Marvell Surges on SoftBank Takeover Speculation

Marvell Technology (MRVL) stock rose over 9% Thursday morning after Bloomberg reported that SoftBank Group had explored a potential takeover of the U.S. chipmaker earlier this year.

According to sources familiar with the talks, SoftBank’s founder Masayoshi Son has been evaluating Marvell as a potential acquisition target for years, with an eye toward combining it with Arm Holdings (ARM) — the U.K. chip designer it majority owns.

Strategic Fit

Marvell’s expertise lies in integrating chip design elements from companies like Arm into final blueprints used in production — a synergy that could strengthen SoftBank’s AI and semiconductor ambitions.

However, negotiations did not progress, and the two sides are not currently in active discussions, per Bloomberg.

Market and Industry Context

Before Thursday’s rally, Marvell’s stock had declined 18% year-to-date, trailing its semiconductor peers despite strong demand in AI infrastructure and data center connectivity markets.

The speculation underscores renewed M&A interest in the AI chip ecosystem, as tech giants and investors position for dominance in next-generation computing.