SoftBank Secures $40bn Loan to Expand OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to fund its investment in OpenAI and support other corporate needs.

The company, led by Masayoshi Son, is strengthening its focus on artificial intelligence as competition increases among global tech firms.

This is SoftBank’s largest borrowing in US dollars. The loan is unsecured and will mature in March 2027. It was arranged by major lenders including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and MUFG Bank.

SoftBank said the funds will partly support its existing commitment to OpenAI. The group had earlier agreed to invest $30 billion in the company through its Vision Fund 2. Some of the loan will also go towards general operations, with plans to repay part of it through asset sales.

After years of mixed results from large bets on companies like Uber and WeWork, Son is now focusing heavily on AI.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has become one of the most influential players in the sector following the rapid adoption of ChatGPT. That surge has drawn fresh capital into the industry and raised the stakes for investors.

SoftBank is also working with OpenAI on the Stargate Project, an initiative announced in 2025 to invest up to $500 billion over four years in AI infrastructure in the United States.

Earlier, in December 2024, Son and then President-elect Donald Trump said SoftBank would invest $100 billion in AI and related infrastructure in the US over the same period.

The scale of this new loan shows how far SoftBank is willing to go. Even with a heavy debt load, the group is placing itself at the centre of the global AI growth, where companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon are all expanding their chances.

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