SoftBank is reported to have “quietly” built a $4 billion stake in Nvidia, making it the chip company’s fourth largest investor.

When it confirmed details of its $93 billion Venture Fund, SoftBank said the fund would have the right to acquire some of its existing investments, including an unspecified stake in Nvidia. Bloomberg said a holding of 4.9 per cent – just below the amount which would require a US regulatory disclosure – would be worth around $4 billion.

While Nvidia struggled with its efforts in the mobile market in the past, it now finds itself well positioned in markets including artificial intelligence, gaming and self-driving cars.

With SoftBank’s existing ownership of chip technology company ARM, an investment in Nvidia would give the Japanese giant good coverage of the emerging silicon opportunity.