SoftBank completes $40 billion investment in OpenAI, securing majority stake and driving massive capital toward AI infrastructure.

SoftBank Group has completed its $40 billion investment in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT led by CEO Sam Altman. According to sources who spoke with CNBC's David Faber, the Japanese conglomerate transferred a final tranche of $22 billion to $22.5 billion last week, completing a series of prior disbursements that included $8 billion directly invested and $10 billion syndicated. The investment brings SoftBank's ownership in OpenAI above 10%, with the deal originally structured at a $260 billion pre-money valuation, as reported by CNBC in February.

The investment reflects SoftBank's strategic pivot toward AI leadership and responds to escalating demands for computational power in the artificial intelligence sector, where massive infrastructure is required to train and deploy advanced models. Portions of the funding are designated for OpenAI's participation in the Stargate joint venture alongside Oracle and SoftBank, a large-scale initiative focused on building AI data centers to address growing compute requirements.

To facilitate this commitment, SoftBank reallocated capital aggressively, liquidating its entire $5.8 billion position in Nvidia last month, a leading AI chip provider in which the company had been an early investor. According to sources who spoke with CNBC, proceeds from this sale, supplemented by other resources, directly supported the OpenAI funding.

Underscoring its broader focus on AI-enabling infrastructure, SoftBank agreed this week to acquire data center investment firm DigitalBridge Group for $4 billion, enhancing capabilities in digital assets critical for scaling AI operations. Under CEO Masayoshi Son, SoftBank continues to position itself as a central player in the global AI ecosystem, prioritizing direct stakes in foundational technologies and the physical infrastructure that supports exponential growth in artificial intelligence applications.