Apple to invest $1bn in emerging technologies

Luxury gadget and phone makers, Apple wants to play a bigger role in the advancement of emerging technologies.

According to reports, the company may donate $1 billion in the SoftBank Vision Fund, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

The fund has a target of $100 billion, so while a $1 billion donation would only be one percent of that goal, it would mean that the largest tech company in the world supports the fund and could cause others to invest in it too.

SoftBank itself will contribute $25 billion, while the Saudi Arabian government is expected to be the largest contributor with $45 billion.

The SoftBank Fund itself is expected to invest in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and has even caught the attention of President-elect Donald Trump, who recently met with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son to discuss a pledge for $50 billion of the fund to be invested in the U.S.

The fund hopes to launch at some point in 2017