Microsoft and Standard Chartered, while the Japanese [...]
Gympass secures $300m in Softbank-led funding round June 12, 2019 Gympass has raised more than $300m (£236m) in a funding round led by Japanese investment giant Softbank. Read more: Softbank earns $11bn for selling some of its huge Alibaba stake The corporate fitness platform, which offers flexible gym memberships, said it has secured the funding from Softbank’s Vision Fund and existing investors. Softbank’s Latin America [...]
Softbank earns $11bn for selling some of its huge Alibaba stake June 4, 2019 Japan’s Softbank will book a pre-tax profit of $11.1bn (£8.75bn) for selling part of its stake in Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba. The sale forms part of a three-year-old deal to sell assets in order to buy British chip designer ARM for $32bn in 2016. Read more: Uber IPO: Shares slide on second day of trading [...]
Softbank struggles to raise cash for its second $100bn Vision Fund June 3, 2019 Japanese technology giant Softbank has received a chilly reception from some of the world’s biggest investors as it seeks to raise cash for a second $100bn (£79bn) mega fund. The firm’s chief executive, Masayoshi Son, announced Softbank's Vision Fund II in May, saying that many existing investors had expressed interest in the new fund. Read more: Softbank gears [...]
German chipmaker Infineon buys rival Cypress for €9bn June 3, 2019 German chipmaker Infineon has signed a deal to snap up US rival Cypress Semiconductor for €9bn (£8bn) as it looks to fight back against a slowdown in the chip industry. Infineon said it will pay $23.85 per share for the company, marking a 46 per cent premium on Cypress’s 30-day average share price. Read more: [...]
Not clear UK has reached final verdict on Huawei, states US national security adviser May 30, 2019 US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser has said it is not clear the UK has reached a final decision on its policy towards Huawei. “I’m not sure that this decision has reached the prime ministerial level in final form. I mean we are still talking… people are talking back and forth,” John Bolton told [...]
Huawei is an ‘instrument of the Chinese government’, Pompeo warns May 29, 2019 US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has launched a fresh attack on Huawei, accusing the Chinese firm of taking orders from Beijing. “Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government,” Pompeo told Fox Business Network. “They’re deeply connected. It’s something that’s hard for Americans to understand.” Read more: Softbank names Nokia as 5G supplier in [...]
Softbank names Nokia as 5G supplier after shunning long-term partner Huawei May 29, 2019 Softbank has chosen Nokia to supply equipment for its 5G network, in the latest blow for Chinese telecoms firm Huawei. Softbank, which operates a mobile network in its home country of Japan, today said it will use Nokia technology in non-core parts of its 5G network, which is set to launch next year. Read more: [...]
Jack Ma’s Alibaba chases ‘$20bn Hong Kong float’ May 28, 2019 Alibaba is seeking to raise up to $20bn (£15.8bn) in a Hong Kong float, it is reported. Read more: DEBATE: Does Jack Ma deserve criticism for backing the ‘996’ working week? The listing would be its second after a 2014 $25bn initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange. The online retail and cloud [...]
Chip designer Arm suspends business with Huawei after US trade ban May 22, 2019 British chip designer Arm will suspend business with Huawei to comply with new US trade restrictions, the BBC reported, citing internal company documents. In a memo sent to staff, Arm reportedly told employees to halt “all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with the troubled Chinese tech firm and its subsidiaries. Read more: EE [...]