Softbank CNBC reported that the Japanese investment giant has injected more than $450 million into the semiconductor company as it aims to continue its core business in AI infrastructure and hardware.
Graphcore, which develops AI chips and systems and was acquired by a major Japanese company in 2024, issued one share worth $457 million on April 10, according to a filing with the Corporate Affairs Agency. A Graphcore spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that the funding came from SoftBank. Softbank has been contacted for comment.
At the time of the acquisition, SoftBank said UK-based Graphcore would work with the company to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), an AI that could match or surpass human intelligence.
The new funding will be “part” of the funding Graphcore expects from SoftBank this year, a person familiar with the deal between the two companies told CNBC.
AI has been a huge area of investment for SoftBank in recent years, pouring tens of billions of dollars into the space, including a large investment in OpenAI and infrastructure efforts.
Once hailed as a rival NvidiaGraphcore raised hundreds of millions of dollars but struggled to gain commercial traction until it was acquired by SoftBank.
Since acquiring Graphcore, SoftBank has announced several AI infrastructure investments, including involvement in the $500 billion Stargate project in partnership with OpenAI and Oracle.
The Financial Times reported in April that SoftBank plans to establish and list an independent AI and robotics company in the United States as early as this year. The company is also in talks for a large-scale AI data center project in France, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son previously described Graphcore as “a company with deep expertise in chip design that will further strengthen Arm’s leadership in semiconductor IP.”
Softbank also acquired a majority stake in 2016. armSoftBank also acquired silicon design company Ampere Computing in 2025.
In October, Graphcore announced it would invest up to £1 billion to open a new AI campus in Bangalore, India. The company is hiring for hundreds of positions across AI, silicon, software and systems engineering, according to its website.
