SoftBank is a Japanese investment holding group whose founder, Masayoshi Son, drives its bets on artificial intelligence. Recent coverage includes efforts to raise up to $100 billion from Gulf investors for AI, plans to issue more than $11 billion in junk bonds to fund its OpenAI investment, and Son's selection of sites in Malaysia for $50 billion in technology investments. SoftBank shares also fell amid AI safety warnings and a chip sell-off.
Schmidt frames US-China AI race as empire contestIn Foreign Affairs, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, historian Niall Ferguson and researcher Lisa Klaassen cast the US and China as AI empires with other countries as dependents, arguing funding rather than breakthroughs decides the race. US firms alone plan over $600 billion in 2026 spending, though debt, data-center protests and Taiwan chip risks could stall both powers.
SoftBank's Son plans $50B Malaysia tech investmentMalaysia's prime minister said SoftBank Group's Masayoshi Son has chosen locations in Malaysia for $50 billion in technology investments. The outlay would accelerate his global bet on AI infrastructure; specific project details were not disclosed.
SK Hynix, SoftBank shares plunge as Asian tech stocks track Wall Street chip sell-offAsian tech stocks including SK Hynix and SoftBank fell sharply, tracking a Wall Street chip sell-off. The decline reflects growing investor concerns over the semiconductor sector's outlook.
SoftBank Seeks $100B From Gulf Investors for AISoftBank Group seeks to raise up to $100 billion from Gulf investors to boost its AI bets, the Financial Times reported. Founder Masayoshi Son has held initial talks with investors including in the UAE; the proposed fund would buy companies and use AI and robotics to improve operations.
Why telecom operators build AI strategy on open modelsNVIDIA's latest State of AI in Telecommunications report finds 89% of respondents say open source models and software matter to their AI strategy. Operators value open models for cost, customization, trust, flexible deployment and localized services, with SoftBank building on open models like Nemotron.
SoftBank's Son Issues Rare AI Safety WarningSoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, a fervent AI believer, said he is worried about safety risks as machines rapidly gain more abilities — a rare cautionary note from a major AI investor.
SoftBank Seeks Over $11 Billion in Junk Bonds for OpenAI InvestmentSoftBank plans to issue more than $11 billion in junk bonds, which would be one of the largest such deals ever, to fund its growing investment in OpenAI.
SoftBank Shares Fall 13% on AI Safety AlarmBloomberg reports SoftBank shares fell about 13% after its AI chiefs warned about safety risks, linking the stock move to leadership concerns over AI safety.
The A.I. Daily