Nvidia is “quietly” preparing to abandon its $40 billion acquisition of British chip designer Arm, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.
The U.S. chipmaker has told partners it’s not expecting the deal to be finalized, the news agency reported, citing people familiar with the matter. SoftBank, which currently owns Arm, is ramping up preparations for Arm to go public in lieu of the Nvidia takeover, according to Bloomberg.
“We continue to hold the views expressed in detail in our latest regulatory filings — that this transaction provides an opportunity to accelerate Arm and boost competition and innovation,” a Nvidia spokesperson told CNBC by email.
SoftBank and Arm were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Nvidia shares fell around 3% in U.S. premarket trading.
The deal has faced close scrutiny from regulators around the world, who worry it would give Nvidia an unfair advantage in the semiconductor industry.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission last month sued to block the transaction on antitrust grounds, while British regulators are probing the deal over concerns it would pose a threat to national security. Nvidia also faces multiple regulatory obstacles in China, where Arm has a joint venture with private equity firm Hopu Investments.
Arm is often considered the “crown jewel” in the U.K.’s tech industry. Its energy-efficient chip architectures are used in 95% of the world’s smartphones and 95% of the chips designed in China. The company makes money from royalties paid by manufacturers.
You can read the full Bloomberg report here.
– CNBC’s Sam Shead contributed to this report