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Masayoshi Son, CEO and founder of SoftBank, believes that the idea of building data centers in space is not a practical solution to the cost issues or the acute shortage of computational power associated with the AI race.

This came during the company's shareholder meeting, where Son pointed out that the most important thing in the AI battle is to invest in the next few years on Earth, rather than chasing solutions that may take at least a decade to show actual results.

This comment comes at a time when bets are increasing on orbital data center projects, championed by Elon Musk through SpaceX, amid a wave of interest from investors and tech companies around the world.

Some consider it striking that Son takes a skeptical stance, despite SoftBank's long history of taking risks on bold ideas.

The debate about building data centers in space reflects the scale of challenges facing the industry on Earth, whether in terms of infrastructure, regulatory pressures, or even environmental costs, as companies like SpaceX, OpenAI, Groq, and others race to capture the largest share of the advanced cloud computing market.

Ultimately, Musk's vision of space data centers appears as a long-term strategic solution that also serves SpaceX's satellite launch business. In contrast, Son insists on prioritizing terrestrial investments and exploiting available opportunities more quickly and flexibly.

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SoftBank SpaceX Elon Musk Artificial Intelligence

Editorial team Follow on X Send an email Last updated: June 28, 2026

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