SoftBank in talks to invest up to $25 billion into OpenAI, reports

SoftBank is reportedly in talks to invest as much as $25 billion in OpenAI, according to reports from Reuters and the Financial Times, citing a source with knowledge of the discussions. This move comes just days after a Chinese AI startup shook up the industry, signaling another big shift in the race to dominate artificial intelligence.

The discussions follow former President Trump’s announcement of a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative in partnership with OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle. The goal is to accelerate AI development in the U.S. over the next four years.

SoftBank is considering a direct investment between $15 billion and $25 billion in OpenAI, which could help fund OpenAI’s commitment to Stargate, the source told Reuters. Stargate is a joint venture between Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank, aiming to keep the U.S. ahead in the AI competition.

Project Stargate unveiled at The White House

“SoftBank could invest $15 billion to $25 billion directly into Microsoft-backed OpenAI, some of which may be used to pay for OpenAI’s commitment to Stargate, the person said,” Reuters reported.

The investment would be in addition to the $15 billion SoftBank has already committed to Stargate, though talks are still in early stages. The Financial Times first reported the latest discussions earlier on Thursday. OpenAI and SoftBank declined to comment when reached by Reuters.

Tech news site The Information previously reported that SoftBank was looking to invest a total of $40 billion into Stargate and OpenAI, with efforts to secure $18.5 billion in financing backed by its publicly listed assets.

The Stargate venture was unveiled at the White House last week, with former President Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison in attendance.

Since then, a little-known Chinese startup, DeepSeek, has shaken up the market with a free AI assistant that claims to operate on lower-cost chips and less data than U.S. competitors. The impact has been significant—SoftBank’s stock initially surged on news of the Stargate project but has since dropped more than 12% following the market reaction to DeepSeek.

SoftBank shares were down about 1% in Thursday morning trading.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s plan to take a larger stake in OpenAI and fulfill Stargate commitments has already been reviewed by OpenAI’s board and senior leadership, according to the Financial Times. Last year, SoftBank took a $1.5 billion stake in OpenAI.

OpenAI was valued at $157 billion in its most recent funding round, making it one of the most valuable private companies.