Key Points Graphcore confirmed to CNBC that SoftBank has invested $457 million in the company. The AI chip firm was acquired by SoftBank in 2024. This investment is a significant move by the Japanese conglomerate to expand its presence in AI infrastructure and hardware. SoftBank stated that Graphcore will collaborate with it on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI), aiming for AI capabilities that match or surpass human intelligence. CNBC learned that the Japanese investment giant SoftBank has invested over $450 million in a chip company, continuing its push into the AI infrastructure and hardware sector. UK-based AI chip and systems developer Graphcore was acquired by SoftBank in 2024. According to filings with the UK Companies House, the company issued a single share worth $457 million on April 10. A Graphcore spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that the funds came from SoftBank; media outlets have reached out to SoftBank for comment. At the time of the acquisition, SoftBank indicated that Bristol-based Graphcore would work with it to develop AGI, with the goal of achieving AI capabilities on par with or exceeding human intelligence. An anonymous source familiar with the partnership told CNBC that this newly injected capital is only part of the funding Graphcore is expected to receive from SoftBank this year. The person requested anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose internal details. In recent years, artificial intelligence has been a key investment focus for SoftBank, which has poured tens of billions of dollars into the sector, including holding a significant stake in OpenAI and increasing infrastructure investments. Graphcore was once seen as a competitor to Nvidia. The company had raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding but struggled to achieve commercial market traction and generate substantial revenue prior to its acquisition by SoftBank. Following the acquisition of Graphcore, SoftBank has announced several AI infrastructure investment plans, including participating with OpenAI and Oracle in the $500 billion Stargate project. In April, the Financial Times reported that SoftBank plans to spin off and list a new company focused on AI and robotics in the US as early as this year. Bloomberg reported on Monday that SoftBank is also in talks to participate in a major AI data center project in France. SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son previously stated that Graphcore is a company with deep expertise in chip design, which could further strengthen Arm's leading position in semiconductor intellectual property. SoftBank acquired a majority stake in Arm in 2016, and Arm later went public on the Nasdaq in 2023. In 2025, SoftBank acquired chip design firm Ampere Computing. In October of this year, Graphcore announced it would invest up to £1 billion to establish a new AI industrial park in Bangalore, India. The company's website shows it is currently hiring for hundreds of positions in AI, chips, software, and systems engineering.