Addressing SoftBank's annual corporate conference that was held in Tokyo on July 14, 2026, Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, presented his vision of the future powered by AI – which is accompanied by an astronomical sum. In fact, Son believes that it will be required for the world to spend $5 trillion, or approximately 800 trillion yen, annually until 2040 for the infrastructure development for AI.
It is such a huge amount that Son even admitted himself that it may sound like a joke. "It might seem unbelievable, but it is going to cost that much," he said.
However, Son's figures aren't just about smart software development; he is speaking of a colossal construction process involving not only data centers but also power plants and even humanoids. What is the key aspect of his plan? It's the production of energy.
Specifically, Son stated that only AI data centers will require 3 terawatts of energy generation capacities by 2040, which is 1.8 times larger than global energy consumption today. In Son's forecast, the initial power source will be natural gas, and the main energy production method will be nuclear fusion in the future.
When asked about space-based solar energy (a project by Elon Musk), Son noted that it could be an option, but earth-based fusion would be more economical and environmentally friendly.
Concerns have been brewing in financial markets over whether or not the massive amounts of funding being thrown at AI infrastructure development will ultimately be worth it. For Son, there was no discussion of such worries, stating that concerns about an AI bubble were "absurd."
How? Well, if AI ends up contributing 20% of global GDP in 2040, then allocating $5 trillion per year is "a rounding error," in Son's words.
It is noteworthy that Son failed to provide any justification of how he estimated both the $5 trillion and the 20%-of-GDP figures; both seem to be his predictions, without support from any models published anywhere.
This is not just hot air from Son, however; Softbank has put its money where its mouth is, having invested in OpenAI a total of more than $60 billion by the end of 2026. Additionally, the company finances data centers and invests in robotics companies as a part of the strategy to become a major AI infrastructure player.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Son’s presentation is his forecast about what kind of society we will have in 2040. In his prediction, Son talked about the existence of 100 trillion AI agents – software agents that will have the ability to decide, act and interact among themselves, all of which would happen without any human interference.
According to Son, humanity is shifting "from a human-centric world into an agent-centric world" where "the era in which man is the top species on Earth ends." "Whether it is liked by humans or not, it cannot be stopped."
