SoftBank Plans $100B AI-Robotics Unit Roze IPO This Year

SoftBank Group is planning to create and list a standalone artificial intelligence and robotics company in the U.S. as early as this year, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The new entity, to be called "Roze," will focus on building data centers and using robotics to improve the efficiency of AI infrastructure construction, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

SoftBank founder and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son is driving the effort, with executives reportedly targeting a valuation of about $100 billion and aiming to pursue the initial public offering this year. However, the report noted that the valuation target and timeline could shift and that the plans are considered ambitious by some SoftBank executives, in part due to uncertainties stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.

Son's AI risk appetite has been growing in recent years, with tens of billions of dollars committed to the sector. Investors, however, have raised concerns about how SoftBank will fund those investments, particularly its backing of OpenAI, which remains unprofitable. The proposed listing could help offset some of the major pledges, including more than $30 billion committed to OpenAI.

Roze could also reportedly bundle existing energy, land and infrastructure assets from SoftBank's portfolio, as well as ABB Robotics, which SoftBank agreed to buy last year. ABB Robotics is one of the world's leading suppliers of robotics and machine automation solutions, and SoftBank is expected to integrate its robotics hardware with AI capabilities. SoftBank representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Son's AI ambitions have increasingly centered on the U.S., with the firm already positioning itself as a major financier of American AI infrastructure. At the start of last year, SoftBank partnered with OpenAI, Oracle and others on the Stargate project, a planned $500 billion investment to build AI data center capacity across the country. The conglomerate has also been working quickly to build its own data centers, including a large-scale project in Ohio.

SoftBank posted a $2.4 billion gain in its Vision Fund in the December quarter as gains tied to its OpenAI investment helped offset losses in some of its other bets. The firm was trading 0.9% lower on Thursday and is up more than 18% this year.