Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware is now complete. The company confirmed the move in a press release on November 22nd. Chinese authorities had earlier revealed the conditions under which they would approve the deal worth $61 billion.
Initially, Broadcom hoped to secure the incorporation of VMware much earlier, but regulators in America and Europe had reservations. Approval came from that quarter after lengthy negotiations, with Broadcom promising that VMware services would remain interoperable with competing products.
China’s resistance possibly part of geopolitical strategy
As a final obstacle, China’s regulator stood firm, which meant the previously set closing date of Oct. 30 passed without confirmation of the deal. On Nov. 26, the agreement for the acquisition is set to expire.
The resistance from Beijing was possibly explained by geopolitical relations with America, which has imposed export restrictions against China for AI hardware and chip machines, among other things. Effectively, Chinese regulators would have been able to scupper the VMware acquisition, given the investment that the company has in that market.
Under caveat
Broadcom is thus finally able to confirm the deal. Chinese authorities are said to have made clear the conditions under which the acquisition will be allowed, which focus on the interoperability of VMware software with local hardware.
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