Nvidia to put $100m into Cambridge supercomputer amid Arm probe
Nvidia’s chief executive today said the company will spend at least $100m on a supercomputer in Cambridge as it seeks to demonstrate its commitment to the UK.
The US tech firm is in the process of buying UK chipmaker Arm for $40bn, but regulators are currently examining the deal.
Both the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and national security experts are assessing Nvidia’s offer.
It follows a fierce backlash over the takeover of Arm, with critics including Google and Microsoft pointing to potential competition concerns.
In October Nvidia said it would build the supercomputer in Cambridge. At the time, it said it would put $55m into the project.
But at today’s conference, chief executive Jensen Huang said Nvidia will spend “$100m, just as a starting point” on the Cambridge-1 supercomputer.
“I mean, it’s a big investment. It is the most powerful supercomputer in the U.K., and researchers are super excited about it”, he added.
The proposed deal has sparked fears that Nvidia could block its rivals’ access to Arm’s intellectual property.
Nvidia has said it will retain Arm’s neutral licensing model and has pledged to keep the company headquartered in the UK. But Arm co-founder Hermann Hauser described it as a “disaster” for the UK.
Aside from competition concerns, opponents of the deal have raised concerns about the sale of British tech assets to foreign buyers.