SoftBank in Talks to Invest Up to $25 Billion in OpenAI

  • ChatGPT creator seeks greater computing power to outrun rivals
  • China’s DeepSeek is emboldening new entrants into AI field
Masayoshi Son in Tokyo in 2024.Photographer: Toru Hanai/Bloomberg
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SoftBank Group Corp. is in discussions to invest as much as $25 billion in OpenAI, a move that would potentially make it the AI startup’s biggest backer.

The Japanese investment company is in talks to put in between $15 billion and $25 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. That would be in addition to the $15 billion that Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank has committed to Project Stargate, the Texas-based joint venture with OpenAI to build data centers and other AI infrastructure to support the ChatGPT maker, the person said, asking not to be named discussing private talks.