Broadcom in Talks to Acquire Cloud Company VMware

Broadcom Inc. is in talks to acquire VMware Inc., the cloud-computing company backed by billionaire Michael Dell, according to people familiar with the matter, setting up a blockbuster tech deal that would vault the chipmaker into a highly specialized area of software.

The discussions are ongoing and there’s no guarantee they will lead to a purchase, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. VMware currently has a market valuation of about $40 billion. Assuming a typical premium, the potential deal price would be higher, though the terms under consideration couldn’t be learned.

Shares in VMware rose 15% in premarket trading on Monday, which would give the company a market value of about $46 billion. Broadcom, which has a valuation of about $222 billion, fell 2.4%.

The transaction would extend a run of acquisitions for Broadcom Chief Executive Officer Hock Tan, who has built one of the largest and most diversified companies in the chip industry. Software has been a key focus in recent years, with Broadcom buying CA Technologies in 2018 and Symantec Corp.’s enterprise security business in 2019.

A representative for VMware declined to comment. A representative for Broadcom wasn’t available for comment.

“Investors have been increasingly focused on Broadcom’s appetite for another strategic or platform enterprise software acquisition—especially given the recent compression in software valuation, “ Wells Fargo analysts wrote after Bloomberg News’s report. “An acquisition of VMware would be considered as making strategic sense; consistent with Broadcom’s focus on building out a deepening enterprise infrastructure software strategy.”

Broadcom makes a wide range of electronics, with its products going into everything from the iPhone to industrial equipment. But data centers have become a critical source of growth, and bulking up on software gives the company more ways to target that market.

Broadcom was previously in talks to acquire SAS Institute Inc., a closely held software company valued at $15 billion to $20 billion. But those discussions ended last year without a deal.