NextFin News - SoftBank Group is preparing to launch and list a new artificial intelligence and robotics venture, tentatively named Roze, in the United States as early as this year. According to the Financial Times, executives at the Japanese technology conglomerate are targeting a valuation of up to $100 billion for the entity, a figure that would instantly position it among the world’s most valuable specialized AI firms. The move represents the most aggressive step yet by Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s founder, to pivot his empire toward "physical AI"—the integration of large-scale software intelligence with industrial and humanoid robotics.
The proposed listing follows a series of high-stakes maneuvers by SoftBank to secure the capital necessary for its AI ambitions. According to Bloomberg News, the group is currently seeking a $10 billion margin loan backed by its shares in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. This follows a $40 billion bridge loan secured in March, highlighting a rapid accumulation of debt to fund what Son has described as a "gold rush" in the AI sector. The Roze initiative appears designed to consolidate SoftBank’s disparate robotics holdings, including its recent $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics division, into a single, market-ready vehicle.
The $100 billion valuation target has met with immediate skepticism from some corners of the market. Analysts at several Tokyo-based brokerages, who have long maintained a cautious stance on SoftBank’s opaque valuation methodologies, suggest the figure may be more of an aspirational "anchor" for negotiations than a reflection of current cash flows. Historically, SoftBank’s internal valuations for Vision Fund assets have faced downward pressure when subjected to the scrutiny of public markets, as seen in the volatile post-IPO performance of Arm Holdings and the eventual collapse of WeWork. This perspective, while not a universal consensus, reflects a persistent "conglomerate discount" applied to Son’s ventures by institutional investors.
The strategic logic for Roze rests on the belief that the next frontier of AI lies in the physical world rather than just digital chatbots. By combining ABB’s industrial precision with the generative capabilities of OpenAI—where SoftBank is a major stakeholder—Son aims to create a dominant player in automated manufacturing and logistics. However, the financial engineering required to support this vision is significant. SoftBank’s loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, a key metric for its creditworthiness, rose from 16.5% to 20.6% in the quarter ending December 2025, according to the Financial Times. Further borrowing against OpenAI shares increases the group’s sensitivity to the valuation of a single, private company.
The success of the Roze IPO will likely depend on the broader appetite for AI-themed equities, which has shown signs of bifurcation. While infrastructure providers like Nvidia have seen sustained gains, software and services firms have faced tougher questions regarding monetization. If Roze can demonstrate a clear path to integrating AI into tangible industrial productivity, it may justify its premium. Conversely, if the market perceives it as a collection of legacy robotics assets rebranded with an AI label, SoftBank may struggle to achieve its ambitious valuation target in a U.S. market that has become increasingly discerning about "AI-washing."
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