SoftBank is reportedly in talks with Intel to manufacture AI chips that will compete with NVIDIA, but the talks fell apart due to failure to meet requirements, and SoftBank is now in negotiations with TSMC
SoftBank Group is pursuing a plan to manufacture AI chips in competition with NVIDIA called
SoftBank discussed AI chips tie-up with Intel to rival Nvidia
https://www.ft.com/content/6b7fd8a1-7f9c-427b-8467-f911f5f0d520
SoftBank's Intel AI processor plans in doubt as insiders say it is now considering a TSMC partnership | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/softbanks-intel-ai-processor-plans-in-doubt-as-insiders-say-it-is-now-considering-a-tsmc-partnership
Intel-SoftBank tie-up for AI chips is dead, for now: Report | Fierce Electronics
https://www.fierceelectronics.com/ai/intel-softbank-tie-ai-chips-dead-now-report
'Project Izanagi,' proposed by Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank Group, is a plan to establish an AI semiconductor venture to complement Arm, a semiconductor company under the SoftBank Group, and develop its own AI chips in order to break down NVIDIA's stronghold, which holds almost 100% of the market share in the data center GPU market. In fact, SoftBank Group acquired British AI chip manufacturer Graphcore on July 11, 2024.
SoftBank acquires British AI chip maker Graphcore - GIGAZINE
According to the Financial Times, SoftBank had been in talks with Intel to enter into a partnership agreement to manufacture AI chips, but the talks fell apart due to the difficulty of meeting SoftBank's requirements for the production speed and volume of AI chips.
The Financial Times speculates that the background to the partnership with Intel is that 'SoftBank wants to take advantage of Intel's abundant funds, which were provided with a large amount of funding through the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS Act).' The CHIPS Act provides financial support to semiconductor manufacturing companies in the United States in preparation for supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical risks and semiconductor shortages, and to date the U.S. government has provided Intel with approximately 3 trillion yen in funding to improve its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
US government announces approximately 3 trillion yen funding for Intel - GIGAZINE
According to the Financial Times, after talks on a partnership agreement with Intel collapsed, SoftBank is now focusing on talks with Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC, but sources said TSMC has not yet reached an agreement with SoftBank because it is struggling to meet demand from existing customers, including Nvidia.
SoftBank, Intel, TSMC, and others have not commented on this report.
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