According to the Financial Times on April 30, SoftBank Group plans to establish a standalone company called Roze in the United States, integrating AI robotics and data center construction, and is seeking to complete an IPO as early as 2026, with a target valuation of up to $100 billion.
Deal Overview
Roze will operate as SoftBank’s new independent entity in the US, with core business covering two directions: AI robotics technology R&D and data center infrastructure construction. This move means SoftBank is consolidating its previously scattered AI investments—including its major stake in OpenAI, ARM’s chip design capabilities, and its own data center deployment—into a unified capital platform.
If Roze goes public at a $100 billion valuation as planned, it would be one of the largest tech IPOs globally in 2026. For comparison, Reddit’s 2024 IPO valued at approximately $6.8 billion, and Circle’s 2025 IPO valued at around $6 billion.
Masayoshi Son’s AI Strategy Puzzle
Roze’s establishment is not an isolated event, but a systematic extension of SoftBank’s AI infrastructure deployment in recent years. SoftBank’s AI strategy can be summarized in three main lines:
| Direction | Key Actions | Supply Chain Position |
|---|---|---|
| Chip Design | Large stake in ARM | AI computing upstream |
| Model Investment | Hundreds of billions invested in OpenAI | AI model layer |
| Data Centers | Roze self-built data centers | AI computing infrastructure |
| Battery Supply | Osaka factory conversion to battery production | Data center energy保障 |
SoftBank has previously agreed to acquire US digital infrastructure investment firm DigitalBridge for approximately $4 billion, expanding its influence in the data center sector. Meanwhile, SoftBank’s mobile division plans to convert part of its Osaka factory into a large-scale battery production line to power its own data centers, targeting several GWh of battery capacity within the next five years.
Capital Market Considerations
The $100 billion valuation target needs to be understood in the context of the current AI infrastructure investment boom. In 2026, global major tech companies’ capital expenditure on AI infrastructure is expected to exceed $600 billion. In this context, companies with owned data center construction capabilities are receiving higher valuation premiums—the market is pricing “computing power ownership.”
If Roze successfully goes public, its fund use may include: expanding data center construction scale, accelerating robotics technology R&D, and deepening computing cooperation with OpenAI.
Risks and Watch Points
This plan still faces several uncertainties: First, whether a $100 billion valuation is reasonable in the current market environment depends on investors’ judgment of the long-term return rate of AI infrastructure. Second, as a newly established company, Roze’s robotics business technology maturity and data center construction progress both need time to validate. Finally, the timeline of completing an IPO within 2026 is quite aggressive—large tech IPOs typically require longer preparation cycles.