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Artificial intelligence is reshaping not only software and chips but also the physical backbone that supports it—and SoftBank Group is moving quickly to capitalize on that shift through a fresh wave of planned public offerings. The Japanese investment giant, led by Masayoshi Son, has begun working with major Wall Street and Japanese banks to prepare initial public offerings for two of its most strategic units: SB Energy and a planned autonomous robotics spinout called Roze. The move reflects growing investor enthusiasm for companies that sit at the foundation of AI expansion, particularly those tied to energy, data infrastructure, and automation. Big banks lined up for SB Energy listing For SB Energy’s potential IPO, SoftBank has assembled a heavyweight syndicate including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Mizuho Financial Group. People familiar with the matter say the listing could come as early as September, with SB Energy potentially targeting a valuation of “more than $50 billion” at debut. The company, which focuses on linking power generation with data center infrastructure, is increasingly seen as a critical player in solving one of AI’s biggest constraints: energy supply. SB Energy has also taken on a more prominent role in large-scale AI infrastructure efforts, including participation in the ambitious $500 billion Stargate initiative involving OpenAI and SoftBank. As part of that ecosystem, it is working on a major data center campus in Texas, designed to deliver 1.2 gigawatts of capacity with integrated solar and battery storage. The company has also drawn direct capital commitments, including a $500 million investment tied to a broader $1 billion commitment alongside SoftBank. Roze spinout targets robotics-driven data center buildout Alongside SB Energy, SoftBank is also preparing the IPO of Roze, a planned spinout focused on autonomous robotics designed to accelerate the construction of AI infrastructure such as data centers. For that deal, SoftBank has reportedly engaged Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Mizuho Financial Group and Morgan Stanley to advise on the offering. The company is expected to focus on using robotics to address labor shortages and construction bottlenecks as demand for AI capacity accelerates globally. Roze has previously been described as part of a broader SoftBank plan to create a roughly $100 billion AI and robotics business, a concept that was first reported by the Financial Times in April. Analysts suggest that, if completed, it could become one of the largest AI-related listings to date. A broader wave of AI mega-IPOs The timing of these potential listings comes as 2026 is increasingly viewed as a landmark year for public offerings tied to artificial intelligence. Several high-profile companies—including SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI—are widely expected to test investor appetite for large-scale AI listings. Market momentum has shifted well beyond semiconductor and software firms, extending into what investors often describe as “picks-and-shovels” businesses—those that provide essential infrastructure such as power, construction capacity, and physical systems needed to support AI expansion. In that context, SB Energy and Roze represent two complementary sides of the same bet: one focused on powering AI through energy infrastructure, and the other on speeding up the physical construction of the systems that make AI possible. Silence from advisers as anticipation builds Despite the growing speculation, the banks involved have declined to comment on the transactions. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Mizuho Financial Group did not respond to requests for comment, while SoftBank and some of the other advisers have also remained silent. Still, the direction of travel is increasingly clear: SoftBank is positioning itself not just as an investor in AI, but as a core infrastructure builder for the next phase of the technology economy—where energy, robotics, and data centers converge into a single, rapidly scaling ecosystem.

Elon Musk has discussed combining SpaceX and Tesla with colleagues, CNBC reports, as SpaceX prepares its Nasdaq debut with a $1.25 trillion private market valuation. Summary: Source: CNBC , citing people familiar with the matter; SpaceX IPO prospectus Musk has discussed folding SpaceX and Tesla together with colleagues, according to sources; Tesla employees say the prospect has long been openly discussed internally SpaceX is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq in just over two weeks, having secured a private market valuation of $1.25 trillion following its merger with xAI; Tesla's market cap sits at around $1.6 trillion Both companies are rapidly scaling AI capital expenditure: more than three-quarters of SpaceX's $10.1 billion Q1 capex was AI-related; Tesla flagged capex topping $25 billion this year, roughly triple the prior year Overlapping board membership, shared engineering personnel, and a vice president of materials engineering common to both companies reflect deep structural ties Cross-company transactions include SpaceX purchasing $697 million of Tesla Megapack systems and $131 million of Cybertrucks in 2024-25, per the SpaceX prospectus Musk's compensation at SpaceX is tied to a $7.5 trillion market cap target and Mars colonisation milestones; Tesla's pay plan links tranches to market cap and operational achievements, giving Musk a personal financial incentive to combine the two Elon Musk has discussed the possibility of merging SpaceX and Tesla with close colleagues, according to people familiar with the conversations, rekindling long-running speculation about the billionaire's ultimate ambition to consolidate his industrial empire into a single entity. The chatter is surfacing as SpaceX prepares to kick off its Wall Street roadshow next week ahead of an expected Nasdaq listing in just over a fortnight. The rocket and satellite company secured a private market valuation of $1.25 trillion earlier this year following its merger with Musk's artificial intelligence venture xAI, which also absorbed social media platform X. Tesla, meanwhile, carries a market capitalisation of around $1.6 trillion, meaning a combined entity would rank among the most valuable companies ever assembled. The strategic overlap between the two businesses is substantial and growing. Both are deploying capital into artificial intelligence at an accelerating pace. SpaceX directed more than three-quarters of its $10.1 billion in first-quarter capital expenditure toward AI infrastructure, while Tesla has flagged capex topping $25 billion this year, roughly triple its prior level. Shared challenges around power and compute constraints have driven regular collaboration between the two workforces, and a vice president of materials engineering serves both companies simultaneously. The financial entanglement runs deep. SpaceX's IPO prospectus discloses $697 million in purchases of Tesla Megapack energy storage systems in 2024 and 2025 to power xAI data centres near its Colossus facilities in Memphis, along with $131 million spent on Tesla Cybertrucks. Tesla, in turn, invested $2 billion in xAI in January, stakes that converted into SpaceX holdings when the merger closed the following month. Musk holds 85% voting control at SpaceX, meaning board resistance to any combination would be negligible. The more complex obstacles are financial: determining which entity would serve as parent, how a stock swap would be structured, and how each company's minority shareholders would be treated. Legal experts cited in the original report see limited antitrust risk but significant shareholder complexity. Musk's own compensation arrangements at both companies give him a direct personal incentive to pursue scale. His SpaceX pay is linked to a $7.5 trillion market cap target alongside a Mars colonisation milestone, while Tesla's board approved a multi-tranche pay plan tied to market cap and operational gains. A merger that supercharged the combined valuation would accelerate progress toward both. --- Tesla shares edged higher in after-hours trade following the report, reflecting market appetite for a combination that could create a single entity spanning rockets, satellites, EVs, AI and energy storage. A merger would raise immediate questions around valuation, structure and the terms of any stock swap, with SpaceX's private market valuation of $1.25 trillion sitting against Tesla's current market cap of around $1.6 trillion. Musk's 85% voting control at SpaceX removes one major obstacle, but Tesla minority shareholders would face a more complex calculus. The overlap in AI capital expenditure, with SpaceX directing over three-quarters of its first-quarter capex toward AI and Tesla tripling its own spend this year, underpins the strategic logic even if the execution remains deeply uncertain. This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

