UK may block Nvidia ARM acquisition due to national security concerns

AppleInsider · August 4, 2021 12:35PM

Nvidia is set to acquire ARM from SoftBank for $40 billion, but UK regulators feel the deal may be anti-competitive and raises national security concerns.

ARM May be acquired by Nvidia if regulators approve

Nvidia is the United States' biggest chip company by market capitalization and could become a competitive threat once it gains access to ARM's large patent portfolio. ARM is also based in Cambridge, so the UK feels a change in ownership to an American-based company may present national security concerns.

"We continue to work through the regulatory process with the UK government," said an Nvidia spokesperson in a statement. "We look forward to their questions and expect to resolve any issues they may have."

According to Bloomberg, if the sale of ARM is blocked, then SoftBank will seek an IPO of an independent ARM. Investors are committed to making the IPO work, and Nvidia is set to invest $2 billion whether the sale is completed or not.

ARM CEO Simon Segars said, "The combination of Arm and NVIDIA is a better outcome than an IPO."

Even if the UK approves of the merger, Nvidia must overcome regulators in the European Union, United States, and China. The increase in competition against Intel and Qualcomm may make regulators shrink at the idea of a merger during the current market conditions.

Read on AppleInsider

lkrupp · August 4, 2021 1:27PM

Okay, let’s make sure we remember, if Nvidia does acquire ARM there is no possible way Nvidia could use ARM against Apple, period. Apple was one of the founding fathers of ARM and holds a permanent architecture license since the release of the iPhone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_Ltd.

GeorgeBMac · August 4, 2021 1:34PM

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.

... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

CuJoYYC · August 4, 2021 1:58PM

"… the UK feels a change in ownership to an American-based company may present national security concerns."

I love it, especially in light of the 2020 US imposition of tariffs on Canadian aluminium citing "national security concerns." Because everyone knows that Canadian aluminum used to make beer cans and screen doors in the middle of a pandemic is a "yuge" national security threat.

Anyway, karma is a bitch.

crowley · August 4, 2021 2:01PM

I used to have shares in ARM way back before Softbank. And I have fond memories of the BBC Micro and Acorn Archimedes I had in my school. It would be nice to buy back into a homegrown treasure.

robaba · August 4, 2021 3:45PM

Good. It’s not that I think NVidia plans to screw over Apple wrt it’s ARM Architectural license, but I just don’t like NVidia. The problem ARM has is how to make enough from licensing designs to cover the huge and growing cost of R&D? Thing is, they really need to move on to the whole widget in order to capitalize on their business model. CPUs aren’t discreet parts any longer—the SoC is king.

tmay · August 4, 2021 5:20PM

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

GeorgeBMac · August 4, 2021 7:21PM

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Nobody trusts the U.S. to keep its word anymore. Not even its friends.

applesauce007 · August 4, 2021 8:12PM

My gut feeling tells me that there will be BIG problems if Nvidia is allowed to buy ARM.

In any case I believe that Apple is only using the Instruction Set Architecture from ARM and not the the silicon design. Although they could use the ARM silicon if their own silicon designs were not way more advanced than ARM.

In fact the original design for Apple's chip by PA-Semi were called PWRficient and were designed to use the PowerPC Instruction Set from IBM but Apple switched to the ARM instruction set after the purchase. See presentation below...

Here is another article on Apple's license.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10190521

applesauce007 · August 4, 2021 8:33PM

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Well, the company is in the UK but it belongs to the SoftBank Group; a Japanese company.
Moreover, Apple's chip designs are already more advanced than ARM so...

tmay · August 4, 2021 8:54PM

applesauce007 said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Well, the company is in the UK but it belongs to the SoftBank Group; a Japanese company.
Moreover, Apple's chip designs are already more advanced than ARM so...

Fair enough;

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/17/softbank-poised-to-take-uks-arm-for-234-billion.html

Softbank’s acquisition of ARM represents one of the biggest takeovers of a European technology business. ARM is based in Cambridge, U.K., a city just north of London and employs around 4,000 people.
The deal comes just weeks after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU), a move which many believed would have an impact on investment in U.K. technology. But ARM’s customer base is global and would be protected from any Brexit fallout.
Softbank said it planned to “preserve the ARM organization,” including existing senior management team, brand and culture. ARM’s headquarters will remain in Cambridge while Softbank pledged to double the employee headcount in the U.K. over the next five years. The deal is subject to ARM shareholder approval.
“Just three weeks after the referendum decision, it shows that Britain has lost none of its allure to international investors. Britain is open for business - and open to foreign investment,” Britain’s Treasury said in a statement on Monday.
Masayoshi Son insisted that the deal was not made due to the devaluation of the pound against the Japanese yen, but did admit that he only met with the ARM chairman two weeks ago to make a bid. The Softbank CEO also said that he wants to make the pledge to double ARM’s U.K. employee headcount over the next five years “legally binding”, meaning a court could take legal action if it’s not fulfilled.
“We did not need to do this, it’s my way of showing commitment to the U.K.,” Masayoshi Son said in a press conference on Monday. The Softbank chairman is travelling to meet ARM’s management team in Cambridge, U.K., on Monday afternoon.

