SoftBank is currently engaged in discussions regarding a potential investment of up to $25 billion (approximately Rs. 2,16,450 crore) in OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT. This move is part of the Japanese conglomerate’s ongoing efforts to expand its footprint in the technology sector.
The proposed investment could range between $15 billion (around Rs. 1,29,880 crore) and $25 billion, with some funds potentially allocated to support OpenAI’s commitments related to a project named Stargate, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
Stargate is a collaborative initiative involving Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank, which aims to secure an investment of up to $500 billion (about Rs. 43,28,620 crore) to ensure the United States maintains a competitive edge against China and other adversaries in the global artificial intelligence landscape.
SoftBank’s latest investment would be in addition to the $15 billion (approximately Rs. 1,29,878 crore) it has already pledged to Stargate. The talks concerning this new investment are still in the preliminary stages.
The Financial Times first reported on the potential investment in OpenAI earlier on Thursday.
In a previous report, the tech news outlet The Information indicated that SoftBank was considering an overall investment of $40 billion (roughly Rs. 3,46,320 crore) into both Stargate and OpenAI, while also exploring the option to secure up to $18.5 billion (approximately Rs. 1,60,170 crore) in financing backed by its publicly-traded assets.
The Stargate venture was publicly announced last week at the White House, with U.S. President Donald Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison in attendance.
Since the announcement, a lesser-known Chinese startup, DeepSeek, has disrupted the market with a free AI assistant that it claims was developed at a lower cost using more affordable chips and less data than its U.S. counterparts.
In light of these developments, SoftBank’s stock experienced a rise following news of the Stargate initiative; however, it has since declined by over 12 percent due to market reactions triggered by DeepSeek’s emergence. On Thursday morning, SoftBank’s shares were down by around one percent.
Reports from the Financial Times suggest that SoftBank CEO Son’s strategy to acquire a significant stake in OpenAI and fulfill Stargate obligations has received approval from senior executives and the board at OpenAI. Last year, SoftBank made a $1.5 billion (approximately Rs. 12,990 crore) investment in OpenAI.
OpenAI was valued at approximately $157 billion (around Rs. 13,59,250 crore) in its last funding round, reinforcing its position as one of the most valuable private firms globally.
Neither OpenAI nor SoftBank responded to requests for comments from Reuters.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
