Tokyo — Japan’s SoftBank
Group reported that its net profit more than doubled in the second
quarter, fueled by a surge in AI-related shares that has also stoked fears of a
market bubble.
The tech investment giant, a major backer of OpenAI,
posted a net profit of 2.5 trillion yen ($16.2 billion) for
July–September 2025, up from 1.2 trillion yen during the same period
last year.
SoftBank also disclosed the sale of $5.8 billion
worth of Nvidia shares after the quarter ended, though it did not give a
specific reason for the sale. Nvidia, whose chips power generative AI systems,
recently became the first company to reach a $5 trillion market valuation,
though its value has since fallen to around $4.8 trillion.
The company’s earnings are highly volatile due to
heavy investments in tech start-ups and semiconductor firms. Optimism over AI
technology has driven multi-billion-dollar deals and caused tech stocks,
including SoftBank, to soar worldwide — with the Nasdaq index rising 25%
since May.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, 68, has
emphasized the transformative potential of “artificial superintelligence” and
recently joined President Donald Trump at the White House to promote the
$500 billion Stargate project, aimed at building AI infrastructure in
the U.S.
In addition to AI investments, SoftBank announced
plans to acquire ABB Robotics for nearly $5.4 billion, advancing its
strategy to develop “physical AI.”
Despite the gains, analysts caution that risks remain.
Jefferies equity research highlighted that OpenAI’s enterprise market
share is still small, and competition is fierce from firms such as Google,
Anthropic, and Grok. SoftBank stock itself has soared over 140% in 2025,
driven largely by its OpenAI exposure.
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