Is there any indication that a Nvidia acquisition would have treated ARM any differently? Not to my knowledge, in which case it is as I have posted; "Arm is a strategic asset".

viclauyyc · August 4, 2021 8:59PM

lkrupp said:

Okay, let’s make sure we remember, if Nvidia does acquire ARM there is no possible way Nvidia could use ARM against Apple, period. Apple was one of the founding fathers of ARM and holds a permanent architecture license since the release of the iPhone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_Ltd.

Even apple don’t have a permanent license. It will be an extremely stupid move if Nvidia try to stop Apple to use ARM license. Imagine the lawsuit apple will file and the antitrust lawsuit from the governments.

tmay · August 4, 2021 9:04PM

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Nobody trusts the U.S. to keep its word anymore. Not even its friends.

How awful it must be for China then;

https://www.csis.org/analysis/making-america-great-global-perceptions-china-russia-and-united-states-international

Then of course, the Biden Administration came into office;

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/

During the past two decades, presidential transitions have had a major impact on overall attitudes toward the U.S. When Barack Obama took office in 2009, ratings improved in many nations compared with where they had been during George W. Bush’s administration, and when Trump entered the White House in 2017, ratings declined sharply. This year, U.S. favorability is up again: Whereas a median of just 34% across 12 nations had a favorable overall opinion of the U.S. last year, a median of 62% now hold this view.
In France, for example, just 31% expressed a positive opinion of the U.S. last year, matching the poor ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. This year, 65% see the U.S. positively, approaching the high ratings that characterized the Obama era. Improvements of 25 percentage points or more are also found in Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada.
Still, attitudes toward the U.S. vary considerably across the publics surveyed. For instance, only about half in Singapore and Australia have a favorable opinion of the U.S., and just 42% of New Zealanders hold this view. And while 61% see the U.S. favorably in Taiwan, this is actually down slightly from 68% in a 2019 poll.

I'm guessing that China didn't get a rebound this year...

GeorgeBMac · August 4, 2021 9:52PM

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Nobody trusts the U.S. to keep its word anymore. Not even its friends.

How awful it must be for China then;

https://www.csis.org/analysis/making-america-great-global-perceptions-china-russia-and-united-states-international

Then of course, the Biden Administration came into office;

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/

During the past two decades, presidential transitions have had a major impact on overall attitudes toward the U.S. When Barack Obama took office in 2009, ratings improved in many nations compared with where they had been during George W. Bush’s administration, and when Trump entered the White House in 2017, ratings declined sharply. This year, U.S. favorability is up again: Whereas a median of just 34% across 12 nations had a favorable overall opinion of the U.S. last year, a median of 62% now hold this view.
In France, for example, just 31% expressed a positive opinion of the U.S. last year, matching the poor ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. This year, 65% see the U.S. positively, approaching the high ratings that characterized the Obama era. Improvements of 25 percentage points or more are also found in Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada.
Still, attitudes toward the U.S. vary considerably across the publics surveyed. For instance, only about half in Singapore and Australia have a favorable opinion of the U.S., and just 42% of New Zealanders hold this view. And while 61% see the U.S. favorably in Taiwan, this is actually down slightly from 68% in a 2019 poll.
I'm guessing that China didn't get a rebound this year...

I apologize for triggering you. But then, it doesn't even take a mention of the "C" word to trigger your hate.

GeorgeBMac · August 4, 2021 9:54PM

tmay said:

applesauce007 said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Well, the company is in the UK but it belongs to the SoftBank Group; a Japanese company.
Moreover, Apple's chip designs are already more advanced than ARM so...

