Japan’s SoftBank Profit Surges Nearly Fivefold On Strong AI Investment Gains

Japan’s SoftBank Group on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in annual profit, driven largely by strong returns from its investments in artificial intelligence companies, particularly OpenAI.

The Tokyo-based technology investment giant posted a net profit of 5 trillion yen (USD 32 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 2026, compared with 1.15 trillion yen in the previous year. Revenue rose nearly 8 per cent year-on-year to about 7.8 trillion yen (USD 50 billion) , according to the company’s earnings statement.

Founded in 1981 by billionaire entrepreneur Masayoshi Son, SoftBank is one of the world’s largest technology investors and is widely known for backing fast-growing technology firms through its Vision Funds. The company has invested in major global firms including Nvidia, Arm Holdings and Deutsche Telekom.

However, the company’s largest gains came from OpenAI , the developer behind ChatGPT. SoftBank said it had invested around USD 34.6 billion in OpenAI and recorded gains estimated at nearly USD 45 billion from that investment, underscoring the growing profitability of AI-related businesses.

SoftBank also received a boost from the initial public offering of PayPay, one of Japan’s most widely used digital payment platforms. The listing strengthened investor confidence in SoftBank’s broader technology portfolio.

At the same time, gains from holdings in Intel helped offset losses linked to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.

Apart from technology investments, SoftBank is expanding into energy infrastructure and advanced materials. The company recently launched a battery business in Japan aimed at supporting rising electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence applications. It is also collaborating with Toppan to develop lightweight material technology for aircraft wings.SoftBank does not provide earnings forecasts.