The newly elected president of the USA, Trump, announced on Monday at an event attended with SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son that SoftBank plans to invest 100 billion dollars in the USA over the next four years.

Trump said, "He is doing this because he feels very optimistic about our country since the election." He added that this commitment represents "confidence in the future of the USA."

"I am very, very excited," said Son to reporters after meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. "I really want to celebrate President Trump's great victory, which has greatly increased my confidence in the USA economy."

According to a person familiar with the plan, it includes a commitment to create 100,000 jobs focused on AI and related infrastructure, including investments in datacenters, semiconductors, and energy.

SoftBank's announcement immediately raised the question: where will the company obtain the funds for the latest commitment? During Trump's first term, Son raised 100 billion dollars for the Vision Fund using funds from external investors and invested this cash into startups like WeWork, Uber Technologies, and DoorDash.

SoftBank currently does not have enough cash on hand to fulfill Son's commitment. As of the end of September, the company's cash and cash equivalents balance was 3.8 trillion yen (25 billion dollars). However, with the IPO of chip design company Arm Holdings Plc, the company's financial situation has somewhat improved. SoftBank still holds about 90% of Arm's shares, with the current market cap of Arm at approximately 160 billion dollars.

On Tuesday, SoftBank's stock price rose 3.3% in early trading in Tokyo, bringing its increase for the year to 55%.

This Japanese billionaire has joined many technology executives in hopes of winning favor with the incoming Trump administration. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will donate $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund, having previously donated to Biden's 2024 re-election campaign. Companies like Meta Platforms, Amazon, and the AI startup Perplexity have also pledged $1 million each.

Trump expressed surprise on Monday at being embraced by corporate executives, saying it was a stark contrast to his first term. "In the first term, everyone was fighting. This time, everyone wants to be my friend," he said.

During Trump's last tenure as president, Masayoshi Son established a strong relationship with him. In December 2016, Son made a similar visit to Trump Tower, promising to create 50,000 jobs as part of a $50 billion investment. SoftBank was one of the few companies to make such commitments at that time. The company actively invested in US firms through its Vision Fund investment tool. However, SoftBank later encountered difficulties, as many of its deals, including a multibillion-dollar investment in co-working startup WeWork, ended up in trouble, resulting in the company's eventual bankruptcy.

Son's promise this time marks the highest specification commitment from a company to expand its investments in the USA since Trump won the election.

During his campaign, Trump promised to boost the US economy by lowering corporate tax rates, using tariffs to stimulate foreign companies to invest in the USA, and overturning regulations that Republicans say hinder economic growth. Trump also pledged to expedite the approval process for projects willing to invest $1 billion or more in the USA.

Although he did not specify how he would expedite approvals, his commitment alleviated a major concern for technology and energy companies that regulatory delays could hinder the upgrade of US energy infrastructure, which is essential for driving AI development.

"This is President Trump delivering on his promises made to the American people during the campaign to make the USA a global manufacturing superpower," Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox Business on Monday.

However, Trump also told voters he wants foreign investment companies to become US-based entities, promising to attract businesses through tax cuts and deregulation. SoftBank's investment suggests this may be unlikely, as global companies are eager to announce Trump-friendly deals but are reluctant to take on the risks of relocating headquarters and supply chains.

It is currently unclear how much of SoftBank's commitment consists of new investments. According to Bloomberg News, before the election, Masayoshi Son had already planned to establish a joint venture worth 100 billion USD to develop chips for AI.

In the months following Trump's victory eight years ago, several large companies announced spending commitments, some related to long-anticipated projects. For example, Ford Motor announced plans to cancel a 1.6 billion USD factory in Mexico after facing strong criticism from Trump, opting instead to invest in facilities in the USA. The President of Ford's Americas division stated at that time that the company would invest 1.2 billion USD across three plants in Michigan, although some of these plans were part of contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers in 2015.

Masayoshi Son vowed to increase investment in AI, believing that AI technology will change almost every industry. In October, SoftBank invested 0.5 billion USD in OpenAI and plans to increase investment by making buyout offers for up to 1.5 billion USD in startup shares from existing shareholders.

Masayoshi Son said at the event at Mar-a-Lago, "President Trump is a strong (double-down) president, and I will also be steadfast."

Trump smiled and said he hoped Masayoshi Son would actually invest 200 billion USD in businesses in the USA.

"I will really try hard," Masayoshi Son said with a smile.