2026 is shaping up as a major year for IPOs, with a wave of mega AI ​listings including SpaceX, ​Anthropic and OpenAI expected to test investor appetite for large new issues. The Financial Times reported ⁠in April that SoftBank was exploring a roughly $100 billion AI and robotics spinoff ​and taking it public under the name Roze.

With SpaceX headed for the public markets next month, industry experts and people close to Elon Musk are speculating about a potential tie-up with Tesla.

As Elon Musk prepares to lead a second trillion-dollar company into the public market, a move that will likely put him in charge of two of the 10 most valuable U.S. enterprises, chatter is building that Musk’s ultimate goal is to combine the entities into one. SpaceX is expected to start trading on the Nasdaq [...] The post SpaceX-Tesla merger chatter reignites as Musk pushes rocket company towards Nasdaq appeared first on NYT News Today .

MONTREAL & BLACKSBURG, Va. — Torc Robotics, a pioneer in self-driving vehicle technology, today announced a new strategic partnership with Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, one of the world’s leading centers for machine learning research. Through this collaboration, Torc will establish a presence within Mila’s ecosystem in Montreal, becoming the only autonomous trucking company [...]

Robots and artificial intelligence may not be as popular as some think, and a new viral video proves it. An X user is hoping robots do not revolt against him after he posted a video with the caption, "The greatest video I've ever seen." 'The lifeless clanker carcass just laying there.' The clip stems from an event at an alleged customizable robot store in China, called Future Era. The Shenzhen, China, event showed a robot wearing a white outfit, grooving on stage in an attempt to mimic Michael Jackson. As one of Jackson's biggest hits — "Billie Jean" — played, the robot glided around, copying the late pop star's dance moves. About five seconds into the footage, the robot already found itself stumbling over a pair of steps, but it eventually recovered. After struggling with the moonwalk, the humanoid bot attempted to walk up the stairs again, but this time it fell, permanently. The bot's corpse laid motionless for about 10 seconds as the upbeat music continued to play. The crowd remained completely silent in the dystopian moment until a stagehand approached the bot's lifeless body, grabbed it by the collar, and ceremoniously dragged it off stage. The video has been viewed over 5.3 million times at the time of this writing. RELATED: 'Yes, I will devote myself': Korean monks initiate Chinese robot that could actually spy on them "This is the greatest video I’ve ever seen," the caption read. "No notes. The lifeless clanker carcass just laying there. No crowd reaction, anything. Just Billie Jean. Until its lifeless shell is shamefully dragged off. Purely amazing." Despite the joy the video seemed to bring viewers, at least one person was offended by it, writing on X, "imagine feeling so threatened by a robot you start using newly made slurs against it." However, the overwhelming sentiment showcased a growing level of robot fatigue, as the fumbling bots are being pushed out into society at a rapid pace around the world. The rising "anti-clanker" movement is showing a greater appetite for violence against machines seemingly designed to replace human beings. Readers have already seen the bots chase wild boars and be welcomed into monk orders , among other bizarre situations. RELATED: The FCC just banned foreign-made routers — here's which ones might be stealing your data CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images However, this bot — which is likely a Unitree G-1 — is not exactly the technological advancement that China promoted in February. At the time, bots showed advanced martial arts capabilities and choreography in a video that was allegedly free from special effects and was meant to show off new capabilities regarding coordination and fault recovery. It seems there may be more work to be done, however, after one of the $13,500 robots was defeated by exactly two steps in the viral video. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here !