ARM to be bought by Japan's Softbank

There's another massive take-over in technology land. It appears ARM has been purchased by softbank. UK technology firm ARM Holdings is to be bought by Japan's Softbank for $32bn it confirmed on Monday.

The board of ARM is expected to recommend shareholders accept the offer - which is around a 43% premium on its closing market value of £16.8bn on Friday.

The Cambridge-based firm designs microchips used in most smartphones, including Apple's and Samsung's. ARM, which was founded in 1990, employs more than 3,000 people. Shares in the UK technology firm surged by 45% at the open of the London Stock Exchange to 1,742.85p per share, adding £7.56bn to ARM's market value. ARM said it would keep its headquarters in Cambridge and that it would at least double the number of its staff over the next five years.

Softbank is one of the world's biggest technology companies and is run by its founder, Japanese entrepreneur Masayoshi Son.

It has previously acquired Vodafone's Japanese operations and the US telecoms company Sprint. The $20bn deal was the biggest foreign acquisition by a Japanese firm at the time. The new deal will be funded by Softbank's own cash reserves and a long term loan from Japan's Mizuho Bank.

It's hard to exaggerate just how important ARM is to the UK tech sector - and the shock many are feeling this morning at the news that it is about to lose its independence.