SoftBank-owned chip tech provider Arm Holdings recently sought to acquire UK-based Alphawave to secure a crucial technology for building its own artificial-intelligence processors, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

British chip designer Arm Holdings explored acquiring semiconductor IP supplier Alphawave, but backed out due to discussions with SoftBank and Qualcomm. Arm expects 50% data center CPU market share by 2025 and has been accused of antitrust violations.

Arm and Qualcomm have both reportedly held discussions with Alphawave about a potential takeover. The two chip giants compete in several key markets, including designing