SoftBank Group has completed a USD 41 billion (Rs 3,686.72 billion) investment in OpenAI, marking one of the largest private funding rounds ever and giving the Japanese conglomerate an estimated stake of about 11 per cent in the ChatGPT creator, according to Reuters. The move underscores SoftBank’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence and related infrastructure, positioning it as a key backer of one of the fastest-growing technology firms globally.
Reuters reports that SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has taken an “all in” approach toward OpenAI as the company ramps up investments in AI technologies and the computing capacity needed to support advanced AI applications. The strategy reflects SoftBank’s vision to capitalise on the surging demand for AI-driven innovation across industries.
The timing of the investment follows SoftBank’s recent announcement to acquire digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge Group in a USD 4 billion (Rs 359.68 billion) transaction, further reinforcing its focus on AI-related infrastructure.
Breaking down the funding, SoftBank completed an additional USD 22.5 billion (Rs 2,023.2 billion) investment in OpenAI on Wednesday, following an earlier USD 7.5 billion (Rs 674.4 billion) commitment in April. OpenAI also secured an expanded syndicated co-investment from other backers worth Rs 11 billion, SoftBank added.
The deal values OpenAI at up to USD 500 billion (Rs 44,960 billion), reflecting the company’s rapid growth and market potential. In March, SoftBank had agreed to invest up to USD 40 billion (Rs 3,596.8 billion) into a for-profit subsidiary of OpenAI, structured as a combination of direct capital and syndicated co-investment from other investors. That agreement initially placed OpenAI’s post-money valuation at around USD 300 billion (Rs 26,976 billion), but a subsequent secondary stock sale in October boosted the company’s valuation to roughly USD 500 billion, according to Pitchbook data cited by Reuters.
AI has emerged as a central driver of global technology markets in 2025, spurring unprecedented investment from major companies and reshaping investor expectations. OpenAI has become a leading beneficiary of this wave of AI-focused funding.
In parallel with these investments, OpenAI, Oracle, and other stakeholders have outlined plans for the multi-year “Stargate” data centre project, designed to support next-generation AI models. SoftBank is a key backer of this initiative, which aims to provide the scalable computing infrastructure required to power advanced AI capabilities globally.
With this historic investment, SoftBank strengthens its position at the forefront of the AI revolution, combining strategic capital deployment with infrastructure expansion to drive the next phase of AI development.
 investment in OpenAI, marking one of the largest private funding round...){kind=link}