SoftBank in Race to Finalize $22.5 Billion OpenAI Investment by Year-End, Sources Say

SoftBank is racing against the clock to complete a monumental $22.5 billion funding commitment to OpenAI before the end of the year, Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. If it closes, the deal would represent one of the largest single private investments in tech history and a powerful salvo in the global AI arms race.

The move signals a decisive, high-stakes bet by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, reaffirming his strategy of making colossal investments in what he views as foundational technology shifts. According to the report, the Japanese investment giant is accelerating due diligence to meet the end-of-year deadline. This capital infusion is expected to fuel OpenAI's incredibly expensive ambitions, from training next-generation models to potentially building out its own chip infrastructure.

While OpenAI is at the forefront of the AI revolution, its leadership position comes with a staggering price tag. CEO Sam Altman has previously stated that developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) could require trillions of dollars. For OpenAI, this funding from SoftBank would provide a crucial alternative capital source to its primary backer, Microsoft, and the necessary firepower to maintain its lead over competitors like Google and Anthropic.

callout-info: Why Does AI Cost So Much? Training a frontier AI model requires immense computational power—think tens of thousands of top-tier GPUs running 24/7 for months. This translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in energy and cloud computing bills alone. Add the fierce global competition for elite AI talent, and it becomes clear why deep pockets are a prerequisite to compete.

The potential deal is set to intensify the already fierce capital competition in the AI sector. With tech titans like Google, Amazon, and Meta pouring tens of billions into their own AI initiatives, SoftBank's massive check re-establishes the firm as a kingmaker in a profoundly strategic technology domain.