SoftBank's Son Pitches $100 Billion Gulf Fund to Retrofit Companies With AI
Masayoshi Son is seeking capital from Middle Eastern investors to acquire established businesses and deploy artificial intelligence and robotics to enhance their operations, marking a shift from the firm's traditional technology-focused investment strategy.
The founder of SoftBank is in talks with Gulf-region investors about raising as much as $100 billion for a new investment vehicle, according to reporting by the Financial Times. The proposed fund would differ markedly from SoftBank's historical approach by targeting mature, non-technology companies for acquisition and then applying artificial intelligence and robotics to modernize their business processes and boost valuations.
Masayoshi Son has been reaching out to prominent investors across the Middle East, including key decision-makers in the United Arab Emirates, to secure backing for the initiative. The strategy centers on identifying businesses that have not yet integrated AI or robotic systems but stand to gain substantial competitive advantages through such upgrades.
The move arrives as SoftBank navigates heightened scrutiny around its $65 billion stake in OpenAI and postponement of a planned initial public offering. This new fund structure represents a departure from the company's conventional model of financing technology startups, instead positioning AI and robotics as tools for operational transformation across legacy industries.