SoftBank’s Robot-Built Data Centers Could Lead to a $100 Billion IPO

The race to expand AI infrastructure is pushing tech giants into unexpected territory. SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate known for high-stakes bets, is reportedly forming a new company called Roze AI that would use autonomous robots to construct data centers in the United States. The goal: make building server farms faster and cheaper by automating the physical work of construction, according to reports from the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.

What makes this move stand out is the IPO timeline. SoftBank executives are already discussing a public listing for Roze as early as the second half of 2026, with some targeting a valuation of $100 billion. That figure has raised eyebrows inside the company, with some insiders expressing doubt about whether the business can justify such a lofty price so soon.

This isn’t SoftBank’s first foray into automation-driven industrial ventures. The firm famously poured hundreds of millions into Zume, an AI-powered pizza startup that collapsed in 2023. And it’s not alone in this strategy—Jeff Bezos co-founded Project Prometheus, which plans to buy and modernize industrial companies using AI.

Still, Roze represents a direct bet on automating the very infrastructure that powers AI itself. If successful, it could reshape how data centers get built. But the skepticism around its valuation suggests the road to that $100 billion IPO may be a steep one.

Source: TechCrunch