SoftBank Rakes in $45 Billion Thanks to OpenAI

OpenAI: Popularity Without Profitability

OpenAI, while close to reaching a billion active users per week thanks to its famous chatbot ChatGPT, has yet to generate profits. The main reason lies in the exorbitant costs associated with the computing power required to train and deploy its artificial intelligence models. The majority of users access the service for free, and the advertising-based business model is still in development.

Nevertheless, even though OpenAI is still not profitable, investors are already seeing significant gains. The reason: OpenAI still needs to raise funds regularly. Each fundraising round increases its valuation, and thus the value of investors' stakes.

SoftBank: Exceptional Gains

Despite OpenAI's lack of profits, its investors, notably the Japanese company SoftBank led by Masayoshi Son, have already recorded considerable gains. SoftBank's Vision Fund announced an annual gain of $46 billion, of which $45 billion comes from its investments in OpenAI, according to CNBC. This gain was realized over a 12-month period ending in March.

SoftBank's stake in the creator of ChatGPT is expected to grow further, as the Japanese group has committed to investing more than $60 billion, of which $30 billion has already been invested.

SoftBank: A Central Player in AI

Through its investments, SoftBank is increasingly positioning itself as a key player in the race for artificial intelligence. It is also a shareholder in Nvidia. In 2024, SoftBank acquired the company Graphcore, which develops chips specialized in artificial intelligence.

Regarding AI infrastructure, the company is also participating in the Stargate project, alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX fund. Furthermore, recent rumors suggest that SoftBank may soon announce a data center project for AI in France. Some sources have even indicated that the investment could reach $100 billion.