SoftBank eyes $100bn valuation for new AI robotics spinoff in US IPO push

SoftBank Group is reportedly moving ahead with plans to create a separate artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics company as founder Masayoshi Son intensifies his push to dominate the next phase of AI infrastructure.

According to multiple reports, the Japanese tech conglomerate wants to launch a new US-listed entity called Roze, focused on building data centres and deploying robotics to make AI infrastructure construction faster and more efficient. 

Executives are said to be targeting a valuation of roughly $100 billion, with an initial public offering potentially arriving as early as this year.

The ambitious move comes as SoftBank pours tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence ventures worldwide, including major commitments tied to OpenAI and America’s expanding AI server buildout. 

Roze is expected to combine several existing SoftBank assets linked to land, energy and automation, while also leveraging the group’s growing robotics portfolio.

Industry watchers say the planned spinout reflects Son’s belief that the AI race will be won not only by software models, but by whoever controls the physical backbone powering them.

Still, some SoftBank insiders reportedly view the proposed timeline and valuation as highly aggressive given current market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty.

If successful, Roze would become one of the biggest AI-focused flotations in recent years and another bold chapter in SoftBank’s increasingly high-stakes bet on the future of machine intelligence.