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.
Russian drone strikes hit civilian sites across several Ukrainian regions overnight and on Sunday, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than a doz...
A freight train carrying with Russian grain has departed from Bilajari station in Azerbaijan, heading to Armenia via transit routes through Georgia....
Dmitry Medvedev said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as h...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement ...
Israel has reopened Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt in what Israeli media described as a “pilot operation,” marking the first opening of...
Russian drone strikes hit civilian sites across several Ukrainian regions overnight and on Sunday, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than a dozen injured, Ukrainian officials said.
A freight train carrying with Russian grain has departed from Bilajari station in Azerbaijan, heading to Armenia via transit routes through Georgia.
Dmitry Medvedev said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
Catherine O’Hara, the celebrated Canadian actress and comedy legend, has died at the age of 71, her publicist confirmed on Friday. She passed away at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
Newly released Epstein files name French President Emmanuel Macron among figures referenced in millions of disclosed documents.
The United Nations faces the risk of “imminent financial collapse” because of unpaid contributions, including substantial arrears from the United States, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
Vladimir Putin said Russia earned more than $15 billion from defence exports in 2025 and fulfilled all military-technical contracts despite what he described as growing pressure from Western countries.
Explosions shook parts of southern Lebanon on Friday night as Israeli strikes rippled across the Zahrani district, with the blasts travelling toward the coastal city of Sidon.
Fresh observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal a massive galaxy cluster forming far sooner after the Big Bang than scientists once thought possible.
The landscape was full of giants, but the “perfect snack” 150 million years ago came from the smallest steps on the ground.
China has approved the first batch of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips after Washington allowed limited sales, paving the way for major Chinese technology companies to gain access to processors that remain far ahead of domestic alternatives.
TikTok has reached a confidential settlement in a landmark lawsuit over youth mental health, leaving Meta and YouTube to face a jury in California as the first major trial of its kind gets underway.
China has successfully completed its first metal 3D printing experiment in space, marking a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to develop in-orbit manufacturing capabilities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment