Catenaa, Tuesday, August 19, 2025- Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group plans to take a $2 billion stake in chip maker Intel as it deepens its involvement in US semiconductor manufacturing.
SoftBank said on Monday that it plans to buy $2 billion of Intel’s common stock, paying $23 per share.
SoftBank invests in an array of companies that it sees as holding long-term potential. It has been stepping up investments in the United States since Trump returned to the White House.
In February, its Chairman, Masayoshi Son, joined Trump, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle in announcing a major investment of up to $500 billion in a project to develop artificial intelligence called Stargate.
“Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry, Son said in a statement. ”This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.”
Intel helped launch Silicon Valley but has fallen behind rivals like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, and is shedding thousands of workers and slashing costs under its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan.
“We are very pleased to deepen our relationship with SoftBank, a company that’s at the forefront of so many areas of emerging technology and innovation and shares our commitment to advancing US technology and manufacturing leadership,” Tan said in a statement.
“[SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son] and I have worked closely together for decades, and I appreciate the confidence he has placed in Intel with this investment,” he added.
Intel plans to end the year with 75,000 “core” workers, excluding subsidiaries, through layoffs and attrition, down from 99,500 core employees at the end of 2024. The company previously announced a 15% workforce reduction.
Shares of Intel rose over 7% on Tuesday morning following the news, the share is up by 26% so far in the year.
