SoftBank launches robotics firm focused on data centers, eyes $100B IPO
▼ Summary
– SoftBank plans to create a new company called Roze AI to automate data center construction in the U.S. using autonomous robots.
– SoftBank is preparing Roze for an IPO, with some executives targeting the second half of 2026 and a desired valuation of $100 billion.
– Roze aims to make building server farms more efficient by deploying automation and robotics.
– Other ventures, like Jeff Bezos’s Project Prometheus, also use AI and automation to modernize industrial sectors.
– Some inside SoftBank have expressed skepticism about Roze’s valuation and proposed IPO timeline, and SoftBank previously backed the failed startup Zume.
Tech companies are scrambling to expand infrastructure that can support the next wave of automation. In a bold move, Japan’s SoftBank is reportedly creating a new venture called Roze AI, which aims to streamline the construction of data centers across the United States. The company plans to deploy autonomous robots to build server farms more efficiently, according to reports from the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.
SoftBank is already positioning Roze for an initial public offering. Some executives are targeting a listing in the second half of 2026, with a potential valuation of $100 billion, the Financial Times reported. TechCrunch has reached out to SoftBank for additional details.
This isn’t the only high-profile effort to bring automation into industrial construction. Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, has co-founded Project Prometheus, a startup that intends to acquire companies in major industrial sectors and modernize them using AI.
SoftBank has a history of backing unconventional bets. It poured hundreds of millions into Zume, an AI-powered pizza delivery company that collapsed in 2023. According to the Financial Times, some insiders at SoftBank have expressed doubts about Roze’s valuation and the proposed IPO timeline.
(Source: TechCrunch)
