SoftBank Group Corp. experienced a nearly 10% surge in its shares after Arm Holdings Plc delivered an unexpectedly bullish earnings forecast.

Arm, known for its chip designs, exceeded analyst estimates as its expansion beyond smartphones contributed to significant growth.

Arm projected revenue for the three months ending in March to range between $850 million and $900 million, far surpassing the average analyst estimate of $778 million.

The UK-based chip designer’s shares soared during after-hours trading, pushing the company’s valuation closer to $100 billion.

Public debut

SoftBank retained a stake of approximately 90% in Arm following its public debut last year.

As a result of Arm’s robust performance, SoftBank’s shares surged by as much as 9.6% in early Tokyo trading.

Prior to this rally, Arm shares had already surged by 40% in the December quarter, likely increasing SoftBank’s net asset value to over ¥18 trillion ($121 billion).

Arm now stands as the largest asset within SoftBank’s portfolio, representing around a third of the total.

Bottom line

Although the increase in Arm’s share price does not directly impact SoftBank’s bottom line, the heightened value of the company may prompt Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s CEO, to consider new asset-backed financing options for additional investments.

SoftBank is set to report earnings for the December quarter later on Thursday.