SoftBank considers mega investment in OpenAI

SoftBank considers mega investment in OpenAI

SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $25 billion in ChatGPT owner OpenAI, according to sources. The Japanese conglomerate thus continues to expand in the sector.

This is according to Reuters. SoftBank could invest $15 billion to $25 billion directly in OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft. According to the source, part of this investment would potentially be used for OpenAI’s commitment to Stargate.

Stargate is a joint venture of Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank. It has plans to invest up to $500 billion to keep the United States at the forefront of the global AI race, ahead of China and other competitors.

SoftBank’s investment would be in addition to the $15 billion it has already committed to Stargate. The source said the talks are still in the early stages.

Technology website The Information previously reported that SoftBank planned to invest $40 billion in Stargate and OpenAI and that it had begun talks to borrow up to $18.5 billion, backed by its publicly traded assets.

Trump touted Stargate

The Stargate project was announced last week at the White House by U.S. President Donald Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison.

Since then, however, a relatively unknown Chinese startup, DeepSeek, has shaken up the markets with a free artificial intelligence assistant. This system would have been developed inexpensively with cheaper chips and less data than U.S. competitors. SoftBank’s share price soared after the news about Stargate but has fallen more than 12% since the DeepSeek-induced sales surge.

According to the Financial Times, SoftBank CEO Son’s plan to take a large stake in OpenAI and fulfill its Stargate commitments has been reviewed by senior executives and OpenAI’s board of directors. Last year, SoftBank already took a $1.5 billion stake in OpenAI.

In its latest funding round, OpenAI was valued at $157 billion, keeping it among the world’s most valuable private companies. OpenAI and SoftBank did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.