SoftBank and Arm weigh acquiring Ampere Computing, source says

(Reuters) -Japanese technology investor SoftBank (TYO:9984) Group and its majority-owned Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) are exploring a deal for Oracle-backed semiconductor firm Ampere Computing, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Ampere has drawn interest from Arm while exploring its strategic options, the person said, adding that the talks could still not eventually materialise.

The news was first reported by Bloomberg News.

Arm declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, while Ampere and SoftBank did not immediately respond to requests.

Ampere, headed by ex-Intel executives, has been working with a financial adviser to help field takeover interest, Bloomberg News had reported in September.

Founded by Renee James, a former president of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Ampere uses technology from Arm to make central processing chips that are used by Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google and others.

The startup has focused on making chips that are more energy-efficient than those from industry leaders Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD).

Oracle has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Ampere since it was founded, according to filings.