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SoftBank’s Vision Fund gains $2.4b on AI investments
SoftBank reported a US$2.4 billion gain in its December quarter, driven by a rise in the value of its investment in OpenAI, according to CNBC.
The Japanese conglomerate’s Vision Fund has invested heavily in AI companies, including about US$40 billion in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
The fund also holds stakes in chip designer Arm, and companies involved in robotics and autonomous vehicles.
SoftBank’s shares rose this week following strong results from its telecom division, and a rally in Arm’s stock price.
The company aims to position itself as a key player in AI development through its investments in the sector.
🔗 Source: CNBC
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SoftBank’s OpenAI gains dwarf earlier estimates
- SoftBank Group Corp. logged $17.0 billion (52,531.5 billion) in investment gains tied to OpenAI for SoftBank Vision Fund 2 over the first nine months of its fiscal year, April to December 2025 1.
- Vision Fund 2 relied on SoftBank for all funding after it drew no outside investors. Wikipedia says the fund followed a record $32 billion SoftBank Group loss for the fiscal year ending March 2023 2.
- OpenAI’s $41 billion financing package included $30.0 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 plus $11.0 billion from co-investors. SoftBank routed its $30.0 billion through Vision Fund 2 3.
Funding moves from parts to full AI buildouts
- The OpenAI deal helps pay for computing, data centers, and networking needed to run AI services at scale.
- CNBC said some funds were set aside for Stargate, an AI infrastructure joint venture involving Oracle and SoftBank 4.
- SoftBank agreed to buy DigitalBridge for $3.1 billion, not about $4 billion. SoftBank Group Corp. also sold 32.1 million NVIDIA shares for $5.83 billion, not a $5.8 billion stake 1.
- The pattern suggests big backers are putting more money into end-to-end AI stacks. These stacks bundle models, infrastructure, and distribution.
Recent SoftBank developments
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