Japanese investment firm SoftBank is considering investing over $1 trillion to create industrial parks for artificial intelligence (AI) across the United States, according to a Nikkei report.
SoftBank founder and CEO, Masayoshi Son is expected to visit the U.S. soon to discuss his vision for the parks that would likely feature autonomous AI-operated robots, helping solve labor shortages.
According to the report, the Japanese investment firm believes AI robots will help maintain American manufacturing competitiveness as the U.S. workforce growth slows. The factories may use humanoid robots from companies like NVIDIA and Agile Robots.
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This commitment exceeds the $500 billion AI infrastructure investment announced by Son in January, alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison for the Stargate Project. Back then, they revealed they would immediately invest $100 billion, with the goal of expanding the total investment to at least $500 billion for data centers and physical campuses.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk had previously questioned SoftBank’s capability, saying they “didn’t actually have the money.” However, Son addressed those concerns, saying “We are not the bank; we are SoftBank. I have no doubt we will make it happen.”
Son also expressed strong confidence in the U.S. economy, citing deregulation under President Donald Trump as a key factor in SoftBank’s investments. SoftBank has shown a keen interest in investing in AI, having previously invested $25 million in OpenAI and partnered with the AI research firm on Cristal Intelligence. SoftBank has also funded other growing American AI startups like robotics firm Skild AI.
READ: Softbank to invest $500 million in robotics startup Skild AI (January 29, 2025)
While this comes as a positive move for SoftBank and Trump’s America, it also brings to question if SoftBank can shoulder the investment. High-profile setbacks, such as the substantial losses from WeWork, have cast a spotlight on the firm’s aggressive investment strategies. In 2016, SoftBank invested $4.4 billion in WeWork, contributing to a peak valuation of $47 billion before the company’s failed IPO and subsequent devaluation to $5 billion.
Despite these hurdles, SoftBank continues to pursue substantial U.S. investments, including a $6.5 billion acquisition of Ampere, aligning with its focus on artificial intelligence and technology sectors.