Softbank Group said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to bolster investments in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and for general corporate purposes, marking another significant step in its artificial intelligence strategy.
The Japanese investment conglomerate, led by founder Masayoshi Son, continues to strengthen ties with OpenAI as global tech firms race to gain an edge in the increasingly competitive generative AI space.
The Japanese investor has previously agreed to invest $30 billion in OpenAI through its Vision Fund 2. The bridge loan is unsecured, the company said.
The loan, which matures in March 2027, was arranged with lenders including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and MUFG Bank.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has emerged as a leading player following the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, prompting a surge in investment across the sector.
The loan underscores Son's increasingly aggressive bet on AI following years when SoftBank swung between outsized gains and heavy Vision Fund losses.
SoftBank and OpenAI were among the companies behind the Stargate Project last year, which said it aimed to invest up to $500 billion over four years to build AI infrastructure in the United States.
Son and then President-elect Donald Trump announced in December 2024 that SoftBank planned to invest $100 billion in AI and related infrastructure in the US over four years.
Giant Alliance
In a related development, Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba said on Friday it will start negotiations with Mitsubishi Electric and chipmaker Rohm to merge their power semiconductor businesses, as international competition over the sector heats up.
The move comes as Japan has been pushing for a greater presence in the global semiconductor market.
If realized, the alliance would create the world's second-largest power chip group, according to local media.
Billed as able to drastically reduce power loss, power semiconductors are seen as pivotal to sectors ranging from railway to automotive and renewable energy.
Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (TDSC), a subsidiary of Toshiba, signed a memorandum of understanding to begin discussions with Mitsubishi and Rohm.
“As the global competition over the semiconductor industry keeps intensifying, TDSC and Rohm have long explored the possibility of coordinating in the power semiconductor sector,” Toshiba said.
With Mitsubishi Electric now on board, too, a merger would make “our business scale and technological infrastructure competitive in the global market,” Toshiba said.
The agreement was also signed by Japan Industrial Partners and TBJ Holdings.
Japan currently holds less than 10% of the global chip market, but the government is investing heavily in new factories in a bid to change that.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration set a new sales target for domestically produced microchips, aiming for an eightfold increase by 2040 compared with 2020 levels.
The 2040 target of 40 trillion yen ($250 billion) far exceeds sales of around five trillion yen in 2020, according to figures from the ministry of economy, trade and industry.
