A share price increase exceeding 14% has enabled SoftBank to become Japan’s largest company by market capitalization. The rally for the holding company led by Masayoshi Son was triggered by the announcement of a $75 billion investment plan earmarked for the development and management of artificial intelligence data centers in France.
Following this transaction, SoftBank’s market value reached 48.8 trillion yen (€262.5 billion), surpassing Toyota’s 45.9 trillion yen (€246.9 billion). This milestone interrupts the carmaker’s historic primacy, as it had held the country’s highest market capitalization for 23 years—ever since it overtook the telecommunications company NTT Docomo in 2003.
The project represents the largest infrastructure investment in the artificial intelligence sector ever undertaken by SoftBank within the European context. The industrial plan begins with an initial phase that outlines a $45 billion allocation by 2031, aimed at constructing data centers in the Hauts-de-France region. The overall objective of the operation targets the realization of facilities capable of generating a total power capacity of 5 GW.
The year-to-date performance of the two stocks highlights contrasting trends: SoftBank recorded a growth exceeding 85%, driven by its positioning as the primary investor in OpenAI amid the expansion of artificial intelligence, while Toyota experienced a 4.5% decline. According to findings by the Financial Times, this dynamic is part of a broader trend in the Japanese stock market, which is heavily influenced by investments in the AI sector.
This scenario has reshuffled the top tier of national market capitalizations, propelling microchip manufacturer Kioxia onto the podium of listed companies. The Tokyo-based firm, with a year-to-date stock rally exceeding 500%, has surpassed MUFG, the country’s largest banking institution. By virtue of this recent stock market surge, Masayoshi Son’s personal net worth reached $99.7 billion, positioning him as the wealthiest individual in Japan and the 21st richest globally.
