SoftBank CEO Says AI Boom Will Be '50 Times Bigger' Than the Dotcom Era

A Bold Declaration in Paris

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has made one of the most striking predictions yet about the scale of the artificial intelligence boom, telling CNBC's Arjun Kharpal that the AI revolution will be "50 times bigger" than the dotcom era. Speaking in Paris, Son described the current moment as "the greatest technological and cognitive revolution humanity has ever experienced," adding that society is only at "a stage equivalent to the dawn of the internet era."

The comments came a day after SoftBank announced a €75 billion ($87 billion) commitment to build AI data centre infrastructure in France, described as the company's largest AI commitment outside the United States.

A Record-Breaking Bet on Infrastructure

The France investment will deliver 5 gigawatts of AI data centre capacity across the country. The first phase involves an initial €45 billion outlay to build 3.1 gigawatts of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, with facilities planned in Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain. The announcement was made during the 2026 Choose France summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, positioning France as a potential AI hub for Europe.

Son was unfazed by talk of an AI bubble, arguing that even if a market correction were to occur, it would not alter the long-term growth trajectory of the technology.

Robotics as the Next Frontier

Beyond data centres, Son has identified physical AI and robotics as a trillion-dollar opportunity. SoftBank is spinning out a new company called Roze AI, which aims to deploy autonomous robots to build data centres. The venture bundles assets including ABB Robotics, which SoftBank acquired for $5.4 billion, and is reportedly targeting a $100 billion IPO later this year.

Son also suggested that SoftBank plans to replace human programmers with AI agents costing as little as $0.23 each per month.

Surging Confidence

The Paris remarks cap a period of soaring investor confidence in SoftBank's AI-first strategy. The company's shares have hit successive record highs, fuelled by its stake in Arm Holdings and its role in the Stargate AI infrastructure project with OpenAI. Son, now Asia's richest person, framed the buildout as the foundation of a decades-long transformation rather than a short-term trend.

The sentiment echoes across the industry, with major cloud providers on pace to spend close to $700 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026, and chip equipment makers warning that demand will keep the semiconductor market supply-constrained for years to come.