Japanese investment giant SoftBank has offloaded its entire NVIDIA stake to focus on a $40 billion investment in OpenAI.
In a strategic shift from semiconductor assets to artificial intelligence, SoftBank sold its NVIDIA shares for $5.83 billion in October 2025 to finance its planned investment in OpenAI. The move aligns with the company’s broader strategy of asset monetization in preparation for a multi-billion-dollar commitment to the ChatGPT developer.
According to SoftBank’s financial report for H1 2025, this marks the second time the group and its asset management arm have exited NVIDIA positions. The initial divestment occurred in 2019, following a $4 billion acquisition of shares in 2017.
SoftBank CFO Yoshimitsu Goto explained the rationale behind the sale:
“Given the scale of our OpenAI investment, it was necessary to utilize existing assets to fund new allocations.”
SoftBank plans to invest up to $40 billion in OpenAI, consisting of $30 billion in equity and $10 billion in debt. The funding rollout is structured in two stages: $10 billion was injected in April, and an additional $22.5 billion is scheduled for December following adjustments to the October agreement.
The group’s intentions were initially disclosed in January 2025, with total investments ranging from $25 billion to $40 billion. To support these deals, SoftBank secured ¥620 billion ($4.1 billion) in yen-denominated bonds, $4.2 billion in foreign loans, plus $8.5 billion for OpenAI and $6.5 billion for ABB Robotics.
OpenAI Investment: Long-Term Vision
SoftBank’s financial statements highlight that its OpenAI commitment is part of a long-term mission to realize artificial superintelligence (ASI) for humanity, focusing on AI chips, robotics, data centers, and energy solutions.
The Vision Fund gained $23.4 billion ($3.54 trillion yen) in profits from the revaluation of OpenAI assets, of which $14.3 billion came directly from OpenAI. This boosted SoftBank’s net profit to $19.3 billion ($2.924 trillion yen), more than doubling the company’s previous earnings.
Despite the strong financial performance, SoftBank’s exit from NVIDIA surprised the market, especially following NVIDIA’s September announcement to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI for collaborative 10 GW data centers.
In late October, OpenAI underwent a major restructuring, forming the commercial OpenAI Group and the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation. This restructuring allowed the company to attract investments without previous legal constraints. SoftBank confirmed that it would fund OpenAI immediately after the process was completed.
Earlier in October, OpenAI’s valuation reportedly reached $500 billion, making it the world’s most valuable private company, surpassing SpaceX.
