Arm IPO to put SoftBank’s AI hard sell to the test

TOKYO: When SoftBank Group-owned chip designer Arm files for a Nasdaq IPO on Monday, investors are set to hone in on a key question – will the company have “exponential growth” due to the boom in artificial intelligence as CEO Masayoshi Son claims?

Since acquiring the chip designer in 2016, Son has positioned Arm as the tech investment conglomerate’s crown jewel asset, and in recent months has enthusiastically talked up the role it could play in AI.