April 9 - Rene Haas, the chief executive officer of semiconductor designer Arm, is expected to take on significant leadership duties across SoftBank Group’s international arm while continuing to serve as Arm’s CEO, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Arm - which is majority-owned by the Japanese conglomerate - declined to comment. Both also declined to comment to the Financial Times.
Haas’s prospective appointment is framed as part of SoftBank’s push to advance its artificial intelligence chip strategy, known within the group as Project Izanagi. The initiative was launched to position SoftBank against competitors including U.S.-based chipmaker Nvidia, the report said.
The Financial Times said Haas would likely receive a title that reflects a senior operational role at SoftBank Group International. However, he was not expected to take on responsibility for the group’s Vision Fund investment vehicles or for its energy business, according to the report.
Were the move to be formalized, the role at SoftBank Group International would place Haas among the most senior executives working directly with SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, the FT added. The report appears against a backdrop of increasing corporate focus from Son on artificial intelligence after a period in which the group experienced both very large gains and substantial losses associated with its Vision Fund activities.
The Financial Times piece also noted Son’s sizable AI commitments, including SoftBank’s agreement to invest $30 billion in OpenAI through Vision Fund 2. The Japanese firm held an approximate 11% stake in OpenAI at the end of last year, the report said.
Separately, Arm last month unveiled a new AI data centre chip. The company has stated that the product could add billions of dollars in revenue and represents a notable strategic shift for Arm. Since that announcement, Arm’s shares have risen by more than 10%, the report noted.
The article also contained a promotional segment asking whether investors should consider buying the SoftBank ticker 9984, noting that a third-party AI-based tool evaluates 9984 alongside thousands of other companies using more than 100 financial metrics. That segment indicated the tool assesses fundamentals, momentum, and valuation to identify investment ideas.
Summary
Rene Haas is reportedly poised to lead significant portions of SoftBank’s international business while remaining Arm’s CEO. The appointment is tied to efforts to accelerate Project Izanagi, SoftBank’s strategy to compete in AI chips, and would not extend to Vision Fund or energy operations. SoftBank and Arm declined to comment to the FT, and the report outlines the scale of recent AI-related commitments by SoftBank’s founder.