UK government leaning toward blocking NVIDIA's acquisition of Arm

NVIDIA's potential purchase of Arm isn't dead, but it isn't looking great at the moment.

What you need to know

• The UK government reportedly investigated NVIDIA's potential acquisition of Arm Ltd. to assess national security risks the deal could create.
• A final decision regarding the proposed acquisition has not been made, according to a recent report.
• The EU and the Chinese government are also looking into the proposed purchase.

NVIDIA announced that it would acquire Arm Ltd. in September 2020, but the proposed deal hasn't gone smoothly since. Several tech giants have come out against the deal, and multiple regulatory bodies have slowed the process down. Now, a Bloomberg report says that the entire deal could be blocked by the UK government.

An investigation by the UK government reportedly looked into the national security implications of NVIDIAs potential purchase of Arm. A final decision hasn't been made at this time, according to Bloomberg, but the outlook doesn't look promising for NVIDIA. The UK government is said to be leaning toward blocking the deal, though further review is likely.

"We continue to work through the regulatory process with the U.K. government," said an NVIDIA spokesperson to Bloomberg. "We look forward to their questions and expect to resolve any issues they may have."

NVIDIA's potential acquisition of Arm has already run into several roadblocks. China's regulators reportedly haven't even started their formal review of the proposed purchase. Discussions in the EU regarding the deal won't continue until September as NVIDIA reportedly didn't get paperwork submitted in time. Since NVIDIA didn't get the paperwork in on time, Brussel's competition regulators are now on vacation and can't hear the case until later this year.

Deals of this size often have to make their way through regulatory bodies, but an investigation in relation to national security isn't common.

Even if the proposed purchase makes its way through regulatory bodies, it will likely be several months before the deal is finalized.