SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son drew attention after Monday’s market close by announcing a $2 billion investment in Intel. The move represents a strategic bet on U.S. dominance in the chip industry at a time when the global semiconductor market is in a critical phase.
Under the agreement, SoftBank will purchase Intel’s common stock at $23 per share, slightly below the closing price of $23.66. The news immediately rippled through the market—Intel shares jumped 5% in after-hours trading, reflecting trader optimism and speculation about potential deeper cooperation between the two companies.
This capital injection makes SoftBank one of Intel’s largest external shareholders. The announcement also comes just days after the Trump administration threatened new tariffs on imported chips, further underscoring the importance of investment in U.S. manufacturing and R&D.
For Intel, the support means accelerated development of next-generation AI and semiconductor chips, as well as stronger U.S. production capabilities at a time when the supply chain is a decisive factor. For SoftBank, it’s a strategic foothold at the epicenter of the global chip industry, as data, automation, and hardware innovation enter a new phase of explosive growth.
In Brief: Tech World Highlights
- Figure AI released a video of its humanoid Figure 02 overcoming obstacles using a new locomotion system called Helix walking controller.
- Foxconn is reportedly preparing to unveil a humanoid with an “LLM-powered brain” this year, to be deployed at its new Houston factory producing NVIDIA GB300 servers.
- WIRobotics (South Korea) launched ALLEX, a humanoid with highly dexterous 15-DOF hands, capable of precision tasks and lifting loads over 30 kg.
- Unitree Robotics announced a 180 cm humanoid with 31 joints—its next flagship model—expanding beyond its current lineup to target China’s premium robotics market.
- Serve Robotics acquired Vayu Robotics to strengthen its urban delivery fleet with large-scale AI models for smarter, more adaptable autonomous robots.
AI Trending Tools:
- GPT-5 – Updated personality with a “warmer” and more “friendly” approach.
- Kaggle Game Arena – A new benchmark for evaluating LLMs in ever-evolving strategic games.
- ChatGPT – OpenAI’s AI assistant, now featuring tools to detect signs of mental distress.
