SoftBank to buy $2 billion in Intel shares at $23 each — firm still owns majority share of Arm

2 weeks ago 23
Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.
(Image credit: Intel)

SoftBank Group late on Monday announced a plan to purchase $2 billion worth of Intel shares at $23 each, which will provide the troubled chipmaker much-needed cash. The companies inked a definitive securities purchase agreement, which sets the price of Intel stock (currently trading below its book value) at which the Japanese company will buy it. Softbank also still owns a majority share of Arm.

Intel and SoftBank frame the deal as a way to 'deepen their commitment to investing in advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the United States.' Given the context of Intel's recent struggles, this $2 billion share purchase is a way to pour some money into Intel's efforts to rebuild itself as a leading supplier of processors and a contract chipmaker that serves both internal and external needs for leading-edge semiconductor production. 

By modern foundry standards, $2 billion is not a large sum of money. Building a single leading-edge semiconductor production facility today typically costs between $20 billion and $30 billion, and in many cases even more, depending on planned production volumes, product mix, and equipment used. However, the investment does not seem to be entirely about money, even though $2 billion will be instrumental for Intel, which bleeds billions every quarter. 

"Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry. For more than 50 years, Intel has been a trusted leader in innovation," Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group. "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." 

Additionally, SoftBank may consider an investment in Intel, as it represents undervalued infrastructure that could drive significant advancements in the high-tech sector and substantially increase its value. At $23 per share, Intel is trading below its book value with a market capitalization of around $103 billion. By contrast, the company's real estate and manufacturing assets cost $109 billion. So for SoftBank, this is both a financial opportunity (buying undervalued assets) and a strategic move (securing a stake in the perfectly set semiconductor production infrastructure needed to produce chips that support AI in one way or another). 

"We are very pleased to deepen our relationship with SoftBank, a company that is at the forefront of so many areas of emerging technology and innovation and shares our commitment to advancing U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership," said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel. "Masa and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment."

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Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

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