According to the Smartkarma app, SoftBank Group's (SFTBY.US) stock price has achieved a historic breakthrough in the wave of global artificial intelligence and chip investment, surpassing its historical closing high for the first time within three years. The Japanese technology giant is attracting the attention of investors, with its telecommunications division's active investment in generative artificial intelligence. SoftBank has not only established cooperative relationships with technology giants such as Microsoft (MSFT. US) and emerging enterprise Perplexity AI Inc., but has also received government subsidies to support the construction of data centers equipped with Nvidia (NVDA.US) accelerators. In addition, SoftBank's chip division, Arm Holdings (ARM.US), is also striving to position its architecture as an energy-saving solution for artificial intelligence devices.

According to insiders, SoftBank plans to invest $10 million to $20 million in Perplexity AI, whose goal is to compete with Google Search, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, using artificial intelligence technology. SoftBank's investment is part of Perplexity AI's $250 million financing round, which has doubled the company's valuation and made it one of the highest valued companies in the industry.

In addition, SoftBank Group invested $200 million in Tempus AI this year, a start-up company that uses artificial intelligence to analyze medical data to develop better treatment plans. SoftBank plans to establish a joint venture worth 30 billion yen (approximately $187 million) with Tempus AI to provide similar services in Japan. In a recent speech, Masayoshi Son explained why he supported Tempus AI, hoping to collectively analyze data from 50% of cancer patients in Japan to provide more accurate diagnoses, and hoping to achieve this goal in the next few years.

Just this Wednesday, SoftBank's stock price successfully broke through the closing record set in March 2021, which is not only a recognition of SoftBank's business prospects by the market, but also a recognition of its founder Masayoshi Son's strategic vision. In recent years, Masayoshi Son has been controversial for his bold investments in start-ups, but his close ties with heavyweight players in the AI field such as Nvidia and OpenAI undoubtedly enhance SoftBank's competitiveness in global AI infrastructure construction.

SoftBank has always been a popular choice among retail investors, but its stock price volatility cannot be ignored. In the rise and fall of the Internet bubble, SoftBank's market cap once shrunk by 99%, and Masayoshi Son's personal wealth evaporated by up to $70 billion. However, after 20 years of unremitting efforts, SoftBank has laid broadband networks in Japan, become one of the first companies to sell Apple's (AAPL.US) iPhone, and invested in many globally renowned start-ups, allowing its stock price to gradually recover.

Despite all this, SoftBank's stock price suffered another significant decline in 2021, partly due to Beijing's crackdown on technology companies, as well as investment decisions that went wrong for start-ups such as WeWork Inc., Katerra Inc., OneWeb Ltd., and Zume Pizza Inc. Despite these challenges, the rise in SoftBank's stock price this time will be a powerful proof of the company's long-term strategy and Masayoshi Son's leadership ability.