According to informed sources, SoftBank Group Corp is planning to establish and list an independent artificial intelligence robotics and data center company named Roze in the United States. This move signals that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is accelerating the integration of his extensive AI portfolio, aiming to transform the group's land resources, power infrastructure, and cutting-edge robotics technology into more liquid, high-quality assets through capital market operations. The Japanese investment giant targets listing Roze within the year, with an ambitious valuation goal of $100 billion.

Strategically, the creation of Roze represents more than a simple business spin-off; it is a deep consolidation of SoftBank's AI physical infrastructure. Through this new platform, Son intends to "bundle" the disparate investments SoftBank has made in recent years across AI hardware, energy supply, and automation into a complete, closed-loop AI ecosystem. To support this aggressive expansion plan, SoftBank has invested hundreds of billions of dollars over the past year. This includes completing an equity investment of approximately $41 billion in OpenAI and spending heavily to acquire the robotics business from ABB, attempting to build a comprehensive advantage spanning from underlying computing power to end-user applications in the global AI race.

However, Son's proposed separation plan will face scrutiny regarding the sustainability of global data center construction—a historic expansion led by companies like Meta and Amazon that is raising increasing concerns. SoftBank has placed a particularly large bet on OpenAI while simultaneously attempting to position Arm Holdings as a potential competitor to Nvidia.

Financially, SoftBank is adopting a highly aggressive leverage strategy to fund Roze's incubation and IPO process. Given the enormous capital expenditure required in the AI sector, SoftBank recently raised approximately $10 billion in margin loans by pledging its shares in OpenAI. This financing method not only reflects SoftBank's confidence in the valuation of its core holdings but also reveals the pressure it faces to recoup funds and achieve profit growth through Roze's IPO.

Market observers believe Roze's path to listing will mirror the successful experience with Arm, where SoftBank retains a majority stake to maintain control while utilizing public market valuations to unlock the potential value of its overall investment portfolio. This move also reflects the current fervent global capital market demand for "physical AI" infrastructure. As large AI models consume computing power and energy at an exponential rate, the data center and energy management businesses encompassed by Roze are positioned at the forefront of this trend. Concurrently, the U.S. public market in 2026 is expected to welcome several hard-tech giants, including SpaceX and Anthropic; Roze's entry will undoubtedly further intensify financing heat in the AI sector.

For SoftBank, Roze represents not just a new valuation growth driver but a critical piece in its transformation into a pure-play AI investment platform and in balancing its massive upfront cash outlays. It is understood that due to uncertainties stemming from conflict in the Middle East, there is internal skepticism within SoftBank regarding Roze's valuation and IPO timeline. Details, including the proposed proportion of equity to be offered, have not yet been finalized.

Despite this, SoftBank has continued to ramp up its investments in artificial intelligence in recent months. Specific actions include the $3 billion acquisition of private equity firm DigitalBridge Group, which owns digital infrastructure assets such as AtlasEdge, DataBank, Switch, and Vantage Data Centers. The group had previously acquired U.S. chip design company Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion and purchased ABB's robotics unit for $5.4 billion. SoftBank had previously committed to jointly promoting the $500 billion Stargate project with OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi's MGX, aimed at building data centers in the United States. Additionally, the group had separately sought to acquire data center operator Switch for approximately $50 billion, but related negotiations were terminated earlier this year.