The Information 分析SoftBank加速推动SB Energy上市，文章对其投资价值持怀疑态度

So far, to fund its data center ambitions, SB Energy has borrowed several billion dollars and raised equity from, among others, OpenAI and Nvidia. (The [AI chip giant is also providing](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/nvidia-talks-invest-3-billion-sb-energy-part-openai-data-center-deal?rc=9byxri) a financial backstop to SB Energy’s biggest data center project, located in Ohio, in case OpenAI can’t pay its bills.) You might wonder why SB Energy is going public right now. After all, its parent is a public company—why sell stock in such an early-stage subsidiary? No prizes for guessing the answer: SoftBank needs the money. The Japanese investment conglomerate is on an AI spending spree, raising money however it can, by either selling assets or borrowing against them. (Remember, [SoftBank has borrowed money](https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/the-briefing/softbanks-openai-backed-loan-highlights-risks-financing-strategy?rc=9byxri) to invest in OpenAI and now plans to borrow more money using its OpenAI shares as collateral!)

Is SB Energy something any investor should touch? For sure, its marketing pitch—that it focuses first on getting power lined up for its data center projects rather than treating power as an afterthought—is perfectly timed for this moment. Elon Musk has been [banging the drum](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2093810234141634702?s=20)lately about the energy crisis facing the data center industry, pointing [out in a virtual appearance at a G20-related event on Tuesday](https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/elon-musk-calls-countries-build-data-centers-north-carolina-g20-meeting?rc=9byxri) that the tech industry faces a “crisis of power,” which will lead to a shortage of the power required to turn on chips next year. In that scenario, data centers developers whose projects already have power connections will be ahead.

But there’s plenty of reason to be wary of SB Energy. It’s hardly confidence-inspiring that the campus nearest to completion—by the end of this year—is one in Travis, Texas, that an affiliate of SoftBank itself will be leasing. SoftBank has [announced plans](https://group.softbank/en/news/press/20260702) to launch its own neocloud, by the way, so that’s presumably the purpose of this campus. (SB Energy also has to pay 1% of its gross profit to SoftBank as royalties under a trademark deal, which won’t help its profitability.)

Then there’s SB Energy’s dependence on OpenAI. SB has three other data center campuses under development, the biggest of which hasn’t even begun construction, that OpenAI will lease. (SB has land for a couple of other projects, but those are in too early a stage to have customers lined up yet.) And to think some investors have complained about CoreWeave’s reliance on a handful of customers!

In that sense, SB Energy is simply another way for SoftBank to support OpenAI. If investors want exposure to AI, they can buy into Nvidia, or OpenAI when it goes public (expected next year) or—if appetite for risk is unlimited—SoftBank itself. What does SB Energy really offer?2Musk’s MarketingMusk’s Marketing

### Musk’s Marketing

You’ve got to hand it to Elon Musk—he’s always marketing. His virtual appearance before a G20-related group on Tuesday was marked by several promotions for one of his various businesses.

At one point, while talking about the coming power shortage for data centers, Musk went on a tangent to make a plug for his X platform (formerly known as Twitter). He encouraged event attendees to search for AI topics on X, noting that it’s “where all of the AI discourse takes place” and it’s “how I get my news.…Anyone who is anyone in AI posts on X.”

Earlier in his comments, he had talked up Tesla’s self-driving car technology, which he called a “tremendous boon to users,” and then highlighted the value of humanoid robots, also in development at Tesla. Humanoids will be “five times as productive” as humans, he said.

### AI Comes to Toothbrushes

This could really overload data center capacity. Dyson, maker of high-tech vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, is coming out with an electric toothbrush, equipped with a camera powered by an AI machine-learning algorithm. Seriously.

The algorithm “analyzes 28 live images per second to identify and target gaps between teeth in real time,” with the device blasting a jet of water at areas of the mouth it deems necessary. (Images remain private to the user, Dyson says—as though anyone wants to see close-up video of someone’s teeth!)

