By Li Panpan
(JW Insights) Sep 15 -- Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings gave a positive comment on his company's China subsidiary, that it is "doing well" with strong potential in data center and automotive applications, despite the geopolitical tumult of the past few years. Haas shared the information in an interview with CNBC ahead of the company’s September 14 Nasdaq debut.
Arm is still dependent on Chinese customers who, for now, are still able to purchase the company’s semiconductor technology and designs.
Neither Arm nor SoftBank, which acquired Arm for $32 billion in 2016, directly control their China subsidiaries. In 2018, SoftBank sold a controlling stake in the China business to a group of Chinese investors. Arm now only directly owns about 5% of Arm China, but the group still accounts for nearly a quarter of Arm’s fiscal 2023 revenue, according to pre-offering filings, reported CNBC.
That relationship may face further pressure in the coming months. The Biden administration has continued to implement stringent export controls on high-powered semiconductors that can be used for artificial intelligence. The restrictions have already hit Intel and Nvidia, and while Arm doesn’t fabricate its chips, it does sell designs to many chip companies.
The Biden administration has also introduced fresh outbound investment restrictions on key technology sectors.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said Softbank had reduced its "exposure in China" by a significant amount. The reduced exposure may have less to do with risks from China and more with SoftBank’s own portfolios. SoftBank has taken big losses on its Vision Fund I and II, although Vision Fund I is now back in the black, according to the CNBC report.
