 Graphcore was once seen as a potential UK rival but has struggled to maintain its value in the last couple of years. Its boss Nigel Toon is upbeat about the deal with SoftBank. He told me it would inject much needed investment into both the company and the UK as a whole as Graphcore will remain headquartered in Bristol with him in charge. But the sale is yet another example of a once promising British tech firm being consumed by a larger international company with deep pockets.