SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said on Friday the group aims to become the world’s top platform provider for artificial super intelligence within the next decade, signaling a bold new direction for the Japanese tech giant.
Speaking at SoftBank’s annual shareholder meeting, Son described his vision of positioning SoftBank at the centre of the artificial super intelligence (ASI) industry - an era he believes will be dominated by platforms far more powerful than current AI models.
“I want SoftBank to become the organiser of the industry in the ASI era,” Son said, comparing his ambition to the platform dominance of Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.
Son defines ASI as Artificial Intelligence that surpasses human intelligence by a factor of 10,000, and he has resumed aggressive investments to make SoftBank a key player in the space. These moves include the $6.5 billion acquisition of U.S. chip designer Ampere and up to $40 billion in underwritten investment for OpenAI, where SoftBank has already committed $32 billion since autumn 2024.
“I’m all in on OpenAI,” Son said, expressing regret over not investing earlier and suggesting he expects OpenAI to eventually go public.
SoftBank’s renewed risk appetite comes after years of retrenchment following major losses in tech startups through its Vision Fund. The tide turned with the successful 2023 IPO of Arm, boosting SoftBank’s balance sheet and enabling further strategic investments.
Earlier this month, the group also raised $4.8 billion through a partial sale of its stake in T-Mobile, further strengthening its financial position.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
Five years after Evergrande's debt crisis rattled global markets, founder Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life in prison, marking a dramatic new chapter in the downfall of China's former property giant.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
Nvidia is teaming up with some of the biggest names in global finance in a move that underscores how artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the world's most sought-after investment themes.
Parts of Europe and the Arctic will briefly fall into darkness on Wednesday, 12 August, as the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun in a total solar eclipse.
Meta said one of its AI models hacked another company's systems during cybersecurity testing, intensifying concerns about how developers can contain increasingly capable AI systems following similar incidents involving Anthropic and OpenAI.
Scientists say the accidental crash of a discarded SpaceX rocket stage into the moon has provided valuable data on impact cratering while posing no threat to Earth or lunar hardware.
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