SoftBank sets sights on profits from OpenAI deals for corporate Japan in 2026
SoftBank Group’s Japan-based mobile division will collaborate with OpenAI to launch AI offerings for local companies in 2026. According to SoftBank’s President Junichi Miyakawa, the two firms are in the process of polishing the AI offerings they plan to provide to Japanese companies.
He noted the trial version of the services left him convinced they would completely reshape the speed of business operations. Among the features is voice recognition that limits the need for manual input.
The venture, SB OAI Japan GK, is a 50:50 partnership between SoftBank and OpenAI. It will market a packaged AI offering called Crystal Intelligence, designed for Japanese companies with tailored localization, workflow integration, and support.
SoftBank is facilitating PayPay Corporation’s entry into Japan
Shares of SoftBank Group fell 10%, the largest one-day decline since April, as concerns grew over its ties to AI giants OpenAI and Nvidia. SoftBank Corp.’s stock also edged down 0.5%, after it announced a 26% surge in net income to ¥203.4 billion ($1.3 billion), topping forecasts.
In the third quarter of the year, the Japanese mobile unit saw an 8% rise in sales, driven by a solid performance in distribution and subscription services. SoftBank Corp., which also operates in online retail and payments, continues to power Masayoshi Son’s global tech empire.
SoftBank’s mobile unit has often acted as a bridge for overseas technologies entering Japan. One product of that approach, PayPay Corp., is seeking a U.S. IPO, but its plans are on hold due to delays in the SEC’s review resulting from the government shutdown. Miyakawa said, “I anticipate PayPay will turn out to be an extremely valuable company.”
In August, the firm had been cashing in some of its assets and Vision Fund holdings to fund CEO Son’s next wave of AI investments, including a $3 billion sale of shares in T-Mobile US Inc.
SoftBank has been investing in Nvidia and TSMC
SoftBank has been steadily increasing its holdings in Nvidia Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. According to filings, the firm increased its stake in Nvidia to around $3 billion as of March, compared with $1 billion three months earlier. It also added approximately $330 million worth of TSMC shares and $170 million in Oracle shares.
Ben Narasin, founder and general partner at Tenacity Venture Capital, likened Nvidia to the “picks and shovels” of the AI gold rush. He said SoftBank’s investment in the chipmaker could give it greater influence and easier access to Nvidia’s in-demand processors.
By early August, Nvidia’s market value had surged roughly 90% from its low in early April, while TSMC’s shares were up more than 40%.
SoftBank has also backed the $500 billion Stargate data center project, alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund. Masayoshi Son is also in discussions with TSMC and others to join a $1 trillion AI manufacturing hub in Arizona.
Richard Kaye, who co-leads Japan equity strategy at Comgest and has been a long-time investor in SoftBank for years, described Son’s ambitions: “I think he sees himself as the natural provider of AI semiconductor technology,” he said. “What Son really wants to do is capture the upstream and the downstream of everything.”
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