SoftBank Group's CEO Masayoshi Son stated on Friday that he is ready to go all-in on OpenAI. Since 2024, this Japanese tech giant has been actively increasing its investment in OpenAI, participating in multiple collaboration projects including Stargate. Son said that despite OpenAI not being publicly listed and not yet profitable, SoftBank's total investment commitment has reached approximately 4.8 trillion yen (about $33.2 billion). He believes OpenAI will eventually go public and become one of the most valuable companies globally, but also acknowledges that investing in such a company requires enormous courage.
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ToggleOpenAI Once Chose Microsoft, Lost Opportunity with SoftBank
Son revealed at the shareholders' meeting that as early as 2019, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asked if he was willing to invest $10 billion, to which he agreed, as OpenAI was performing well and he had available funds. However, Sam Altman ultimately chose to partner with Microsoft.
Microsoft established a strategic partnership with OpenAI in 2019, investing $1 billion and becoming its exclusive cloud computing platform, with exclusive rights to integrate GPT models into Azure services. This collaboration led to the creation of products like ChatGPT and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
In early 2025, OpenAI expanded its cloud partnerships, causing Microsoft to lose its exclusive supplier status. Recently, Microsoft did not approve OpenAI's restructuring plan to transition from a non-profit to a traditional for-profit enterprise, raising market doubts about the stability of their collaboration.
Son stated that at the time, SoftBank was smaller, while Microsoft possessed global supply chain, technical talent, and brand advantages that SoftBank could not previously provide.
Son Says SoftBank Will Go All-in on OpenAI
SoftBank had previously stated that if OpenAI fails to change from a non-profit to a for-profit entity by December 31, 2025, its investment would be reduced from $30 billion to $20 billion. Nevertheless, Son emphasized his increasing confidence in OpenAI and that SoftBank will go all-in on OpenAI.
SoftBank's New Vision: Artificial Superintelligence
Behind Son's investment in OpenAI is a more long-term goal: he hopes SoftBank will become the industry organizer and largest platform provider in the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) era. ASI is an AI system with intelligence 10,000 times higher than humans. Son stated that in the next decade, SoftBank will establish infrastructure supporting ASI, with OpenAI and the British chip design company Arm (acquired by SoftBank in 2016) being two key pillars. SoftBank is actively investing in the AI chip ecosystem. Earlier this year, the group acquired the US chip design company Ampere for $6.5 billion, expanding its AI hardware capabilities.
SoftBank Plans to Invest $1 Trillion to Build AI Superintelligence City
According to Bloomberg, Son is considering building a $1 trillion AI and robotics industrial park in the United States (possibly in Arizona), tentatively named Project Crystal Land. The park is expected to integrate AI R&D, manufacturing, and automated systems, aiming to become a global AI industry hub. Sources indicate that SoftBank has begun negotiations with the US federal government for tax incentives and infrastructure support, while also attempting to attract semiconductor giants like TSMC and Samsung to participate in the project.
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