SoftBank Group shares rise as much as 5.7%

SoftBank Group shares rise as much as 5.7%

SoftBank Group Corp. shares surged as much as 5.7% on July 2, 2025, amid optimistic investor sentiment fueled by the company's ambitious AI investment plans. The stock's performance comes amidst ongoing discussions between SoftBank and OpenAI regarding the future of artificial intelligence and its potential to revolutionize various industries.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reassured SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son that the demand for AI is expected to surge in the coming days, necessitating increased computing capacity. Altman emphasized the need for new technologies and construction to meet the growing demand for AI infrastructure [1]. The two leaders discussed the potential for AI to create new jobs and the possibility of robots building other robots, a concept known as self-replicating innovation [1].

SoftBank has plans to deploy a billion AI agents and develop a dedicated operating system for these agents. The company aims to invest $3 billion annually to adopt OpenAI's tools, highlighting its commitment to the AI sector [1]. Despite some challenges, SoftBank and OpenAI launched a 50-50 joint venture in February to offer an enterprise AI product called Cristal Intelligence across various Japanese industries [1].

However, the joint venture's $500 billion project to build more AI infrastructure in the U.S. is facing delays. The project, known as Project Stargate, has yet to complete a single deal for a data center, and the partnership is reportedly at odds over several terms, including the location of data centers [2]. Despite these challenges, SoftBank remains optimistic about its AI ambitions, having dedicated several billions of dollars towards AI investment in recent years [2].

SoftBank Group's shares rose to their highest level in 2025, driven by investor optimism about the company's AI investment plans. However, concerns over energy demands and risks from its complex financing structure keep the stock undervalued compared to its assets [1].

References:
[1] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-ceo-sam-altman-assures-softbank-group-founder-masayoshi-son-about-ais-increasing-demand-in-coming-days-seems-to-be-huge/articleshow/122664001.cms
[2] https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/openai-and-softbanks-500-bln-ai-project-struggles-to-gain-traction-wsj-4144905