Singularity, the theory of computer intelligence surpassing human brain, would become a reality in the next 30 years, according to SoftBank founder, chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son.
“One of the chips in our shoes will be smarter than us, making our shoes much better than us,” Son said in his keynote address at the MWC 2017.
“That’s why I am in a hurry to aggregate cash and invest.... I am also looking for partners as I cannot do it alone,” he added.
He also said that SoftBank’s semiconductor unit ARM will decliner about a trillion chips for the Internet of Things (IoT) over the next 20 years.
“That’s why I spent $32 billion to acquire ARM,” he added.
The smartphone market is only expected to grow by 5 per cent in the next five years, compared with 37 per cent in the last 5 years. This would be due to a severe impact on average revenue per user, he said, adding that operators should stress on technology.
Son jointly with Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund are creating a $100-billion technology investment fund.
rajesh.kurup@thehindu.co.in