SoftBank is signaling a renewed ambition and financial readiness to capitalize on the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Recent moves and statements from the company leadership suggest a strategic shift towards dominating the AI infrastructure and related sectors, with a clear message: "If you have a deal, we have the money".
Founded in 1981, SoftBank has evolved from a software distributor into a major technology investor with a global market position. The company's focus is now heavily centered around an AI-centric growth strategy, with aspirations of achieving 'artificial super intelligence'. This ambitious goal dictates its future plans, involving significant expansion and strategic financial planning.
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's founder, has a history of pitching grand visions. His latest idea involves converting large swaths of U.S. federal land into a nationwide network of industrial parks designed to support the AI boom. These parks could potentially produce everything from fiber and servers to advanced silicon, aiming to push the U.S. ahead in the competitive AI race. This initiative involves reimagining a previous mega-city concept, evolving into building massive facilities across various states, backed by a new Japan-U.S. investment pipeline worth hundreds of billions.
SoftBank's strategy appears to revolve around a three-part plan to build the entire artificial superintelligence (ASI) stack from the ground up. This includes: writing the largest AI checks ever proposed, developing the physical infrastructure for AI, and tightening SoftBank's grip on the chipmaking stack. The company has agreed to a significant follow-on funding for OpenAI, and is a co-founder of the Stargate project with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, planning to invest $500 billion in U.S. data centers by 2029. Furthermore, SoftBank owns a significant stake in Arm and has acquired Ampere Computing, targeting AI and cloud workloads with Arm-based processors.
SoftBank's Vision Fund is a key component of its investment strategy, focusing on transformative technologies like AI. The fund is making significant moves in the AI sector, including potential investments in leading AI companies. In line with this, SoftBank has been actively investing in AI-related companies. In June 2024, it invested in Perplexity AI, an AI search startup. In March 2025, SoftBank acquired Ampere Computing. In December 2025, SoftBank and Nvidia are in advanced talks to invest in Skild AI, a robotics startup developing foundational AI models.
To support its AI ambitions, SoftBank is also focusing on securing the necessary infrastructure. In January 2025, it launched the Stargate Project in collaboration with Oracle, MGX, and OpenAI, aiming to build AI infrastructure in the U.S. SoftBank is also reportedly in discussions to acquire DigitalBridge, a digital infrastructure asset manager, to capitalize on the AI-driven boom in digital infrastructure. This acquisition would grant SoftBank control over a significant amount of assets under management, centered on the digital infrastructure powering AI.
SoftBank's commitment to AI extends beyond infrastructure and investments. The company is also focused on developing its own AI capabilities. SoftBank is leveraging its expertise in data centers, telecommunication networks, and AI development to build a "Next-generation Social Infrastructure". The company has completed Sarashina, a foundation model with 460 billion parameters, and is working towards commercialization.
Despite these ambitious plans, SoftBank faces challenges. Delays in the Stargate project and a stalled OpenAI joint venture in Japan highlight the difficulties of scaling such initiatives. However, SoftBank maintains a "very safe level" of cash reserves, providing a buffer against short-term setbacks.
In conclusion, SoftBank, under the leadership of Masayoshi Son, is making a bold move to become a dominant player in the AI era. The company is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, key AI companies, and its own AI capabilities. While challenges remain, SoftBank's financial readiness and strategic focus on AI suggest a significant shift in the company's direction, with the potential to shape the future of the technology landscape.
