SoftBank will reportedly invest nearly $1 billion in AI push, tapping Nvidia's chips

SoftBank plans to invest $960 million to enhance its computing facilities for the development of generative AI. The company aims to create a world-class Japanese-language-specific generative intelligence model. SoftBank will purchase advanced graphics processing units from a US chip company for training large language models (LLM) such as OpenAI’s Chat GPT. This investment, the largest of its kind by any Japanese company, will strengthen SoftBank’s computing capabilities and position Japan as a strong player in the generative AI space. The increased interest in AI has prompted companies like Microsoft and NTT to invest in cloud computing and AI infrastructure. Japan’s AI market is expected to reach $13 billion by 2030. SoftBank’s focus on AI has positively affected its stock price.