AI revolution will cost $5T annually: SoftBank's Masayoshi Son
What's the story
SoftBank Group's CEO Masayoshi Son has projected that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) will require an investment of $5 trillion annually by 2040. Son made the bold prediction during SoftBank's annual corporate conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. He dismissed concerns about a potential "AI bubble," calling such worries "absurd."
Investment strategy
Son confident in AI investment needs
Over the last two years, SoftBank has invested billions into OpenAI, data centers, and robotics companies as part of a massive investment program to establish itself as a leading AI platform.
Son said at the conference, "Every year $5 trillion, or 800 trillion yen, you might think that's a lie but I am confident that's what it will cost."
Economic forecast
AI's contribution to global GDP
Son also predicted that by 2040, if AI revenue makes up 20% of the world's GDP, spending 800 trillion yen a year would be negligible.
However, he did not clarify how he arrived at the $5 trillion figure or the percentage of global GDP he expects AI will contribute.
His prediction comes amid rising concerns over whether AI firms will generate sufficient returns on their investments given the ballooning capital expenditure needed to secure underlying infrastructure.
Energy needs
Energy demands for AI data centers
To fuel AI, Son predicted that AI data centers will need a staggering 3 terawatts of power generation by 2040. This is about 1.8 times the total current global power consumption.
He expects these centers to be powered primarily by gas initially, before nuclear fusion takes over as the main energy source.
"Fusion on earth will be the cheaper, cleaner energy source," he said.
Future outlook
Agent-centric world by 2040
Looking ahead to 2040, Son envisioned a world where 100 trillion AI agents make their own decisions and communicate with each other.
He said, "We will go from a human-centric world to an agent-centric world."