SoftBank's €75 Billion French AI Bet and $100 Billion Robot IPO Fuel Historic Market Domination
02.06.2026 - 17:23:43 | boerse-global.de
SoftBank shares surged to an all?time high on Monday, knocking Toyota off a throne it had held for more than 22 years. At ¥8,626, the stock pushed the group’s market capitalisation above ¥48 trillion (around $301 billion) — a milestone that cemented Masayoshi Son’s transformation of a former telecoms group into Japan’s most valuable company.
The catalyst was a twin?barrelled announcement that left little doubt about Son’s conviction. On one side, SoftBank pledged up to €75 billion to build AI data?centre capacity in France — the largest single foreign investment ever made in the country. On the other, the conglomerate confirmed it is exploring an initial public offering for Roze AI, a newly formed robotics company that could command a valuation of $100 billion.
From French Energy to Physical AI
Son has long argued that artificial intelligence will prove “50 times bigger” than the dot?com boom of the late 1990s. The French project gives that belief concrete form. SoftBank plans to develop data centres with a total of five gigawatts of computing power in France, of which the first phase — worth €45 billion — will deliver 3.1 GW across three sites in the Hauts?de?France region: Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain. The facilities are slated to be operational by 2031.
The location choice stems from France’s position as a major producer of low?carbon energy. SoftBank has partnered with Schneider Electric to build a manufacturing centre for prefabricated data?centre modules in Dunkirk. Meanwhile, state?owned utility EDF has selected the Japanese group as the preferred developer for a 400?megawatt campus on the site of a former coal?fired power plant in Bouchain.
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Son’s vision extends beyond infrastructure. He describes “Physical AI” — intelligence that controls robots in factories, data centres and other real?world environments — as the next frontier. The Roze AI IPO is the clearest signal yet that SoftBank intends to be a dominant player. Investment banks including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Mizuho and Morgan Stanley are working on the listing, with some executives eyeing a debut in the second half of 2026. Roze AI is expected to focus on autonomous robots that can accelerate the construction and maintenance of precisely the kind of data centres SoftBank is now building in France.
A Portfolio Built on Two Pillars
SoftBank’s own financial performance has given Son the firepower to pursue these ambitions. For the fiscal year ended March 2026, the group reported a net profit of ¥5,002.271 billion — the highest ever recorded by any Japanese company and roughly four times the prior year’s figure. Revenue rose 7.7 per cent.
The balance sheet, however, remains heavily concentrated. Arm Holdings alone accounts for more than half of SoftBank’s net asset value, while its stake in OpenAI represents just over a fifth. The chip designer’s stock has more than doubled since April 2026, riding the insatiable demand for AI processors. SoftBank has sunk roughly $32.4 billion into OpenAI during the fiscal year, with an additional $30 billion committed. The AI developer is preparing for a potential IPO, possibly as soon as September 2026, at a valuation that could exceed $1 trillion — a move that would directly test the conglomerate’s embedded discount.
That discount, which averaged about 50 per cent over the past five years and widened to 55?60 per cent in early 2025, reflects the market’s scepticism about SoftBank’s holding?company structure. A successful listing for OpenAI could force investors to re?examine that gap.
Corporate Governance in the Spotlight
With the annual general meeting set for 24 June 2026, SoftBank is also refreshing its board. The company is seeking the re?election of seven current directors while adding two new external members. Tetsuji Ohashi, senior adviser at Komatsu, and Miwa Ohmori, an outside director at Mizuho Securities, are the proposed newcomers. Incumbents Masami Iijima and Keiko Erikawa are set to depart.
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The governance changes come as the stock’s recent rally has created a stark contrast with its peers. SoftBank shares have gained more than 90 per cent since the start of the year, while Toyota has lost roughly 10 per cent, weighed down by rising energy costs and the capital?intensive shift to electric vehicles.
Son acknowledges that the surge may bring volatility. Corrections, he argues, are buying opportunities for long?term investors. For now, the market appears willing to bet that his twin bets on French data centres and humanoid robots are the next logical step in an AI revolution he insists is only just beginning.
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