One technology leader says that artificial intelligence dwarfs the dot-com era by 50 to 1. The numbers are starting to agree with him.
Hello reader.
“I think that’s more than 10 times, maybe 50 times bigger than dot-com.” Softbank Company (SFTP) CEO Masayoshi Son told CNBC on Monday.
“This” of course is the AI revolution.
While this 50-to-1 effect remains to be seen, Son’s argument is supported by one simple fact: AI adoption is occurring at an extraordinary pace.
For example, a December 2025 study by researchers at the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) found that generative AI is now the fastest adopted technology in U.S. history.
Adoption of AI in the workplace has reached 40% of US workers within approximately two years of ChatGPT’s launch.
By comparison, Internet use in the United States rose from about 14% of adults in 1995 to about 41% by 2000. fiveA one-year growth story, not two years.
AI seems to achieve in just a few years what took the Internet much longer to accomplish. Some of the world’s largest investors are investing billions of dollars in the belief that this is just the beginning.
SoftBank itself is backing this idea with massive capital commitments in AI infrastructure.
To understand why Son is so confident in the future of AI, it’s worth taking a closer look at where SoftBank is actually putting its money — and what those investments reveal about the real winners of the AI boom.
After all, if AI achieves even a fraction of the impact that Son expects, the greatest opportunities will lie not in the technology itself, but in the infrastructure needed to run it.
Let’s jump in…
Why Japan’s most valuable company is moving to France
SoftBank announced on Sunday that it will invest 45 billion euros ($53 billion) over the next five years to build artificial intelligence infrastructure… in France!
Oh no no! This new investment – SoftBank’s largest ever in Europe – is part of a €75 billion ($87 billion) program to produce 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France, with plans to build 3.1 gigawatts of AI data centers in Dunkirk, Bousquelles and Bouchein by 2031.
During a press conference on Monday about the €75 billion investment, Son noted that the overall investment could reach $750 billion when all systems are taken into account.
These are serious obligations for SoftBank, especially when added to the company’s list of other investments:
- In cooperation with Oracle, it has invested $500 billion in the Stargate project.
- Pledged $40 billion to OpenAI,
- A 10-gigawatt data center and additional power plants are being built in Ohio.
Sun stated that the company will mainly use project financing rather than its own money for investment, citing a data center project in Ohio that will finalize long-term agreements with customers soon.
He even suggests help from super-entrepreneurs, saying: “Our own funds are very extensive, so I am confident that we will get large orders from our customers with whom we already have relationships, so that we can expand this momentum to France.”
The bottom line is that investments in developing artificial intelligence are increasing in importance and scale.
And Softbank isn’t the only major company spending major currencies.
Last year alone, Amazon.com Inc. (Amzn), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Meta Platforms Inc. (dead), Alphabet Company (Google) They collectively pumped nearly $300 billion in capital expenditures (CapEx), focusing primarily on artificial intelligence and data center demand. This number will double this year, reaching $635 billion.
Given the scale of these investments, the speed with which they are occurring, and the remarkable progress that artificial intelligence has achieved, the value created by the AI boom exceeds that seen during the dot-com era.
This means that the profit potential is higher, and anything related to building AI infrastructure will be more in demand.
Companies supplying the AI economy will continue to see subsequent growth: utilities, energy equipment manufacturers, construction companies, data center operators, semiconductor companies, and network providers.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of such recipients to choose from. But selectivity is still very important. Here’s why…
The real winners of the AI Gold Rush
The rise in demand for AI does not lift all infrastructure boats equally.
Take it from another CEO, Nvidia company‘s (NVDA) Jensen Huang.
Just yesterday, he and Marvell technology companyMRVL) CEO Matthew Murphy discussed the importance of optical links and the growing role of AI infrastructure. Huang emphasized that although copper is still necessary to power AI systems, the industry is beginning to go beyond the physical limits of traditional electrical wiring.
As a result, the industry is moving towards optical systems to keep up.
This conversation sent shares of Marvell up 24% and the leading fiber optic company Corning Company (GLW) By approximately 13% – highlighting how quickly money is moving in this shift in AI infrastructure.
I’ve been trying to prepare readers for moments just like this, which is why I recommended Corning stock long before the recent hype arrived. This recommendation has gained nearly 400%, and is still advancing due to the long-term demand trends that Hwang mentioned on Monday.
But Corning is not the only beneficiary of AI gaining momentum. I’ve put it together My pitch is “sell this, buy that”. To share specific AI plays that I believe will maximize investors’ profits during the next phase of the AI boom.
During the video, I explain the huge potential of lesser-known – and sometimes misunderstood – pick-and-roll plays… which market segments I believe will see huge increases due to AI… and Give up seven trades entirely for free.
It is considered,
Eric Fry
