SoftBank Group has initiated preliminary negotiations to commit up to an extra $30 billion to OpenAI, according to people briefed on the discussions. This proposed capital infusion would follow the ¥3.3 trillion (approximately $22.5 billion) SoftBank invested in December 2025, lifting its equity stake in OpenAI to 11%. Sources indicate the talks remain fluid and final terms are yet to be determined, with both parties maintaining discretion and declining to comment publicly.

The intended increment would form part of a broader funding round in which OpenAI seeks to secure roughly $100 billion at a valuation potentially reaching $830 billion. SoftBank’s December closing marked the second tranche of a previously announced commitment totaling $40 billion made in March 2025. With co-investment from third-party partners, that earlier program was fully subscribed, demonstrating strong institutional confidence in OpenAI’s growth trajectory.

OpenAI’s valuation has surged from $300 billion in March 2025 to $500 billion by October of the same year, when employees sold about $6.6 billion in shares. Should the new financing round conclude at the targeted valuation, it would cement OpenAI’s status as one of the most highly valued private technology companies globally. Investors are closely watching how this fresh capital will accelerate the commercialization of products such as ChatGPT and next-generation AI models.

SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son has emphasized the group’s alignment with OpenAI’s mission to ensure that advanced AI yields broad societal benefits. Internal projections suggest OpenAI will invest more than $1.4 trillion in infrastructure over the coming years, underscoring the scale of its ambitions. Observers note that SoftBank’s deepening partnership could open doors to joint ventures across robotics, cloud services and telecommunications, reinforcing its strategy to lead in the AI era.