According to reports, first revealed by the Wall Street Journal, SoftBank Group is engaged in discussions to potentially invest up to $30 billion more in OpenAI as the Japanese conglomerate seeks to bolster its presence in artificial intelligence.
A potential new investment from SoftBank could accompany an OpenAI fundraising round aimed at securing as much as $100 billion, with an estimated company valuation in the $750 billion to $830 billion range. The exact investment amount remains fluid, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
SoftBank, led by Chief Executive Masayoshi Son, has increased its financial exposure to AI in recent months. In December, SoftBank disclosed it had acquired an 11% stake in OpenAI for $41 billion, noting its strategy to deepen engagement in the rapidly evolving sector.
To support its investments, SoftBank has recently divested from assets including its holdings in Nvidia and shares of T-Mobile US, while also pausing other large transactions, such as discussions to acquire U.S. data center operator Switch.
Beyond OpenAI, SoftBank’s recent acquisitions include U.S. chip producer Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion and ABB’s robotics unit for $5.4 billion. These moves underscore SoftBank’s ambition to extend its AI and technology portfolio, despite facing credit rating pressure, according to S&P Global Ratings, resulting from increased AI expenditures and a decline in the value of its Arm shares at the end of the previous year.
Meanwhile, both SoftBank and OpenAI are also financial backers of Stargate, a substantial $500 billion project to build AI-focused data centers in support of U.S. ambitions to maintain a technological edge over China.
