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SoftBank’s Son says AI will need $5 trillion a year
Masayoshi Son says AI infrastructure will require about $5 trillion annually worldwide, dismissing bubble fears as “stupid.”
Image: iXBT
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son says worries that artificial intelligence is a bubble are misplaced — and that the buildout behind it will demand about $5 trillion in annual global investment.
Speaking to executives at the company’s annual event in Tokyo on July 16, 2026, Son dismissed doubts about AI as outdated, comparing them to questioning the usefulness of cars or airplanes.
“Asking whether AI is a bubble is stupid. AI will completely change our lives, and it will do so in a way that generates profit.”
He added:
“Those who refuse to develop are closing off their world. Those who condemn AI themselves spew evil.”
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Recent market jitters have centered on whether soaring valuations for companies such as Nvidia and huge spending on data centers will ultimately deliver the returns investors expect from AI. Son argued the opposite: the expansion is only beginning.
According to his estimate, the world will need roughly $5 trillion every year to expand data centers, increase computer chip production, and provide the energy systems and other infrastructure needed for AI.
Son, who founded SoftBank more than 40 years ago and has long been one of Japan’s best-known technology investors, said he expects AI-related industries to reshape the global economy.
“By 2040, about 20% of global GDP will be replaced by industries related to artificial intelligence, the world of superintelligence.”
The tech giant has invested $34.6 billion in OpenAI. Last year, SoftBank sold its stake in Nvidia to free up cash for further investments in AI and data centers. The company also recently launched a battery business in Japan aimed at building next-generation power infrastructure as electricity demand rises with AI use.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via iXBT
