SoftBank Eyes Major New Investment in OpenAI Amid Soaring Valuation Talks

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Reports indicate that SoftBank Group is in discussions to provide a substantial new capital infusion to OpenAI. According to information from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, the Japanese investment conglomerate is considering an additional investment that could reach $30 billion. This move would significantly deepen SoftBank's already considerable footprint in the artificial intelligence sector, with market participants keenly focused on the potential valuation such a funding round could imply for the ChatGPT developer.

Key Details of the Potential Deal:
* Negotiations are underway for up to $30 billion in fresh capital from SoftBank.
* The broader funding round OpenAI is conducting could raise a total of up to $100 billion.
* If fully placed, OpenAI could be valued at approximately $830 billion.
* Reuters reports that SoftBank already holds an 11% stake in OpenAI from a prior investment made in December 2025.

SoftBank's potential new investment follows a significant earlier commitment. The company reportedly invested $41 billion in OpenAI in December 2025 to secure its current 11% ownership stake. A separate Morningstar report from yesterday cited a figure of $22.5 billion for that same equity share, highlighting the dynamic nature of such large-scale private valuations.

The massive new $30 billion injection under discussion would form part of a larger financing effort by OpenAI that aims to secure as much as $100 billion in total, according to Reuters sources. Achieving this ambitious target could result in a staggering valuation for OpenAI of around $830 billion. SoftBank has declined to comment on the ongoing talks.

Market Response and Broader "Stargate" Collaboration

News of the potential investment was received positively by investors. Morningstar, citing Dow Jones, reported that SoftBank shares traded in Tokyo advanced by 3.4% to 4,190 yen following the reports. The stock price listed on the company's investor relations page the following day was 4,265 yen.

The partnership between the two firms extends beyond direct equity. Reuters notes that both SoftBank and OpenAI are key investors in the "Stargate" project, a $500+ billion initiative to construct AI data centers for training and inference. In a January 9 report, Reuters stated that OpenAI and SoftBank each invested $500 million into SB Energy, a SoftBank subsidiary, to expand data center and power infrastructure for "Stargate." SB Energy is tasked with building and operating OpenAI's 1.2-gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas.

Shifting Focus and Upcoming Financial Disclosure

The scale of SoftBank's strategic pivot toward AI was hinted at in a December Reuters report. It suggested that SoftBank had slowed numerous other deals within its Vision Fund to concentrate capital for its OpenAI commitments. Investors will gain clearer insight into the company's financial standing soon. According to its official investor relations calendar, SoftBank is scheduled to release its results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 on February 12. Additionally, a 4-for-1 stock split became effective on January 1.

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