Nvidia’s Arm acquisition hits another major roadblock as UK orders in-depth probe on sale impact

Britain on Tuesday ordered an in-depth investigation of Nvidia Corp’s planned $50 billion-plus acquisition of UK-based chip designer Arm, another hurdle for a deal that is being scrutinised in every major tech market.

Arm, Britain’s most important tech company that was sold to Japan’s SoftBank in 2016, licenses its blueprints to major chipmakers such as Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics, underpinning the global smartphone ecosystem.