Fair enough;

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/17/softbank-poised-to-take-uks-arm-for-234-billion.html

Softbank’s acquisition of ARM represents one of the biggest takeovers of a European technology business. ARM is based in Cambridge, U.K., a city just north of London and employs around 4,000 people.
The deal comes just weeks after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU), a move which many believed would have an impact on investment in U.K. technology. But ARM’s customer base is global and would be protected from any Brexit fallout.
Softbank said it planned to “preserve the ARM organization,” including existing senior management team, brand and culture. ARM’s headquarters will remain in Cambridge while Softbank pledged to double the employee headcount in the U.K. over the next five years. The deal is subject to ARM shareholder approval.
“Just three weeks after the referendum decision, it shows that Britain has lost none of its allure to international investors. Britain is open for business - and open to foreign investment,” Britain’s Treasury said in a statement on Monday.
Masayoshi Son insisted that the deal was not made due to the devaluation of the pound against the Japanese yen, but did admit that he only met with the ARM chairman two weeks ago to make a bid. The Softbank CEO also said that he wants to make the pledge to double ARM’s U.K. employee headcount over the next five years “legally binding”, meaning a court could take legal action if it’s not fulfilled.
“We did not need to do this, it’s my way of showing commitment to the U.K.,” Masayoshi Son said in a press conference on Monday. The Softbank chairman is travelling to meet ARM’s management team in Cambridge, U.K., on Monday afternoon.
Is there any indication that a Nvidia acquisition would have treated ARM any differently? Not to my knowledge, in which case it is as I have posted; "Arm is a strategic asset".

You need to study up on the history or ARM, Softbank and Nvidia.

tmay · August 4, 2021 10:15PM

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Nobody trusts the U.S. to keep its word anymore. Not even its friends.

How awful it must be for China then;

https://www.csis.org/analysis/making-america-great-global-perceptions-china-russia-and-united-states-international

Then of course, the Biden Administration came into office;

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/

During the past two decades, presidential transitions have had a major impact on overall attitudes toward the U.S. When Barack Obama took office in 2009, ratings improved in many nations compared with where they had been during George W. Bush’s administration, and when Trump entered the White House in 2017, ratings declined sharply. This year, U.S. favorability is up again: Whereas a median of just 34% across 12 nations had a favorable overall opinion of the U.S. last year, a median of 62% now hold this view.
In France, for example, just 31% expressed a positive opinion of the U.S. last year, matching the poor ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. This year, 65% see the U.S. positively, approaching the high ratings that characterized the Obama era. Improvements of 25 percentage points or more are also found in Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada.
Still, attitudes toward the U.S. vary considerably across the publics surveyed. For instance, only about half in Singapore and Australia have a favorable opinion of the U.S., and just 42% of New Zealanders hold this view. And while 61% see the U.S. favorably in Taiwan, this is actually down slightly from 68% in a 2019 poll.
I'm guessing that China didn't get a rebound this year...

I apologize for triggering you. But then, it doesn't even take a mention of the "C" word to trigger your hate.

It's taken for granted the you disparage the U.S. whenever possible, and your post was a classic case of that, so I took that as an acceptable opening to counter with how little China is "trusted" in the world.

How'd I do?

Did I convince you that China is trusted less by almost every other country in the world, or do you need more "data"?

Probably not, but of course, you told me that I "hate" communism, so I'm guessing that you don't "like" American democracy?

tmay · August 4, 2021 10:18PM

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

applesauce007 said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Well, the company is in the UK but it belongs to the SoftBank Group; a Japanese company.
Moreover, Apple's chip designs are already more advanced than ARM so...

Fair enough;

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/17/softbank-poised-to-take-uks-arm-for-234-billion.html

Softbank’s acquisition of ARM represents one of the biggest takeovers of a European technology business. ARM is based in Cambridge, U.K., a city just north of London and employs around 4,000 people.
The deal comes just weeks after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU), a move which many believed would have an impact on investment in U.K. technology. But ARM’s customer base is global and would be protected from any Brexit fallout.
Softbank said it planned to “preserve the ARM organization,” including existing senior management team, brand and culture. ARM’s headquarters will remain in Cambridge while Softbank pledged to double the employee headcount in the U.K. over the next five years. The deal is subject to ARM shareholder approval.
“Just three weeks after the referendum decision, it shows that Britain has lost none of its allure to international investors. Britain is open for business - and open to foreign investment,” Britain’s Treasury said in a statement on Monday.
Masayoshi Son insisted that the deal was not made due to the devaluation of the pound against the Japanese yen, but did admit that he only met with the ARM chairman two weeks ago to make a bid. The Softbank CEO also said that he wants to make the pledge to double ARM’s U.K. employee headcount over the next five years “legally binding”, meaning a court could take legal action if it’s not fulfilled.
“We did not need to do this, it’s my way of showing commitment to the U.K.,” Masayoshi Son said in a press conference on Monday. The Softbank chairman is travelling to meet ARM’s management team in Cambridge, U.K., on Monday afternoon.
Is there any indication that a Nvidia acquisition would have treated ARM any differently? Not to my knowledge, in which case it is as I have posted; "Arm is a strategic asset".

