SoftBank, a big Japanese company led by Masayoshi Son, is changing its approach in India. Instead of focusing on investments in tech startups, it now wants to buy Indian IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to add artificial intelligence (AI) to their services.
SoftBank tried to buy a BPO company called AGS Health for $1 billion, but the deal didn’t happen, and another company, Blackstone, took over. SoftBank is still talking to other firms, like WNS Global, to either buy them or to collaborate with them to bring AI into their work.
India doesn’t have its own big AI LLM model like the US’s OpenAI or Anthropic, so SoftBank has seen a high chance to bring AI to industries in India. It wants to introduce AI into different sectors like finance, healthcare, and legal services, which are ready for a tech upgrade. SoftBank wants to ensure its services are smarter and more efficient using AI.
As per the reports, they are evaluating small-to-mid-sized firms to deploy AI resources. Queries to SoftBank, AGS Health’s promoter EQT Private Capital Asia, and WNS received no response or cited market speculation.
SoftBank’s strategy aligns with its global AI push, including a $500 billion US-based Stargate Project and Cristal Intelligence, a $3 billion annual initiative with OpenAI to develop adaptive AI systems. Last year, CEO Alex Clavel stated that the bank’s Vision Fund, which has invested $160 billion worldwide, is looking to build its AI infrastructure and data centers in India, using the country’s strong digital systems.
SoftBank also has a goal to create a huge $1 trillion AI and robotics center in Arizona. It wants to call it a Crystal Land that is focused on advanced chips and AI research. By buying Indian IT and outsourcing companies, SoftBank aims to bring AI into India’s $250 billion outsourcing industry. That will make it more innovative and efficient.