💵 AI Cash Check: SoftBank sold its entire Nvidia stake for USD 5.83 billion and raised another USD 9.2 billion from T-Mobile sales. The move frees up liquidity for its next big AI push.
🤖 OpenAI Bet: Masayoshi Son is steering SoftBank toward applications and infrastructure. Planned Q4 allocations total USD 30.5 billion — USD 22.5 billion for OpenAI and USD 6.5 billion for Ampere. The Stargate project aims to massively expand US data center capacity.
📈 Vision Boost: SoftBank’s half-year profit nearly tripled. The Vision Fund reported a USD 19 billion gain. OpenAI is cited as the key driver behind a 7.7% revenue increase — SoftBank is going all in.
🫧 Bubble Pressure: The Nvidia exit stirred investor nerves, sending the stock down about 2%. Analysts see the pullback as a buying opportunity — Nvidia remains the backbone of the AI boom, though valuations look overheated.
💣 Thin Cushion: SoftBank’s market cap fell nearly 20% within a week amid concerns over its heavy reliance on OpenAI and Stargate. Funding for the USD 500 billion mega-project remains unclear.
- SoftBank and OpenAI have each pledged about USD 19 billion in equity; the rest will be financed through debt and additional partners.
Big Picture
SoftBank recently completed funding for its USD 30 billion OpenAI stake — part of a planned USD 41 billion round to fuel the next growth phase. Strategically, SoftBank brings capital, speed, and Asian market access, while OpenAI provides the models. Together, they aim to scale AI applications and infrastructure on a global level.
The China Survival Guide for Western Businesses
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