SoftBank could invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI

According to a Bloomberg report, information from sources participating in the discussions indicates the Japanese firm plans to make an investment between $15 billion and $25 billion.

Details about the investment are at the initial stage and may not go through. OpenAI requires additional data centers immediately to improve its AI capabilities during increased competition.

Chinese firm DeepSeek, among other emerging competitors, captured market share by providing equivalent AI capabilities with reduced expenses. At present, OpenAI depends extensively on Microsoft for its cloud computing infrastructure. Led by Masayoshi Son, SoftBank seeks an advantageous moment to enter the AI hardware business.

SoftBank shares decreased by 1%

Sam Altman of OpenAI introduced himself to SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son in 2019 when Son proposed a $1 billion investment that subsequently collapsed.

The companies grew closer over their economic worries about semiconductor shortages which threaten AI development. The Vision Fund committed $500 million to OpenAI and introduced a $1.5 billion executive share buyback offer last month. The potential investment news from SoftBank provided a boost to Asian chip stocks, including Advantest Corp., but SoftBank shares decreased by 1% in Tokyo’s market on Thursday.

While semiconductor-related stocks gained momentum from the news, Takehiko Masuzawa, head of equity trading at Phillip Securities Japan predicts “SoftBank, which is putting up the money, isn’t going to see the same buying momentum”.

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