Japanese investment giant SoftBank is reportedly in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI, potentially becoming the startup’s biggest financial supporter.
The deal, if finalized, would further deepen SoftBank’s ties with the company behind ChatGPT.
According to the Financial Times, SoftBank is considering an investment ranging between $15 billion and $25 billion.
The firm already holds a stake in OpenAI and participated in a recent funding round that valued the San Francisco-based company at $157 billion.
SoftBank’s Expanding AI Influence
SoftBank, which has invested in major tech firms like ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) and Arm, is looking to strengthen its presence in AI.
Last week, SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle announced Stargate, a massive AI infrastructure project, with plans to build advanced data centers. The initial investment for Stargate is $100 billion, making it one of the largest AI projects to date.
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Musk Criticizes, Altman Responds
The Financial Times reports SoftBank’s proposed equity investment would also cover its commitment to Stargate. However, billionaire Elon Musk has expressed skepticism, claiming that the backers of Stargate “don’t actually have the money.”
In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman dismissed Musk’s claims on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“This is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope you’ll mostly put US first.”
Competition From China’s DeepSeek
Meanwhile, OpenAI faces increasing competition from China. This month, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek surged to the top of Apple’s free app store rankings, rattling AI-related stocks.
Altman initially welcomed the competition, calling DeepSeek’s rise “legitimately invigorating.” However, OpenAI later accused Chinese startups of using its technology to build rival AI models.
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Investment Talks Still Ongoing
The proposed SoftBank-OpenAI deal is still under review. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has reportedly discussed the plan with senior OpenAI executives and board members, but no agreement has been finalized.
If the deal moves forward, SoftBank would significantly strengthen its role in shaping the future of AI, further intensifying competition in the global artificial intelligence race.
