Nvidia to acquire Arm Holdings from SoftBank for USD 40 Billion
Nvidia Corporation, one of the largest GPU and SoC manufacturers in the world, is all set to acquire Arm Holdings, a ARM Processor designer and SoC company, from SoftBank Group for USD 40 Billion. Nvidia will pay SoftBank USD 21.5 Billion in common stock and USD 10 Billion in cash. This will make SoftBank the largest shareholder of Nvidia as well as provide them with some cash for their Vision Fund.
Apple ”Time Flies” Event
The Apple event on September 15 was a mixed bag of surprises with new technologies and products as well as missing announcements. A quick look at the announcements
- Apple Watch 6 with Blood Oxygen level monitor
- Apple Watch SE without Blood Oxygen level monitor or ECG monitor
- Fitness+ and Apple One services
- Upgraded iPad and iPad Air
- A14 Bionic chip based on 5nm process
- iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, tvOS 14 releases
- Missing – No iPhone 12 release, AirTags
Snowflake IPO
Snowflake, a maker of database programs, went public on the New York Stock Exchange on September 16th. The 8-year-old startup more than doubled its valuation on Day 1 – from $33bn to over $70bn, making its IPO the largest ever for a software firm. Even Warren Buffett, who shies away from IPO action, invested USD 735 Million in it and it is now worth USD 1.56 Billion.
TikTok says Yes to Oracle, no to Microsoft
In an attempt to stay alive in the USA, TikTok has accepted Oracle as a “Trusted Technology Partner” instead of the bid to acquire its USA operations from Microsoft. While the discussion was going on for a sale of USA operations from some time, the new deal with Oracle is not a sale and merely seems to be a transfer of data operations.
2020 Ig Nobel Prizes announced
It’s the time of the year – Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced, though virtually this year. The awards highlight the funny side of research and are worth the wait every year. The prize consists of winning a “Ig Nobel Prize” and a 10 Trillion Dollar bill from Zimbabwe. For the full list of winners do check out https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/winners/#ig2020
US Customs and Border Protection seized OnePlus Buds as counterfeit AirPods
In another funny incident, the US CBP seized OnePlus Buds and posted this on Twitter
“THAT’S NOT AN 🍎
— CBP officers at JFK Airport recently seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods from Hong Kong, valued at $398K had they been genuine. Details via
@CBPNewYorkCity
: http://bit.ly/3hivSLT”
While this was funny to begin with, the response from OnePlus was tongue in cheek
“Hey, give those back!”
Smart Consumer Devices announced this week
- Sony Playstation 5
- Realme 7i launched with 64MP camera, 5000mAh battery
- Xiaomi India to launch new Mi Band 5 in India
- Redmi 9i – 64 GB, MediaTek Helio G25 Processor
- Moto E7 Plus – Snapdragon 460
- LG Q31 smartphone with 3000 mAh battery
- Sony Xperia 5 II – Snapdragon 865
- Poco X3 – Snapdragon 732G
- Garmin Forerunner 745 Smartwatch With Up to 7-Day Battery Life, Blood Oxygen Sensor
