6 Aug 2026
Leading gigawatt projects for June 2026, including Microsoft and Chevron in Texas, are prioritizing on-site generation, with off-grid solutions emerging as a key trend.
Softbank Group
AKA softbank
SoftBank Group is strategically investing in AI infrastructure, emphasizing large-scale datacenter campuses and the critical physical supply chain required for AI advancements. This includes significant projects in locations like Ohio and France, necessitating substantial upgrades to grid infrastructure and power generation. The company's focus has shifted towards foundational elements, complementing earlier high-level investments in AI ventures and digital infrastructure.
The company's ambitious AI infrastructure plans involve multi-gigawatt data center developments, requiring considerable capital and complex financing. SoftBank is also exploring off-grid solutions with on-site generation, such as fuel cells and gas plants, indicating a flexible approach to power sourcing. This strategy integrates battery storage and AI data centers into production facilities, further underscoring the focus on essential power and data center capacity.
This evolving strategy recognizes electricity supply and robust data center capacity as core components of the AI race. SoftBank's approach highlights the critical importance of energy availability and physical infrastructure for meeting accelerating AI demand. Capital markets are increasingly viewing compute as a tradable credit asset, introducing power risks into AI infrastructure advancements and shaping the company's operational and financial considerations.
Last updated August 9, 2026
Coverage
27 Jul 2026
Nvidia is reportedly considering a $250 billion backstop for OpenAI's planned 10GW data center in Ohio, which is to be located on Department of Energy land.
8 Jul 2026
Global AI infrastructure announcements in Q2 2026 show capital markets positioning compute as a tradable credit asset and assuming its power risks.
7 Jun 2026
In the data center industry, abundant capital is readily available, but securing sufficient megawatts and adhering to delivery timelines are the critical factors determining development success, granting operators who have locked in power and land an significant competitive advantage.
1 Jun 2026
SoftBank's significant investment in France aims to build 5 gigawatts of artificial intelligence infrastructure, leveraging EDF's conversion of former power plant sites into data center campuses where electricity availability is a key competitive advantage.
1 Jun 2026
SoftBank intends to construct 5 gigawatts of artificial intelligence data center capacity in France, with the initial phase of development projected to be completed by 2031.
11 May 2026
SoftBank is launching a battery storage business in Japan, which will include a production plant expected to house an AI data center and begin operations in 2028.
6 Apr 2026
OpenAI's significant $122 billion capital raise represents a substantial physical infrastructure demand that the US data center market is currently ill-equipped to meet.
31 Mar 2026
SoftBank's 10 gigawatt Ohio facility, supported by the Department of Energy and American Electric Power, signifies a new era for artificial intelligence data centers by prioritizing power and infrastructure.
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29 Mar 2026
OpenAI's $10 billion funding, NextEra's 10GW power initiative, and Adani's hyperscaler push in India highlight significant capital, power, and policy shifts reshaping global AI infrastructure.
23 Mar 2026
Softbank's SB Energy is redeveloping Department of Energy land in Ohio to construct a massive artificial intelligence datacenter campus, which will include auxiliary power generation facilities and significant grid infrastructure upgrades, with external parties covering the costs of prior uranium site cleanup.
20 Mar 2026
SoftBank, through its SB Energy division, is planning a massive 10-gigawatt data center powered by approximately 9.2 gigawatts of natural gas plants at a former Department of Energy nuclear enrichment site in Ohio.
17 Mar 2026
At NVIDIA GTC 2026, Jensen Huang detailed the architecture of the AI factory, including Rubin systems and inference pipelines, highlighting optical networking and Nvidia's blueprint for developing large-scale AI infrastructure.
16 Mar 2026
Four industry leaders convened to examine the operational, technical, and organizational capabilities essential for delivering next-generation data centers as AI infrastructure projects scale in size and speed.
5 Mar 2026
OpenAI's extensive infrastructure partnerships with major cloud providers and specialized GPU services are fostering the growth of a multi-cloud AI ecosystem, increasingly measured by its substantial power consumption.
27 Feb 2026
OpenAI has reportedly raised one hundred ten billion dollars, including fifty billion from Amazon and thirty billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank, achieving a valuation of seven hundred thirty billion dollars concurrent with a major Amazon compute agreement.
3 Feb 2026
Intel and SoftBank's Saimemory collaboration aims to develop new dynamic random-access memory chips designed to meet the escalating demands of artificial intelligence infrastructure, with initial prototypes anticipated in 2027.
9 Jan 2026
OpenAI and SoftBank have jointly invested $1 billion into SB Energy, signaling a growing industry trend where technology firms proactively secure essential energy resources to underpin their expansive artificial intelligence ambitions.
8 Jan 2026
Capital flows, energy limitations, and fundamental structural changes are redefining the scale of artificial intelligence and data center infrastructure across North America, currently estimated at a six hundred billion dollar corridor buildout.
7 Jan 2026
Project Stargate has advanced into execution during 2025, with OpenAI initiating the assembly of a multi-gigawatt artificial intelligence infrastructure portfolio globally, where power availability, capital structures, and delivery capability are now the defining risks for large-scale deployment.
29 Dec 2025
SoftBank has announced its intention to acquire the data center investment firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion.
29 Dec 2025
SoftBank's four-billion-dollar acquisition of DigitalBridge represents a strategic pivot toward owning critical digital infrastructure, including data centers and fiber assets, to secure control over power and delivery mechanisms essential for the next wave of artificial intelligence projects like Stargate.
8 Dec 2025
SoftBank is reportedly positioning itself as the next major source of private capital seeking to acquire DigitalBridge.