Nvidia deal for Arm will drive computing power growth: SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son said on Thursday the sale of chip designer Arm to Nvidia Corp will drive growth in computing power, in his first public comments since the $40 billion deal was announced in September.

Son made the comments at a virtual summit about artificial intelligence hosted by the government of Saudi Arabia, in which he reiterated his belief that AI would transform society.

The Nvidia deal, part of a series of asset sales by Son whose group has been shaken by soured investments and the Covid-19 pandemic, has raised concerns it will threaten Arm’s role as a neutral supplier in the industry.