SoftBank Group announced on Friday that it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to support investments in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and for general corporate purposes, marking another major step in the Japanese conglomerate’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence.
The loan, which is unsecured and set to mature in March 2027, was arranged by a consortium of major lenders including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and MUFG Bank.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has increasingly doubled down on artificial intelligence as global technology companies race to dominate the rapidly expanding generative AI sector. The company has already agreed to invest $30 billion in OpenAI through its Vision Fund 2, strengthening its partnership with the Microsoft-backed AI developer.
OpenAI has become one of the most influential players in the industry following the global popularity of ChatGPT, triggering a wave of new investments and competition among technology giants seeking an edge in AI development.
SoftBank and OpenAI were also key partners behind the Stargate Project announced last year, an initiative aiming to invest up to $500 billion over four years to build large-scale AI infrastructure in the United States.
The latest financing move highlights Son’s renewed confidence in AI after several turbulent years marked by both massive gains and significant losses within SoftBank’s Vision Fund portfolio.
