Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the media reported that SoftBank Group plans to establish and list an independent AI robot and data center company called Roze in the United States. According to reports, the Japanese investment company plans to take Roze public as soon as this year, with a target valuation of US$100 billion. Founder Masayoshi Son is pushing the plan.
Son’s proposed spin-off plan would meet growing concerns that Meta Platforms Inc. Can the global data center construction boom led by companies such as Amazon and Amazon continue? SoftBank is not only betting heavily on OpenAI, but is also trying to build Arm Holdings Plc into a potential competitor to Nvidia.
SoftBank's debt is growing as Son seeks to establish himself at the center of the global AI boom. Previously, the company had invested more than US$30 billion in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, and recently added an additional US$30 billion. Last month, SoftBank signed a $40 billion loan agreement, part of which will be used for recent additional investments.
A SoftBank representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
