Introduction
In bold remarks reflecting a clear forward-looking vision, Masayoshi Son, CEO of global investment group SoftBank, made statements on Monday declaring that the current revolution in artificial intelligence will be 50 times larger than the dot-com bubble, describing it as the greatest technological and cognitive disruption in all of human history. These strong remarks came during an interview conducted by Son with anchor Arjun Kharpal on CNBC in Paris, France, just one day after SoftBank announced its commitment to allocate a massive €75 billion to build advanced AI data center infrastructure in France.
- Massive investments in French infrastructure
- A technological vision surpassing the internet era
- Exploring robotics and physical AI
- Confidence in capital markets and replacing programmers
- FAQs
Massive investments in French infrastructure
This massive financial investment in France represents SoftBank’s largest financial commitment to AI and infrastructure development outside the borders of the United States. This strategic and ambitious project aims to provide a total and generative capacity of up to 5 gigawatts of processing power for data centers in the country. The first phase of the plan includes an initial investment of €45 billion to establish 3.1 gigawatts of operational capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, where modern data centers will be constructed in French cities such as Dunkirk, Bousies, and Bouchain. This strategic project was officially announced during the Choose France summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron to strongly support the local economy.
A technological vision surpassing the internet era
Son placed the present moment in its proper historical context, noting that it represents only the dawn of a deep and radical transformation that will continue for decades to come to change the face of the world. According to a translation of his remarks reported by the Caixin news agency, Son said: “This is the greatest technological and cognitive revolution humanity has ever known, and we are currently at a stage that barely parallels the dawn of the internet age and its early growth stages.” He added with absolute confidence that even if a passing financial bubble or strong correction occurs in global markets, it will never alter the sustainable and long-term growth trajectory of these revolutionary technologies, highlighting his insightful vision for the technological future and its impact on all sectors.
Exploring robotics and physical AI
Moving beyond software alone, Son identified physical AI and the smart robotics sector as a massive upcoming investment opportunity worth $1 trillion. SoftBank is currently working steadily to establish a new, independent company named Rose AI aimed at producing and deploying autonomous robots to help build and maintain massive data centers. This nascent company will integrate vital tech assets including the robotics division of ABB Robotics, which SoftBank previously acquired in a deal valued at $5.4 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported last April that the group is seriously planning to take this company public at a valuation of approximately $100 billion.
Confidence in capital markets and replacing programmers
These successive moves and announcements come amid a significant surge in investor confidence in SoftBank’s strategy, which focuses primarily and centrally on investing in advanced technologies. The group’s shares have hit successive record levels over the past few months, driven by its strategic stakes in Arm Holdings and its pivotal role as a key partner in the Stargate infrastructure project in fruitful collaboration with OpenAI. Son, who became the richest person in Asia thanks to these successful investments, concluded his remarks by revealing the group’s bold future plans to replace human programmers with AI agents operating at an extremely low cost of just $0.23 per month, signaling a radical and irreversible shift in the nature of work.
FAQs
Question: What is the scale of the investment SoftBank intends to pump into France?
Answer: The company intends to invest approximately €75 billion to establish advanced AI data center infrastructure across various French cities.
Question: How does the SoftBank CEO view the importance of the AI revolution compared to the internet?
Answer: He views it as the greatest technological revolution in human history and believes its impact will surpass the internet revolution by about 50 times in the near future.
Question: What future projects is the company focusing on in the field of robotics?
Answer: The company is strongly pursuing the establishment of an independent entity to deploy robots to assist in building data centers, with serious plans to take it public.
