- SoftBank is raising an enormous $100B fund, codenamed Izanagi, to take on Nvidia in AI chips.
- The ambitious effort could complement SoftBank’s Arm Holdings and shift Masayoshi Son’s focus.
- Izanagi’s potential to disrupt the AI landscape makes it a project to watch closely.
Masayoshi Son, the visionary founder of Japan’s SoftBank Group, is reportedly taking a bold step into the future with plans to raise a staggering $100 billion for a new AI chip venture.
This ambitious project, codenamed Izanagi, has set its sights on becoming a major competitor to the established leader in the field, US-based Nvidia.
Can Izanagi rival Nvidia?
According to sources close to the matter, SoftBank itself is prepared to contribute a significant $30 billion to the fund, with the remaining $70 billion targeted at investors in the Middle East.
This strategic move reflects a potential shift in focus for Son, who has traditionally leaned towards investing in established startups.
If successful, this fundraising effort would become one of the largest single investments ever made in the AI sector, dwarfing even recent major bets like Microsoft’s $10 billion commitment to OpenAI.
Izanagi and the future of AI
Interestingly, the Izanagi project could potentially complement the work of Arm Holdings, the British chip design company acquired by SoftBank in 2016. Reports suggest that Son is collaborating with Rene Haas, CEO of Arm, on this new venture.
This move comes despite SoftBank’s previous partnership with Nvidia, a direct competitor to Arm, to develop a platform for generative AI and 5G/6G applications.
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Beyond the immediate goals of the project, Son remains an optimist when it comes to the future of artificial intelligence. He reportedly believes that the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is within the next ten years, making his foray into the AI chip market a potentially lucrative one.
With its ambitious funding target and the potential to disrupt the industry, Izanagi is undoubtedly a project to watch closely in the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
