Apple is among a clutch of big-name tech companies touted to be ready to invest in Arm. The move comes after current owner SoftBank set out to find Arm's biggest customers and turn them into investors in an upcoming initial public offering (IPO).
Alongside Apple, companies like Nvidia, Intel, Samsung, and Google are all thought to be getting involved in an IPO that is expected to be worth up to $7 billion.
As big a number as that might seem, SoftBank was reportedly hoping to value the chip business at $60 billion to $70 billion.
Big-name investors
Bloomberg reports that "SoftBank has been in discussions with Arm customers and partners for months, but the plans are just being finalized." It's also expected that Arm is expected to "have its investor roadshow underway by next week."
Arm is a major player in the mobile chip space, even if most people might not realize it. "Arm provides chip designs and licenses technology that's a crucial part of the more than 1 billion smartphones sold every year," the report notes. But it's looking to expand its business well beyond mobile platforms. "In recent years, it has tried to spread its reach into new areas, including computers used in data centers, seeking to be part of higher-priced electronic components," Bloomberg continues.
In terms of Apple, its chips are Arm-based but use in-house designs and are then built by TSMC before finding their way into devices that are used around the world, including all the best Macs.
It isn't clear how much Apple intends to pump into Arm by way of the IPO, but Bloomberg's report claims that sources point to figures of anywhere between $25 million and $100 million per company. Apple isn't short of cash, as we well know, so it's possible its figure could be towards the top end of that range.