And Dyson isn’t stopping there. It’s developed its own “nonfoaming toothpaste” to work with the device. Priced at a mere $499, the toothbrush is already[listed on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Dyson-CameraJetTM-Electric-Toothbrush-Precision/dp/B0GZ5BBCWX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HMK9OMAMTSX7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.r0Gxm09-8BO84BFXs2wituM3VI8EzZ4EgXkwvmVVTjB9Vfnsmk-lLRRbtxpmuc3SF1g0dU2yG0Z-0wrAmbkXmg0816IKzVUFTPZBgTevU8JgVrknt6gNm6od3WSARCU2T1CvWU5uGnnzZlX29Mu-s0gQ9-LGN0rx2cSI1mBTU4HEpeVO5Ao5vSO8jsqkGElL5kqj1Tpy-G8o4vmN0oDD5SQLyHv7eVY2ld9zeIv4LsWGbiCht_dT-7jktmX-FkrC5YoBvCS7bfHu3gd6ltZbBSY5amp-8IGyOerT0D6nBAo.9u31vJJuzU5rjNt33w5EWQ-rZI7S48qho_gJ_BL8IPc&dib_tag=se&keywords=dyson%2Belectric%2Btoothbrush&qid=1788299444&sprefix=%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1&th=1), available next week!

### In Other News

**•** Anthropic [unveiled its latest models](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-fable-and-mythos-5-1), Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Mythos 5.1, announcing that Fable 5.1 will be 25% cheaper than Fable 5 for “typical workloads” while offering as much as 45% savings for “highly agentic work.” Only Fable.1 is available widely. Mythos 5.1 is solely available to a select group of companies.

**•**Shares of Chinese online fashion giant Shein ended flat on its first day of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, capping off the company’s convoluted multiyear quest to go public.

• Chinese AI firm Z.ai’s revenue in the first half jumped nearly fivefold from a year earlier to 954 million yuan ($142 million), boosted by skyrocketing sales of cloud-based AI model services.

• Palo Alto Networks lifted revenue 34% to $3.4 billion in the three months ending in July. CEO Nikesh Arora attributed the growth, which accelerated from 31% the quarter prior, to growing demand for cybersecurity from companies seeking to defend against new AI-powered threats.

• OpenAI plans to limit access to the most advanced cybersecurity capabilities of its forthcoming Astra model, [according to a Tuesday blog post.](https://openai.com/index/path-to-astra/)

### Today on The Information’s TITV

Check out[today’s episode of TITV](https://www.theinformation.com/titv/) in which we analyze Nvidia’s MediaTek convertibles investment.

### Recommended Newsletter

Start your day with *Applied AI*, the newsletter from The Information that uncovers how leading businesses are leveraging AI to automate tasks across the board. [Subscribe now](https://www.theinformation.com/features/applied-ai) for free to get it delivered straight to your inbox twice a week.

### New From Our Reporters

[https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacex-shakes-data-center-leadership-aggressive-build](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacex-shakes-data-center-leadership-aggressive-build)Exclusive

#### [SpaceX Shakes Up Data Center Leadership After Aggressive Build-Out](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/spacex-shakes-data-center-leadership-aggressive-build)

By Grace Kay

[https://www.theinformation.com/articles/katzenbergs-bash-openai-meta-execs-rub-elbows-hollywood](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/katzenbergs-bash-openai-meta-execs-rub-elbows-hollywood)Dealmaker

#### [At Katzenberg’s Bash, OpenAI, Meta Execs Rub Elbows With Hollywood](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/katzenbergs-bash-openai-meta-execs-rub-elbows-hollywood)

By Cory Weinberg

[https://www.theinformation.com/articles/wafer-inference-provider-uses-non-nvidia-chips-lands-acquisition-offers-200-million-plus-valuation](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/wafer-inference-provider-uses-non-nvidia-chips-lands-acquisition-offers-200-million-plus-valuation)AI Agenda

#### [Wafer, An Inference Provider That Uses Non-Nvidia Chips, Lands Acquisition Offers and $200 Million-Plus Valuation](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/wafer-inference-provider-uses-non-nvidia-chips-lands-acquisition-offers-200-million-plus-valuation)

By Stephanie Palazzolo

### Upcoming Events

#### [Wednesday, September 23 — AI Agenda Live SF 2026](https://www.theinformation.com/events/ai-agenda-live-2026)

Join us to explore the technologies and strategies shaping AI’s next era, with insights from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Atlassian, and more. Tickets are limited—reserve yours today.

[More details](https://www.theinformation.com/events/ai-agenda-live-2026)

#### [Tuesday, October 27 — The Information’s 2026 WTF Summit](https://www.theinformation.com/events/wtf-summit-2026)

The Information’s WTF Summit returns to Napa Valley October 27–28, bringing together the women shaping what’s next across tech, media and finance. Expect two days of candid conversations, unexpected connections and a room built for meaningful exchange. Tickets are selling quickly, with the next price increase coming soon.

[More details](https://www.theinformation.com/events/wtf-summit-2026)