SoftBank has sold its $5.8 billion stake in Nvidia, redirecting capital to fund a planned $30 billion investment in OpenAI. The move underlines its determination to be a dominant player in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The Japanese investor’s quarterly profit soared to 2.5 trillion yen, more than doubling from last year, supported by valuation gains in AI-focused holdings. The company also partially exited its T-Mobile stake to strengthen its cash reserves.
CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said the decision was not driven by doubts about Nvidia’s outlook. “We remain confident in Nvidia’s role in AI hardware, but our focus is shifting to AI application growth,” he said.
Nvidia’s shares fell 3.5% after the announcement, contributing to a broader decline across technology markets. The Nasdaq Composite slipped nearly 1%, reflecting caution after months of record-setting AI rallies.
Industry observers say SoftBank’s pivot reflects a new phase in AI investment — one where investors seek to back creators of software intelligence rather than the suppliers of its underlying chips.