Softbank is to acquire ARM, a deal which breaks all kinds of records – the biggest ever acquisition of a European hi-tech business; the biggest ever Asian investment in the UK; the biggest shock to the mobile status quo since the iPhone launch. The motivations for Softbank to pay £24.3bn ($32.17bn) for the UK processor IP provider are clear, though beset with risk and uncertainty. The Japanese MNO and internet operator needs to diversify rapidly from the dying mobile data model. Thanks to about 140 acquisitions and investments, mainly web-related, in the past decade, the firm has many weapons in place for a major acceleration of its internet and IoT services activities, and a bid to take this global. Investments…