Introduction
In forward-looking statements that clearly reflect the scale of the fundamental and historical transformations currently witnessed by the global economy, Masayoshi Son, a prominent investor and founder of the tech giant SoftBank Group, announced a comprehensive and bold vision for the future of technology and energy. He stated unequivocally that nuclear fusion technology represents the most realistic and practical long-term future solution to power massive artificial intelligence data centers and meet their growing and accelerating needs. As part of this broad vision, Son projected that the artificial intelligence sector will require massive and unprecedented annual infrastructure investments valued at $5 trillion USD by 2040. These significant projections come at a time when major global technology companies are racing and fiercely competing to secure sustainable, reliable, and clean energy sources capable of supporting the next generation of large language models and advanced computing systems that consume astronomical amounts of electricity around the clock.
- A future vision for limitless energy
- Backing words with billions of dollars in investments
- Nuclear fusion promises and technical challenges
- Frequently asked questions
A future vision for limitless energy
During his speech at a prominent tech and economic conference that spanned July 13 and 14, Son presented staggering numerical projections to the audience, noting with confidence that AI data centers worldwide will need a power generation capacity of up to 3 terawatts by 2040. To illustrate the magnitude of this massive figure, Reuters reported that this required amount is equivalent to 1.8 times the total current electricity generation capacity available worldwide combined. While Son transparently acknowledged that natural gas and fossil fuels will provide the bulk of data centers’ immediate energy needs in the present and near future to maintain business continuity, he firmly and persistently emphasized that nuclear fusion technology will ultimately provide the most realistic and sustainable path to meet AI’s massive and escalating demand for electricity without causing environmental destruction or increasing harmful carbon emissions.
Son also decisively and firmly rejected any discussions, rumors, or financial speculations suggesting the existence of a bubble in the current AI sector, arguing and defending instead that the economic returns, benefits, and revenues generated from the use and application of artificial intelligence could reach a staggering 20 percent of global gross domestic product by 2040. In a clear and tangible indication of his major investment group’s commitment to this technological path, SoftBank Group’s cumulative investments in the leading company OpenAI are scheduled and planned to exceed the $60 billion USD mark before the end of 2026.
Backing words with billions of dollars in investments
Son’s comments supporting nuclear fusion and the energy future come amid a historic and unprecedented spending wave on AI infrastructure and advanced computing. Last March, SoftBank Group announced massive strategic plans to build a giant gas-powered power plant in Ohio, USA, with a production capacity of up to 9.2 gigawatts and a total financial cost reaching $33.3 billion USD. This massive project was expressly and fundamentally designed to power and supply energy-hungry AI data centers in that strategic region. This ambitious project is an integral part of a broader and more comprehensive $550 billion USD Japanese investment commitment in the United States, reinforcing the economic and technological alliance between the two friendly nations.
In a parallel and smart investment move across the Atlantic, Son pledged last June to inject massive investments reaching 75 billion euros to build and develop dedicated AI data center capacity totaling 3.1 gigawatts in the French Republic, representing the group’s largest direct commitment and investment in AI infrastructure on the European continent to date. French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasized on several political occasions that his country’s already existing strong nuclear energy base constitutes a primary and essential attraction factor to draw such massive technological investments that require stable supplies of clean energy.
Nuclear fusion promises and technical challenges
Humanity has long pursued the dream of nuclear fusion—the same complex and stunning physical process that powers the sun and stars—as a reliable and nearly infinite source of clean and safe energy. Unlike traditional nuclear fission currently used in many reactors, the fusion process does not produce long-lived radioactive waste that poses environmental and health risks, nor does it carry any risks of catastrophic nuclear meltdown feared by communities. However, it must be objectively noted that up to this moment, no experimental fusion reactor has achieved a net, sustainable production of energy at a commercially viable scale suitable for daily use, and most reliable scientific forecasts place the creation and development of commercially viable fusion power plants at least a decade away from today.
Despite all these obstacles, Son’s endorsement and public, explicit support reflect a growing momentum in this vital sector, as innovative startups have begun attracting billions of dollars in private venture capital, and companies like General Fusion are signing strategic agreements to deploy commercial reactors in Europe. The scale of AI’s vast appetite for energy consumption, which Son described as soon surpassing the entire world’s current generation capacity, adds mounting urgency and absolute necessity to the ongoing search for new energy sources beyond fossil fuels and conventional nuclear fission technologies.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What projections did Masayoshi Son announce regarding AI investments?
Answer: He projected that the sector will require massive infrastructure investments valued at $5 trillion annually by 2040 to keep pace with rapid technological development.
Question: What technology does Son consider the ideal solution to meet energy demand?
Answer: He considered nuclear fusion technology to be the most sustainable and realistic future solution to provide clean and unlimited energy for AI data centers.
Question: Does the SoftBank founder view the AI revolution as merely a financial bubble?
Answer: No, he completely rejected the idea, pointing out that AI revenues could make up 20 percent of global gross domestic product by 2040.
Question: What are the most prominent projects announced by SoftBank to support AI infrastructure?
Answer: The group announced the construction of a massive gas power plant in Ohio costing over $33 billion, in addition to major investments in France to build data centers.
