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It was an article from Bloomberg. In fact, regarding the acquisition of Switch, the first talk last year that it seemed likely to happen started with an exclusive report by Bloomberg . First of all, there is internal talk that SoftBank Group intends to halt negotiations regarding the acquisition of Switch, which have been ongoing for a very long time, for several months .
Bloomberg wrote a story today. Upon examination, these details suggest that they could lead to setbacks in the massive AI project currently envisioned by Stargate Chairman Masayoshi Son, which could actually exert downward pressure on the stock market . This was the content of the article. According to Bloomberg's story, Chairman Son Chung-hee [added] earlier this month.
Internal sources have reportedly told Bloomberg that they have concluded that acquiring Switch is impossible and have scrapped the acquisition plan they have been pursuing for the past few months. But then, why was the acquisition of Switch mentioned as an essential card for Masayoshi Son's Stargate Project?
If we look at why not acquiring that company could lead to setbacks for the Stargate project, first of all, Switch operates data centers in a wide variety of locations across the United States . So, since SoftBank Group could have secured a share simply by acquiring the large data centers across the United States owned by Switch, this Stargate project requires massive data centers and computing capacity.
If we stop these things now, we should consider that we will not be able to have them. Furthermore, since it is only by securing such electrically efficient data center networks possessed by Switch that massive AI computing capabilities can be actually built, it is possible to achieve the level of computing required by OpenAI.
But I think I interpreted it as these things falling as essential cards for now. In the case of Switch, it is still a privately held company. We are a specialized company that designs and operates data centers. Potential acquisitions have been discussed up until now, and the situation was such that the enterprise value among the owners holding the switch was estimated to be approximately $50 billion.
yes. It is strong. So, there was already an assessment that if this $50 billion price really came out as the acquisition price and the deal was ultimately successful, it would be one of the largest acquisitions in SoftBank's history . Actually, since the cost itself was burdensome, I heard that they also prepared a plan to list Switch early this year at the same time as the sale .
Then why were the negotiations suspended? First of all, according to what Bloomberg has reported, SoftBank has recently invested heavily in AI since last year . Because so much money was spent, there was certainly a financial burden involved, and secondly, since Switch has data centers widely distributed from Las Vegas to Atlanta in the U.S., the fact that a Japanese company and Japanese businesspeople have to manage this entire campus could lead to greater uncertainty than expected .
Is this really possible? It is said that stories like these also circulated. There was also an assessment that there was a slight difference of opinion regarding Switch, suggesting that instead of being acquired and going public, we could simply handle the listing ourselves . They argued that if we went public on our own, we could raise the valuation to $60 billion within the year, just like our company, rather than $50 billion.
Also, regarding the acquisition, anyway, SoftBank's Chairman Masayoshi Son is Japanese, is n't he? Therefore, there is a high possibility that it will be considered for review by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States . Bloomberg has summarized even these factors as reasons for the suspension of negotiations .
In fact, SoftBank's moves to acquire Switch had been ongoing for several months. Notably, they acquired a company called Digital Bridge . It is said that they made a $3 billion acquisition. If we look at why the acquisition was made, first of all, Data Bridge Digital Bridge was a company that already held a majority stake in Switch .
It is an American private equity firm in 2022. Since we had already bought a certain amount, actually having a digital bridge is enough, because there is a company called Switch in that portfolio . You can reap the benefits of indirect equity ownership that I already possess to some extent. But I had already done this.
So, this process will prove that it was a plan that had been built up step by step while going through the procedures for quite a long time. However, as I mentioned, since SoftBank is investing so much money in AI and is currently racing ahead, there was an assessment that the significant cost burden could not be ignored.
Over the past year, we have spent a significant amount of money to secure an 11% stake in OpenAI, and because we have also acquired various other companies, there are some issues regarding those costs. You even sold your stake in Nvidia, didn't you? Chairman Son Jeong-hee. So, you probably remember the situation at the time when it was said that he cried when selling his Nvidia stock, and not only that, he also strategically sold his stake in T-Mobile at the same time, with speculation even escalating into "margin theories" suggesting he was trying to secure more loans using his ARM assets as collateral .
But anyway, after one thing or another, we secured the promised stake for now. The total investment alone is $41 billion . However, the enterprise value involved in acquiring Switch earlier was an estimated $50 billion. It was a situation where we had to spend more money than we had already invested in OpenAI .
So, Software Bank announced the $5 billion Stargate project last January and is pouring money into it with an all-out effort, but even within the Stargate project consortium that created it, they are still struggling with how to select a site and how to attract external investment. With the market constantly fluctuating due to President Trump increasing trade uncertainty and talking about tariffs, it is said that it is very difficult to attract external investment due to these internal and external factors.
Due to these factors, the construction of data centers itself is fundamentally being delayed. However, with the recent sharp drop in ARM's stock price compounded by concerns over the expansion of margin loans—a result of SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son spending too aggressively—it is reported that pressure on SoftBank Group's credit rating is currently increasing.
So, there is talk that they have given up on the acquisition of Switch, but for now, the market today seems to be taking a stance of ignoring this and going its own way. Right.
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