Billionaire Masayoshi Son isn’t just chasing AI—he’s betting SoftBank’s future on creating artificial superintelligence within the next decade. From billion-dollar chip deals to strategic AI investments, Son’s plan is to own the infrastructure of the most powerful technology humanity has ever imagined.
Key Takeaways
- Masayoshi Son aims to create artificial superintelligence (ASI) within 10 years.
- SoftBank is investing across the AI stack—chips, infrastructure, and applications.
- Recent moves include a $6.5B chip company acquisition and partnerships with OpenAI.
- Son believes building ASI is his life’s purpose, despite past financial setbacks.
Masayoshi Son has never been one to dream small. Now, the billionaire founder of SoftBank is chasing what could be his most audacious vision yet—building artificial superintelligence (ASI), a form of AI he claims could be “10,000 times smarter than humans.”
For Son, the clock is ticking. Speaking to investors and colleagues, he’s framed ASI not just as a technological milestone, but as his personal destiny. “SoftBank was founded for what purpose? For what purpose was Masa Son born? I think I was born to realize ASI,” he said last year.
A Decade to Change Everything
The goal is clear: within the next decade, SoftBank aims to be at the heart of an AI revolution that could eclipse the internet and smartphones in impact. This is far from Son’s first high-stakes gamble. Two decades ago, his $20 million bet on Alibaba became one of the most profitable tech investments in history, earning SoftBank billions.
This time, though, the stakes are bigger and the competition fiercer.
Over the past two years, SoftBank has aggressively bought and invested in companies covering the full AI spectrum—semiconductors, infrastructure, enterprise applications, and consumer-facing software. The company wants to own the foundation of the ASI era before it arrives.
Strategic Strikes Across the AI Landscape
Recent moves have been eye-catching:
- In March 2025, SoftBank announced a $6.5 billion deal to acquire Ampere Computing, a specialist in Arm-based server chips that power next-gen AI data centers.
- The company is working with OpenAI to develop enterprise-grade AI solutions.
- It has joined “Stargate,” a $500 billion private AI investment project tied to U.S. political and corporate heavyweights.
SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 has also backed Perplexity AI, a fast-growing U.S. search startup, contributing to a $250 million funding round.
Neil Shah, co-founder at Counterpoint Research, says Son’s strategy is “comprehensive,” integrating everything from semiconductors to robotics, healthcare, education, and autonomous systems—an entire AI ecosystem designed for long-term dominance.
A History in Chips
SoftBank’s push into AI isn’t coming from scratch. In 2016, it bought British chip designer Arm for $32 billion and later took it public. Arm’s designs power nearly every smartphone and are now central to AI computing, including systems built by Nvidia. Arm’s market cap has since ballooned to over $145 billion.
By controlling parts of the semiconductor pipeline, SoftBank is positioning itself to profit from every stage of the AI boom.
Setbacks, but No Slowdown
This aggressive expansion comes despite turbulence. Six months ago, SoftBank posted a $2.4 billion loss in a single quarter, driven by falling Vision Fund valuations. For most executives, that might trigger caution. For Son, it seems to have done the opposite.
His career is marked by high-risk bets: Uber, WeWork, Boston Dynamics, Paytm, OYO, and countless others. Some have failed spectacularly, others have redefined industries. ASI, Son believes, will be his most important—and perhaps final—moonshot.
Why It Matters
If Son is right, ASI will transform not just industries, but human civilization itself. And if SoftBank owns the building blocks of that future, it could stand as one of the most influential companies in history.
The big question: can he pull it off in time?