SoftBank aims to become leading 'artificial super intelligence' platform provider

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son announced the company’s ambition to become the leading platform provider for 'artificial super intelligence' (ASI) within the next decade. Speaking at the annual shareholder meeting, Son emphasized his goal of positioning SoftBank akin to tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, leveraging ASI—a form of AI expected to surpass human intelligence significantly. SoftBank has renewed its aggressive investment strategy, notably acquiring U.S. chip designer Ampere for $6.5 billion and committing up to $40 billion in new investment in OpenAI, with a current total investment of $32 billion since late 2024. Son expressed regret over not investing in OpenAI sooner and affirmed his strong backing of the company, anticipating a future public listing. After previous investment setbacks, particularly through its Vision Fund and WeWork, SoftBank regained momentum with the successful $5 billion IPO of chip designer Arm in 2023. Recent financial moves also include raising $4.8 billion from T-Mobile share sales. Son affirmed that despite market fluctuations, SoftBank remains financially robust and ready to take risks strategically.