SoftBank invests $2 billion in Intel amid U.S. chipmaker’s turnaround effort

SoftBank has taken a $2 billion equity stake in Intel, becoming its sixth-largest shareholder as the U.S. chipmaker seeks to recover from mounting losses.

Intel will issue new common shares to accommodate the $2 billion (about £1.57 billion) investment from Japan’s SoftBank, which is acquiring the stock at $23 per share, the companies said on Monday. The move gives SoftBank an equity stake of just under 2%, according to an Intel spokesperson.

The Tokyo-based tech investor will not seek a seat on Intel’s board or commit to buying its chips, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. SoftBank’s holding will make it Intel’s sixth-largest shareholder, based on LSEG data.

Shares in Intel rose 5.6% in after-hours trading following the announcement, while SoftBank stock fell more than 5% in Tokyo on Tuesday.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the investment “reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.”

The deal comes as Intel attempts a turnaround after years of underperformance and strategic missteps that left it lagging in the fast-growing artificial intelligence chip market. The firm reported a loss of $18.8 billion in 2024 — its first annual loss since 1986.

Last week, reports emerged that the U.S. government is considering a 10% stake in Intel following a meeting between Intel’s new CEO Lip-Bu Tan and President Donald Trump. Tan’s appointment has drawn scrutiny over his previous ties to Chinese firms. However, the SoftBank deal is unrelated to that meeting, a source said.

SoftBank has made a series of large-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) related investments in 2025, including a $30 billion commitment to OpenAI and a $500 billion plan for the Stargate U.S. data centre project. On Monday, Taiwan’s Foxconn said it would manufacture data centre equipment with SoftBank in Ohio as part of the Stargate initiative.

SoftBank declined to provide further comment on the Intel deal when contacted by Reuters.

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