Overview

• At its annual shareholder meeting, Masayoshi Son said he wants SoftBank to serve as the “organiser” of the artificial super intelligence era within the next ten years.
• SoftBank has agreed to invest a total of $32 billion in OpenAI since Autumn 2024, with Son declaring he is “all in” and expecting the company to pursue a public listing.
• This year’s AI spending includes the $6.5 billion acquisition of U.S. chip designer Ampere and underwriting up to $40 billion of new funding for ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
• The group raised $4.8 billion from T-Mobile share sales in June and is leveraging Arm’s post-IPO share price gains to secure debt for further AI investments.
• Son expressed regret for not backing OpenAI earlier—before Microsoft’s entry—and said the missed opportunity has only strengthened his commitment.