Fortunes have turned for chip designer Arm. Last year, a glut of chips and falling demand for electronics presented a bleak outlook. Now, interest in the chip sector is at a record high thanks to the boom in artificial intelligence. The sooner the SoftBank-owned company lists, the better chance it has to hit a high valuation.
The need for more computing power, and more chips, is growing as companies bet on generative AI applications. This has pushed chipmaker Nvidia to an enterprise value above $1tn. For Arm, an enterprise value to sales multiple in line with Nvidia’s could mean a valuation of $67bn.
But Nvidia chips are crucial to power AI development and there are few alternatives to its high-end products. The same cannot be said for Arm. A broader, average industry earnings multiple would put Arm’s enterprise value closer to $32bn. However, Nvidia’s attempted acquisition and possible role as anchor investor in an initial public offering should lift this.