Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Net Worth Hits $38.7 Billion
All-In on AI: Net Worth Surges 144% This Year
Masayoshi Son, Chairman of Japan's SoftBank Group, has seen his personal wealth reach a record high of 38.7 billion dollars (approximately 54.2 trillion won).
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on September 25 (local time), Son's net worth stood at 38.7 billion dollars (about 54.2 trillion won) as of September 24, marking the highest level since Bloomberg began tracking his assets in 2013. His net worth has surged by 144% since the beginning of this year.
This growth is attributed to investments in artificial intelligence (AI). On September 23, OpenAI held a press conference in Abilene, Texas, where the first data center site for its 'Stargate' project is located, and announced plans to collaborate with Stargate partners such as Oracle and SoftBank Group to invest approximately 400 billion dollars in building five new data centers in the United States. The day after this announcement, SoftBank Group's share price soared by 6%.
The disclosure of initial public offering plans for startups like PayPay, as well as the announcement of plans to sell off core assets, also boosted SoftBank Group's stock price. Son has boldly invested in AI companies such as Nvidia and TSMC, and the profits from these investments have contributed to the strong performance of SoftBank Group.
SoftBank Group Invests in OpenAI and Others
SoftBank Group invested 7.5 billion dollars in OpenAI in March and plans to invest an additional 22.5 billion dollars within this year. The company has also agreed to acquire Ampere Computing, a U.S. semiconductor design firm specializing in server and data center CPUs, for 6.5 billion dollars. Previously, in 2016, SoftBank acquired the British semiconductor design company Arm for 3.3 trillion yen. SoftBank Group has also announced plans to invest 2 billion dollars in Intel, which is currently experiencing management difficulties.
Bloomberg noted that Son's wealth has fluctuated dramatically over the years, recalling that at the peak of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s, his net worth increased by as much as 10 billion dollars each week. Son himself reflected on that period, saying, "I was the richest person in the world for three days." However, when the dot-com bubble burst, SoftBank Group's stock price plummeted.
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