SoftBank Founder Masayoshi Son Seeks $100 Billion for AI Fund

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has held talks with senior officials in the Gulf region, including the UAE, in recent weeks about raising up to $100 billion for a new fund, according to people familiar with the matter. The fund would acquire companies and use AI and other advanced technologies to improve their operations, with SoftBank's robotics and physical AI business Roze expected to play a key role. The negotiations are not guaranteed to succeed.

The potential fundraising marks one of Son's largest AI-related investment moves to date. It comes as SoftBank faces pressure from OpenAI's delayed IPO plans and concerns over its heavy exposure to AI; its shares have fallen more than 30% from a June 2026 peak.

This would not be Son's first time seeking major Gulf backing. In 2017, Mubadala of the UAE and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund both participated in SoftBank's first $100 billion Vision Fund. Gulf states have increasingly been channeling wealth into AI, with Abu Dhabi emerging as one of the world's largest AI investors through vehicles such as AI-focused fund MGX and AI holding company G42.

Son has invested $65 billion in OpenAI, partly using his stake in chip designer Arm as collateral. In September 2026, SoftBank completed the largest junk bond sale in its history, raising more than $11 billion. SoftBank executives have said short-term valuation swings at portfolio companies will not affect its investment plans, though analysts have warned that a sharp drop in OpenAI's valuation could create ripple effects across SoftBank's AI investments.