SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son set for ‘next big move’: report

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SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son appears to be ready for his next big moves, Bloomberg reported, signaling a potential rebound for the firm following recent setbacks.

“We need to look for our next big move, without fear of whether it’ll be a hit or miss,” Son reportedly told SoftBank shareholders at an annual meeting. “SoftBank Group’s dynamism arises from looking for new seeds of evolution, especially abroad.”

SoftBank has made AI a bigger focus of late. Son said that the company is aiming to boost its renewable energy ventures to power its AI initiatives, especially in the US.

Previously, it was reportedly exploring the acquisition of British semiconductor startup Graphcore Ltd, while considering raising US$100 billion for an AI chip venture that could rival US-based Nvidia.

Despite a recent string of unsuccessful startup investments, SoftBank appears to be on the path to recovery. The firm had a profitable second quarter, and as of March, it held US$39.2 billion in cash reserves.

A big part of its plans is SoftBank-owned chip designer Arm Holdings, which recorded US$2.1 billion in net sales for the nine months ending December 2023. The UK-based firm is expected to launch its first AI chips in 2025.

Earlier this year, SoftBank was reportedly eyeing [US$150 million worth of investments](https://www.techinasia.com/softbank-eyes-on-indias-ai-goldmine) in Indian data centers and industrial robotics as part of its wider bet on AI-related infrastructure.

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