On October 9th, reports surfaced indicating that Graphcore, the British chip - design firm under SoftBank Group, is set to invest £1 billion (around US$1.3 billion) in India. The purpose of this substantial investment is to establish a brand - new research and development center.

According to well - informed sources, the official announcement of this investment is likely to be made during British Prime Minister Starmer's upcoming visit to India, where he will be accompanied by a delegation. Graphcore, with its headquarters in Bristol, has chosen Bangalore as the location for its new R&D facilities. Over the next five years, the company aims to recruit approximately 500 employees for this center.

Graphcore was once regarded as a potential rival to NVIDIA, as it focused on designing chips specifically for artificial intelligence services. Back in 2020, this startup reached a valuation of US$2.8 billion. However, its journey towards commercialization has been sluggish. In 2024, SoftBank stepped in and acquired the company, though the exact amount of the acquisition remains undisclosed.