SoftBank's Masayoshi Son says AI may need $5 trillion a year

Masayoshi Son told a SoftBank event that talk of an AI bubble is outdated and that AI infrastructure could require almost $5 trillion in global annual investment. AP says Son pointed to data centers, chips, and energy systems as core bottlenecks, and projected AI-related industries could account for 20% of world GDP by 2040. SoftBank has already made large AI bets, including a major OpenAI commitment and a new battery push in Japan.

Key details: Son projected nearly $5 trillion in annual AI infrastructure investment, He argued AI-related industries could reach 20% of world GDP by 2040, SoftBank has made large AI investments, including in OpenAI.

Why it matters: Son's figure captures the scale of the infrastructure bet behind frontier AI, whether or not the market ultimately validates it.