Key facts
- SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son plans to continue working into his 70s to pursue artificial superintelligence.
- Son dismissed concerns about an AI bubble, calling them 'blasphemy'.
- He predicted the AI revolution will be 50 times larger than the dot-com boom.
- SoftBank will invest 75 billion euros in France to build an AI data center.
- Arm Holdings is SoftBank's largest holding, representing 50% of net assets, while OpenAI accounts for over 20%.
SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son has stated his intention to continue working into his 70s to pursue his ambitions in artificial superintelligence (ASI). At SoftBank's annual meeting, Son dismissed concerns that the current artificial intelligence sector is experiencing a bubble, calling such opinions 'blasphemy.' He projected that the AI revolution will be significantly larger than the dot-com boom, potentially 50 times greater.
Son's remarks come as SoftBank plans a substantial investment in AI infrastructure, announcing a 75 billion euro commitment to build a 5-gigawatt AI data center in France. He clarified that OpenAI constitutes slightly over 20% of SoftBank's investment portfolio, with the British semiconductor design company Arm Holdings being the largest holding, representing 50% of the company's net assets.
Reflecting on past market events, Son compared the dot-com bubble to a temporary setback, drawing parallels to the long-term growth seen in industries like electronics and automobiles following the 1929 crash. He emphasized that the AI revolution is a fundamental technological advancement on par with the dawn of the internet.