SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son Proposes $1 Trillion AI Hardware Hub in Arizona with TSMC
Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, has proposed a $1 trillion AI and robotics manufacturing complex in Arizona, according to multiple reports, including Bloomberg and FT.
The proposed project, internally referred to as “Project Crystal Land,” would aim to create a massive industrial ecosystem dedicated to producing chips, robotics components, and AI hardware.
Son has held early discussions with officials in the U.S. government, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, as well as Arizona state leaders.
According to a Bloomberg source, Son is looking for both federal and state-level support, including potential tax incentives and land grants. A source told Bloomberg:
“He wants to do for hardware what Silicon Valley did for software.”
The scale of the proposed development is unprecedented. Sources familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times that Son envisions a campus that includes semiconductor fabrication facilities, advanced robotics R&D labs, logistics infrastructure, and residential zones for workers.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is a key target partner for the project.
Son has approached the Taiwan-based chipmaker to co-invest and expand its Arizona operations beyond the $65 billion already committed to its existing fabs in Phoenix. TSMC has not publicly confirmed participation in the new proposal.
A spokesperson from SoftBank declined to comment. TSMC also has not issued a formal response.
Son’s new push follows his $500 billion “Stargate” project, announced earlier this year, focused on building data center infrastructure to support OpenAI and Oracle. Unlike Stargate, the Arizona megaproject is focused on physical manufacturing rather than cloud infrastructure.
Bloomberg noted that Son has discussed using a funding model similar to Stargate, which relies heavily on project financing from institutional investors.
According to the Times of India, Son sees this Arizona-based facility as a way to reduce global reliance on Asian chip supply chains and to establish the United States as a self-sufficient hub for next-generation AI hardware. The publication quoted a source familiar with the talks:
“He wants to build the next Shenzhen, but in America.”
The project’s timeline and investment partners are still under negotiation, and it remains unclear whether regulatory and political hurdles could delay or derail the plan. Bloomberg reported that the White House has been briefed, but has not yet offered any formal position on backing the proposal.
While the project remains in early stages, its announcement signals Son’s continued ambition to lead foundational infrastructure for global AI development, not just through capital investment, but by reshaping where and how advanced systems are built.
