SoftBank is exploring options for selling part or all of its stake in Arm Holdings Inc., either through a private deal or a public stock listing, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
If it pursues a listing, the chip-design company could go public as soon as next year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. That would accelerate a timeline SoftBank Group Corp. founder Masayoshi Son laid out in 2018, estimating an initial share sale for Arm some time around 2023, a goal repeated in October by Arm Chief Executive Officer Simon Segars.
No decision has been made, and SoftBank could ultimately choose to hang onto the company, which is wholly owned by SoftBank Group and its Vision Fund. Son and his deputies began considering options in part because of the improving market for semiconductor companies, said two of the people. A deal would also fit into SoftBank’s current strategy to unload many of its holdings and boost the stock price through buybacks…
