Masayoshi Son signals succession plan, outlines bold AI vision and US chip ambitions: Report
Tokyo: SoftBank Group founder and CEO Masayoshi Son has said he wants to see someone from the technology and telecom sector helm the group, revealing his vision of tech-driven progress to investors, Bloomberg reported.
His declaration addressed the single biggest concern among investors and business partners, said the report, adding that SoftBank’s capacity to fund its ambitious investments partly depends on strong backing from Japanese retail investors, who have historically been eager to buy the tech giant’s bonds.
“I’m mentally prepared for anything, and am ready to hand over the reins at any time,” he said during a general shareholders’ meeting in Tokyo on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The 67-year-old said he has several candidates in mind but didn’t want to make any announcement until the last minute for fear of making his successor arrogant. “It’s a delicate balance.”
Son said he has now secured crucial AI chip architecture as part of his broader vision to make SoftBank the leading platform in a future where artificial intelligence surpasses human capabilities.
“We want to become the world’s top platformer for ASI,” he said, describing it as a winner-takes-all space.
SoftBank, which owns chip designer Arm Holdings Plc, also plans to invest up to $30 billion in ChatGPT creator OpenAI. “These are indispensable for ASI,” he added, noting that the company has acquired Graphcore Ltd. and is pursuing a deal to buy Ampere Computing LLC. “I’m all-in,” he said.
According to the Bloomberg report, Son plans to set up a large manufacturing hub in Arizona similar to China’s Shenzhen and make US a hub of high-tech manufacturing once again.
As part of the plan, he is collaborating with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has a manufacturing unit in the state and is set to invest a total of $165 billion in the US.
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