COMPANIES · FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT

SoftBank Group

Japanese holding company that invests in and finances technology businesses, including large stakes in OpenAI and Arm, and co-develops AI data-center infrastructure through the Stargate project.

InfrastructureFinancial & investment
What it does

Japanese holding company that invests in and finances technology businesses, including large stakes in OpenAI and Arm, and co-develops AI data-center infrastructure through the Stargate project.

Why it matters

It is one of the largest single financial backers of frontier AI, using its balance sheet to fund both AI labs (OpenAI) and the physical infrastructure (Stargate data centers) they run on.

How it makes money

Earns returns on its technology investment portfolio; also arranges debt and equity financing for AI infrastructure projects.

Geography

Japan

AI stack position

Financial and investment. The investors and financial firms whose capital is funding the AI buildout. These companies don't build AI technology themselves — they supply the enormous amounts of money it takes to build everything else on this map.

Same-layer peers

Same-layer peers share an editorial stack classification; that alone does not establish direct competition.

Connections (9)

Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.

Current relationships (3)

SoftBank Group co-led the funding round of Wayve
Invested inCurrent
Wayve named SoftBank Vision Fund 2 among the lead investors in its 1.2 billion dollar Series D announced on 25 February 2026.

Source: 2026-02-25 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Wayve's own release. It does not state SoftBank's share of the round, its ownership percentage, or any board or governance rights.

Wayve secures $1.5B to deploy its global autonomy platform ↗
SoftBank Group led the funding round of Skild AI
Invested inCurrent
SoftBank Group led a reported 1.4 billion dollar funding round in Skild AI announced in January 2026.

Source: 2026-01-15 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported operating

Limits: Trade reporting of a funding announcement. It does not establish how much of the round SoftBank provided, the ownership percentage acquired, any board seat, or any commercial relationship between the two companies.

Skild AI raises $1.4B, building 'omni-bodied' robot Skild Brain ↗
Tempus AI formed a healthcare AI joint venture with SoftBank Group
Partners withCurrent
SoftBank Group and Tempus AI announced a partnership to launch an AI-driven healthcare venture together.

Source: Source undated · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Active joint venture

Limits: Confirms a joint venture was announced; does not disclose the venture's current operating status, financial structure, or ownership split.

SoftBank launches healthcare venture with Tempus AI ↗

Dated or announced (6)

SoftBank Group in talks to take a majority stake in 1X Technologies
Invested inDated / announced
SoftBank Group was reported in late August 2026 to be in negotiations to acquire a majority stake in 1X Technologies at a valuation of roughly $6 billion; as of the report, no deal had been finalized.

Source: 2026-08-26 · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Secondary reporting (unconfirmed by primary parties) · Reported in-progress negotiation, not confirmed complete, August 2026

Limits: This is a reported negotiation, not a confirmed or closed transaction; deal terms, final valuation and whether it closes at all remain unconfirmed by either company.

SoftBank eyes $6B 1X deal as humanoid robot race accelerates ↗
SambaNova Systems supplies AI chips to SoftBank Group
Partners withDated / announced
SoftBank Corp., the Japanese telecom subsidiary of SoftBank Group, agreed to be the first customer to deploy SambaNova's new SN50 chip in its next-generation AI data centers in Japan, as announced in February 2026.

Source: 2026-02-24 · reviewed 2026-09-20

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced

Limits: This is a deployment agreement specifically with SoftBank Corp. (the operating telecom subsidiary), not confirmed as an investment or agreement by SoftBank Group's holding company or its Vision Fund; it does not disclose contract value or delivered volumes.

SambaNova Unveils Fastest Chip for Agentic AI, Collaborates with Intel, and Raises $350M+ ↗
SoftBank Group invested in OpenAI
Invested inDated / announced
SoftBank Group completed a $22.5 billion second-closing investment in OpenAI on December 26, 2025, following a $7.5 billion first closing in April 2025 -- $30 billion invested directly by SoftBank in total. Combined with $11 billion from third-party co-investors, the round totaled $41 billion, per SoftBank's own release published December 31, 2025.

Source: 2025-12-31 · reviewed 2026-09-17

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Second closing completed December 26, 2025; investment reported completed per SoftBank's December 31, 2025 release.

Limits: Reflects SoftBank's own disclosed completion of this tranche; does not establish a current total ownership percentage of OpenAI.

Completion of additional $22.5 billion investment in OpenAI ↗
SoftBank Group agreed to acquire ABB Robotics
AcquiredDated / announced
ABB announced on 8 October 2025 that it had agreed to divest its Robotics division, with about 7,000 employees and 2024 revenues of 2.3 billion dollars, to SoftBank Group at an enterprise value of 5.375 billion dollars, with closing expected in mid to late 2026.

Source: 2025-10-08 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced; not confirmed operating

Limits: An agreement announced by ABB. It does not establish that the sale has completed, that regulatory approvals were obtained, the final price paid, or how the division will be operated under SoftBank ownership.

ABB to divest Robotics division to SoftBank Group ↗
SoftBank Group co-develops Stargate data-center sites with OpenAI
Provides infrastructure toDated / announced
OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank announced five additional U.S. Stargate data-center sites as part of their joint effort to build out AI computing infrastructure.

Source: 2025-09-24 · reviewed 2026-09-17

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced plan

Limits: Site-selection and buildout announcement; does not establish which sites are operating or their current capacity.

OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites ↗
SoftBank Group partners with Oracle
Partners withDated / announced
SoftBank is a partner alongside Oracle and OpenAI in the Stargate data center program, developing sites in Lordstown, Ohio and Milam County, Texas able to scale to 1.5 gigawatts within 18 months, while Oracle builds sites in Texas, New Mexico and Wisconsin under a partnership exceeding $300 billion over five years.

Source: 2025-09-23 · reviewed 2026-09-22

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Historical / announced

Limits: Does not establish that all announced sites are operational -- several are under construction or planned -- and the $300B figure is a multi-year infrastructure commitment, not money already spent.

OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites ↗
Evidence for this profile

SoftBank Group corporate overview ↗
Reviewed

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Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .