SoftBank Group posted a quarterly profit that came in below market expectations, but the Japanese tech investor is clearly leaning harder into artificial intelligence as it reshapes its portfolio.
The company reported a quarterly profit of ¥248.6 billion, missing analyst forecasts of around ¥336.7 billion. Still, the broader picture shows improving performance. For the nine months from April to December, SoftBank said net sales rose 7.9% year over year, while income before tax jumped 228%. Net income surged nearly 400% compared with the same period last year, helped by a strong rebound in investment gains, which more than doubled.
A major driver of that turnaround was SoftBank’s Vision Funds business. After posting losses a year earlier, the Vision Funds returned to profit during the period. These funds now hold the bulk of SoftBank’s exposure to OpenAI, marking a strategic shift toward AI-focused bets.
SoftBank first committed capital to OpenAI in March 2025, channeling funds through its second Vision Fund (SVF2). The initial funding round closed in April 2025, followed by another round in December. After OpenAI’s recapitalization in October, SoftBank’s combined stake in OpenAI entities reached about 11%. The company holds these shares directly through SVF2, making OpenAI one of its most significant growth bets.
To fund its new direction, SoftBank has been trimming older investments. Between June and December, it sold down a sizable portion of its stake in T-Mobile US. In October, it fully exited its position in Nvidia, a move that surprised some investors given Nvidia’s central role in the AI boom. The group has also borrowed against holdings in Arm and other assets to maintain liquidity.
Beyond OpenAI, SoftBank is expanding its footprint in AI infrastructure and robotics. In December 2025, it announced plans to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a Florida-based data center investment firm, including its debt. Earlier, in October, SoftBank agreed to buy ABB’s robotics division, signaling a deeper push into automation and hardware tied to AI growth.
Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said around 60% of SoftBank’s assets are now linked to AI or artificial superintelligence (ASI). He described OpenAI as a long-term leader in the space and said SoftBank is confident the company is only at the early stages of monetizing its technology. Potential future revenue streams could include enterprise services, hardware products and advertising, even though OpenAI has yet to turn a profit.
SoftBank’s stock has been on an upward trend in 2026 after gains last year. Shares also got a lift this week following the electoral victory of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who has pledged stronger government support for AI and semiconductor industries.
While SoftBank missed its profit target this quarter, its aggressive pivot toward AI shows the group is betting big on what it sees as the next major tech wave.
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