SoftBank Aims to Raise Up to $100 Billion from Gulf Investors for AI and Robotics Expansion
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SoftBank Group is pursuing up to $100 billion from Gulf investors to enhance its artificial intelligence investments, as reported by the Financial Times. Founder Masayoshi Son has initiated discussions with potential backers, particularly from the United Arab Emirates, to establish a fund aimed at acquiring companies and leveraging AI and robotics technology, including that from SoftBank's robotics division, Roze.
This initiative is significant as it builds on SoftBank's substantial AI investments, which already include nearly $65 billion in OpenAI. The company is currently facing increased borrowing costs and challenges related to OpenAI's delayed IPO and its search for an additional $30 billion at a valuation of approximately $1.4 trillion. Concerns over OpenAI's revenue growth have also impacted SoftBank's stock, which saw a decline of up to 7.3% in Tokyo.
Looking ahead, SoftBank plans to list Roze in the U.S. and is preparing for a Nasdaq listing for its unit SB Energy, which is developing an 8.8-gigawatt data center in Ohio. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
SoftBank Seeks Up to $100B From Gulf Investors to Expand AI and Robotics Bets
AIInsider · James DarganThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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