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August 13, 2026
 

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Ryan Gould
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Priority Asia conference in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2026
SoftBank hits the brakes on talks to buy data center firm Switch
The two sides remain in active discussions about a partial investment or a partnership.
SoftBank Group aims to capitalize on soaring demand for the computing capacity that underpins artificial intelligence applications.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 30, 2025
SoftBank buys data center investment firm DigitalBridge
SoftBank¡¯s billionaire founder Masayoshi Son is aiming to capitalize on soaring demand for digital infrastructure, driven by the artificial intelligence boom.
SoftBank Group Chairman Masayoshi Son speaks in Tokyo earlier this month. Sources have said the group is considering acquiring data-center operator Switch. The move would give it outright ownership of a large portfolio of the facilities at a time when demand for their computing power is growing rapidly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2025
SoftBank may acquire Switch data-center group deal in AI infrastructure bid
The Japanese company has also been in advanced talks on a potential purchase of one of Switch¡¯s main private equity backers, according to recent reports.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority Asia conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 7, 2025
SoftBank in talks to buy data-center investor DigitalBridge
The Japanese conglomerate is negotiating a potential deal to buy the firm as it seeks to take advantage of an AI-driven boom in digital infrastructure.
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, in what would have been the semiconductor industry's largest-ever deal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2025
SoftBank is said to have explored potential takeover of Marvell
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, people familiar with the matter said, in what would have been the semiconductor industry¡¯s largest-ever deal.
Intel has approached Apple, a longtime customer that switched to in-house processors in the past five years, about securing an investment.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 25, 2025
Intel is seeking an investment from Apple as part of its comeback bid
A deal with Apple would represent further validation of the ailing chipmaker¡¯s turnaround bid.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an in-depth investigation of SoftBank Group's acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s Ampere deal now faces a more in-depth review by FTC
SoftBank¡¯s acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing is facing a potentially lengthy probe by the U.S. government.
SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire semiconductor designer Ampere Computing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 20, 2025
SoftBank seals $6.5 billion deal for chip designer Ampere
The move further broadens the Japanese investment firm¡¯s push into artificial intelligence infrastructure.
SoftBank Group is in talks to acquire Ampere Computing, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2025
SoftBank nears deal to acquire chip designer Ampere
SoftBank is discussing a deal that could value the Oracle-backed chip designer at about $6.5 billion, including debt.
SoftBank's Arm Holdings may be interested in taking over chip designer Ampere Computing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2025
SoftBank¡¯s chip designer Arm considers acquiring Ampere Computing
Oracle-backed Ampere makes processors for data center machinery using Arm¡¯s technology.
The departure of Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger opens the possibility of fresh deal talks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2024
Intel¡¯s CEO departure opens door to new deal discussions
The CEO¡¯s departure is also an opportunity for suitors to take another look at acquiring some or all of Intel.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger delivers a speech at the COMPUTEX forum in Taipei on June 4. When Gelsinger met with the Intel board last week, he was given the option to retire or be removed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024
Intel CEO forced out by board frustrated with slow progress
Whoever replaces Pat Gelsinger will face the same set of problems he was brought in to fix, including the fallout from decisions made by his predecessors.
Intel has been working on an expensive plan to remake itself and bring in new products, technology and outside customers under Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 23, 2024
Apollo to offer multibillion-dollar investment in Intel
The development comes as San Diego-based Qualcomm?floats a friendly takeover of Intel, raising the prospect of one of the biggest-ever M&A deals.
Alimentation Couche-Tard said it is willing to engage in confidential discussions with 7-Eleven operator Seven & I Holdings and is keen on still pursuing an acquisition.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2024
Couche-Tard pushes for Seven & I deal talks after rejection
A potential deal would create a global convenience store behemoth with more than 100,000 stores.
Arm CEO Rene Haas rings the opening bell, as Softbank's Arm, a chip design firm, holds an initial public offering at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2023
Chip designer Arm soars 25% in IPO win for owner SoftBank
Shares in the chip designer, still 90% owned by SoftBank, closed at $63.59 in New York trading Thursday, giving it a market value of over $65 billion.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Â鶹´«Ã½ anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend ¡ª or want to pay off their debts ¡ª at host clubs.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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