SoftBank Group is in discussions to invest as much as $30 billion more in OpenAI, a sharp increase in commitment that reflects founder Masayoshi Son’s ambitions to play a central role in developing artificial intelligence.
The Japanese company, already one of the ChatGPT-maker’s biggest backers, is in deliberations to commit more capital toward the fast-growing startup, people familiar with the matter said. The maximum amount SoftBank is considering is $30 billion, one of the people said, asking to remain anonymous to discuss private talks. They cautioned that the discussions are fluid and the amount of funding could change. SoftBank’s shares rose 5.8% in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Son has been unwinding positions to increase its stake in OpenAI and ready capital for sweeping investments aimed at injecting AI in all devices. It sold its stake in Nvidia and recently hit pause on talks to buy out U.S. data center operator Switch. The Tokyo-based company had amassed an 11% stake in OpenAI, injecting $22.5 billion just last month.
AloJapan.com