SoftBank's billionaire founder Masayoshi Son plans $50B tech investment in Southeast Asia…

Japan's richest man Masayoshi Son, founder of technology investment giant SoftBank, plans to invest US$50 billion in Malaysia's artificial intelligence and data center industries, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

Anwar said on Oct. 24 that Son had identified Kuching in the Malaysian state of Sarawak and locations in peninsular Malaysia for the proposed investment, following a video conference between the two earlier in the week, according to Bloomberg.

The projects would focus on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and data centers, potentially creating higher-skilled jobs, particularly for young Malaysians.

Earlier this month, SoftBank signed an agreement with Southeast Asian technology company Grab and Malaysian state-owned energy firm Petroleum Sarawak to explore developing AI and digital infrastructure in Sarawak. The partnership aims to support AI computing, advanced technologies and robotics while developing local talent.

Son, 69, is Japan's richest person, with a fortune estimated at $53.4 billion as of Oct. 26, according to Forbes. He has increasingly focused SoftBank's investments on AI, including a multibillion-dollar stake in ChatGPT developer OpenAI and participation in the $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project in the U.S.

Malaysia, Southeast Asia's third-richest country by GDP per capita, has emerged as a major regional data center hub, attracting investments from technology giants including Microsoft, Google and Amazon.

The country recorded RM385.7 billion ($94 billion) in data-center-related investments between 2021 and the first half of 2026, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.