Softbank is reportedly planning to launch and take public a new AI and robotics company named Roze in the United States, with an IPO potentially as early as this year. According to the Financial Times, the venture could be valued at up to $100 billion.
Roze is expected to focus on building data centers and may incorporate ABB Robotics, which Softbank recently acquired. The move is seen as a way for Softbank founder Masayoshi Son to offset the company's massive spending, including its roughly $30 billion investment in OpenAI.
An analyst day is scheduled for July at a data center in Texas. However, some Softbank executives reportedly view both the valuation and timeline as overly ambitious, especially given current geopolitical uncertainties. Softbank is already pushing against its debt limits and needs to sell assets to sustain its spending spree.
Source: FT