SoftBank gains $4.2 B from OpenAI stake
AI investments push SoftBank Vision Fund higher, offsetting declines in other major tech stakes.
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Japan: SoftBank reported a $2.4 B gain at its Vision Fund in the December quarter, boosted by a $4.2 B rise in the value of its OpenAI stake. The increase helped offset losses from declining shares in Coupang, Didi, and a markdown in TikTok creator ByteDance.
The gains contributed to SoftBank Group’s fiscal third-quarter net profit of $1.6 B (248.6 B yen), reversing a loss from the same period last year, although slightly below analyst expectations.
OpenAI remains central to SoftBank’s AI strategy, with more than $30 B invested in the ChatGPT developer, representing roughly 11 % ownership. From April to December, SoftBank recorded a $17 B gain on its OpenAI investment, with CFO Yoshimitsu Goto calling the decision “successful.” OpenAI is reportedly seeking a new funding round of around $100 B, though no commitment has yet been made by SoftBank.
SoftBank is also reshaping its portfolio to fund its AI ambitions, selling Nvidia shares for $5.83 B and $12.73 B of T-Mobile stock, while taking loans against other holdings such as chip designer Arm.
The company has created an “AI Computing Segment” to include Arm, Graphcore, and Ampere, which posted a $590.7 M (91.8 B yen) loss over nine months due to acquisition costs and higher staff levels. SoftBank views its chip investments as critical for sectors from robotics to driverless cars and data centres.
Following strong telecom results and a rise in Arm’s share price, SoftBank’s stock has climbed this week, highlighting growing investor confidence in its AI-focused strategy.
Source: CNBC
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