By Sam Nussey and Anton Bridge TOKYO (Reuters) -SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's plan to invest billions in AI in the United States shows one way to handle the new Trump administration: go big and deal with the details later.
Elon Musk is already casting doubt on OpenAI’s new, up to $500 billion investment deal with SoftBank (SFTBY) and Oracle (ORCL), despite backing from his allies — including President Donald Trump.
SOFTBANK Group and OpenAI each plan to commit US$19 billion of capital to Stargate, the US$100 billion US artificial intelligence (AI) endeavour President Donald Trump unveiled this week, the Information reported.
The two companies would then both own 40% of Stargate, the tech outlet said, citing comments by Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman to colleagues
The ChatGPT maker will hold a 40% interest in Stargate, and would act as an extension of OpenAI, the report said, citing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaking to colleagues. OpenAI and SoftBank did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
EFishery Pte, one of Indonesia’s most prominent startups, may have inflated its revenue and profit over several years, according to an internal investigation triggered by a whistleblower’s claim about the company’s accounting.
SoftBank Group shares jumped after the company and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced plans to invest up to half a trillion dollars in artificial-intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. Shares rose 8.8% to 10,060 yen, or equivalent to $64.69, on Wednesday in Tokyo, after climbing as much as 9.2% earlier, to their highest level since July.
US President Donald Trump announced that OpenAI, SoftBank Group and Oracle will unveil Stargate and invest $500 billion over the next four years to help the United States stay ahead of China and other rivals in the global AI race.
The president said it will be the largest AI infrastructure ever built and that it will help counter technology threats from China and other countries.
Son has appeared with Trump twice since the November presidential election, last month pledging to invest $100 billion in the U.S. and this week partnering with OpenAI and Oracle on a $500 billion AI infrastructure venture called Stargate.
British pub group J D Wetherspoon said on Wednesday its like-for-like sales rose 5% in the 25 weeks to Jan. 19, helped by strong demand for its food and drinks during the holiday season.