Japan’s SoftBank first to get Nvidia’s latest AI chips

SoftBank’s Japanese telecoms unit will be the first to receive chips using Nvidia’s latest Blackwell design for its supercomputer. This move comes as SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son aims to capitalise on the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

SoftBank Corp is also set to utilise Grace Blackwell chips for another supercomputer, as announced by Nvidia during an AI event in Tokyo featuring SoftBank Group CEO and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Son is expanding his conglomerate’s presence in the AI industry by investing in OpenAI and acquiring chip startup Graphcore. This comes after a challenging period that led the billionaire to scale back.

Son and Jensen recently had a friendly chat, where Jensen mentioned Son’s offer to lend him money to buy Nvidia, a decision Jensen now regrets not taking.

Son received the offer a month after acquiring chip designer Arm. The Japanese billionaire later reduced his stake in Nvidia and tried to sell Arm to Huang’s company, but faced regulatory obstacles.

Nvidia is now the world’s most valuable chip company due to high demand. Son is known for his strategic investments in companies like Alibaba but also made mistakes like supporting WeWork.

SoftBank has teamed up with Nvidia to test a network that can support both 5G and AI services, as telcos seek new growth opportunities. Son and Huang joked about their shared vision, with Huang making a playful comment about puppies.

Attribution: Reuters

Subediting: M. S. Salama