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Japanese technology investor SoftBank dropped plans of producing an artificial intelligence chip with Intel to compete with Nvidia, the Financial Times reported on August 15.

SoftBank has blamed Intel for the collapse of the talks, claiming Intel was incapable of meeting its demands for volume and speed, the report said, adding that SoftBank is now focusing on discussions with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker.

The talks failed in advance of Intel's drastic cost-cutting plans, which included thousands of lay-offs in early August, the report added.

Negotiations to partner with Intel, which have not previously been reported, would have accelerated SoftBank’s efforts to combine the chip designs of its crown jewel Arm with the production expertise of its latest acquisition, Graphcore, to create a rival to Nvidia’s market-leading AI chips, said people familiar with the matter.

SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son plans to invest billions of dollars in an attempt to put the Japanese group at the centre of the AI boom. His ambitious scheme, which he has pitched to Big Tech companies, encompasses chip production and software through to providing power for the data centres that would house its processors.

Editor：Vicky

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