SoftBank’s Ampere Deal Faces In-Depth US Probe in Threat to AI Ambitions

SoftBank Group Corp.’s $6.5 billion acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing LLC is facing a potentially lengthy probe by the US government.

The Federal Trade Commission, one of two regulators charged with reviewing deals, has opened an in-depth investigation of the takeover, known formally as a second request for information about the transaction, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because it isn’t public yet.