Jamie Spencer
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment in the United States over the next four years during a visit to President-elect Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
Creation of 100,000 Jobs in AI and Infrastructure
Son promised that the investment would create a minimum of 100,000 jobs, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and related infrastructure. The funds are expected to be deployed before the end of Trump’s term.
“My confidence level to the economy of the United States has tremendously increased with his victory,” Son said. “President Trump is a double down president. I’m going to have to double down.”
A Repeat of a 2016 Partnership
This is not the first time Son and Trump have announced a significant investment plan. After Trump’s initial election in 2016, Softbank committed $50 billion to the U.S., aiming to create 50,000 jobs.
“He’s doing this because he feels very optimistic about our country since the election,” Trump said. “This historic investment is a monumental demonstration of confidence in America’s future, and it will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and other industries of tomorrow are being created and grown right here in the USA.”
Funding Sources and Softbank’s Vision Fund
The funding could come from multiple sources under Softbank’s control, including its Vision Fund, capital projects, or chipmaker Arm Holdings, where Softbank is the majority owner.
Some of the announced funding might not be entirely new. It could include previously disclosed investments, such as Softbank’s recent $1.5 billion investment in OpenAI, the company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