You need to study up on the history or ARM, Softbank and Nvidia.

This is the part where you tell me what I'm missing, or is it that you actually are bullshitting me again?

I stated that the UK had a discussion about the national security implications of giving away its technological sovereignty, and you haven't attempted to counter that with facts.

Same as you ever were.

crowley · August 4, 2021 11:47PM

Can we not please. George is just trolling you.

tmay · August 5, 2021 12:08AM

crowley said:

Can we not please. George is just trolling you.

I'm done with this thread anyway.

But George trolling me?

Nah. George is just being George, piling up the misinformation.

elijahg · August 5, 2021 12:45AM

applesauce007 said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Well, the company is in the UK but it belongs to the SoftBank Group; a Japanese company.
Moreover, Apple's chip designs are already more advanced than ARM so...

I think that the UK government were caught off-guard when Softbank bought ARM in 2016, not realising the implications. So now they'd rather it be a sovereign UK company again.

GeorgeBMac · August 5, 2021 11:16AM

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

tmay said:

GeorgeBMac said:

The chances of this merger taking place have passed the zero mark and are into negative territory -- there are just too many hurdles from every corner of the globe in its path -- and not enough incentive to ignore them or override them.

But the fact that the UK does not trust the U.S. is both hilarious and telling.
... The U.S. must address that concern -- not with respect to this failing merger, but from its underlying basis.

Trust is the foundation that both companies and countries rely on. When that fails everything begins to fail.

You are completely misreading why the UK is stating that the sale of ARM is a "national security concern", and it isn't about Nvidia being a U.S. company, so much as the UK wants to retain its "technical sovereignty".

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/sale-cambridge-firm-tech-giant-21224281

Concerns over national security have led the government to consider blocking the deal, according to Bloomberg, while another source stated that it would welcome another review into the merger.
In response to suggestions of a government block, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said: “I would urge the government to listen carefully to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority and other experts in the field.
“I have always called for legal guarantees on Cambridge jobs, but this proposed deal also has far wider implications.
“There are potential risks to national security as I pointed out when I secured a debate in parliament, and the important issue of tech sovereignty.
“Arm is a strategic national asset and a UK company with global dominance. Semiconductors underpin our critical national infrastructure.
“I am pleased after two long years ministers seem to be coming round to these arguments but they need to come to a decision because endless delay is sapping morale among staff and risks setting Arm back as global competitors move forward.”

Nobody trusts the U.S. to keep its word anymore. Not even its friends.

How awful it must be for China then;

https://www.csis.org/analysis/making-america-great-global-perceptions-china-russia-and-united-states-international

Then of course, the Biden Administration came into office;

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/

During the past two decades, presidential transitions have had a major impact on overall attitudes toward the U.S. When Barack Obama took office in 2009, ratings improved in many nations compared with where they had been during George W. Bush’s administration, and when Trump entered the White House in 2017, ratings declined sharply. This year, U.S. favorability is up again: Whereas a median of just 34% across 12 nations had a favorable overall opinion of the U.S. last year, a median of 62% now hold this view.
In France, for example, just 31% expressed a positive opinion of the U.S. last year, matching the poor ratings from March 2003, at the height of U.S.-France tensions over the Iraq War. This year, 65% see the U.S. positively, approaching the high ratings that characterized the Obama era. Improvements of 25 percentage points or more are also found in Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada.
Still, attitudes toward the U.S. vary considerably across the publics surveyed. For instance, only about half in Singapore and Australia have a favorable opinion of the U.S., and just 42% of New Zealanders hold this view. And while 61% see the U.S. favorably in Taiwan, this is actually down slightly from 68% in a 2019 poll.
I'm guessing that China didn't get a rebound this year...

I apologize for triggering you. But then, it doesn't even take a mention of the "C" word to trigger your hate.

It's taken for granted the you disparage the U.S. whenever possible, and your post was a classic case of that, so I took that as an acceptable opening to counter with how little China is "trusted" in the world.

How'd I do?

Did I convince you that China is trusted less by almost every other country in the world, or do you need more "data"?

Probably not, but of course, you told me that I "hate" communism, so I'm guessing that you don't "like" American democracy?

No, stating fact is not "disparaging". Under Trump we lost our credibility. Yes, Biden is trying to rebuild that trust. But everybody knows that in 4 years we might be back to Trump or one of his minions. So, no nation will trust us at this point.

So, do not use that as an excuse to go off on your hate of China. The truth is: you don't need an excuse. You are obsessed.

To be honest, it is looking more and more like you are unhinged.

UK may block Nvidia ARM acquisition due to national security concerns

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