SoftBank Group, under the leadership of CEO Masayoshi Son, is reportedly preparing to invest $40 billion in artificial intelligence pioneer OpenAI, valuing the company at $260 billion. This move would position SoftBank as OpenAI’s largest investor, surpassing Microsoft’s previous investments totaling over $13 billion.

The investment is part of a broader collaboration between SoftBank and OpenAI, which includes the ambitious “Stargate” project—a $500 billion initiative to develop AI-focused data centers. Partners in this venture include Oracle and MGX.

This significant financial commitment underscores SoftBank’s confidence in OpenAI’s potential and reflects the intensifying competition in the AI sector, especially with emerging players like China’s DeepSeek making notable advancements.