SoftBank Eyes OpenAI Investment Amid Arm IPO Fever

Japanese tech investment fund SoftBank is looking for deals in artificial intelligence, including a potential investment in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, after the blockbuster listing of its Arm unit, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

SoftBank’s founder and chief executive, Masayoshi Son, is now looking to invest tens of billions of dollars in AI, the newspaper said, citing two people familiar with Son’s thinking.

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The tech fund giant could also look to strike a broad strategic partnership with the ChatGPT maker, the FT suggested.

In addition, SoftBank is looking at a range of alternatives to OpenAI, including a preliminary approach to buy Graphcore, a UK-based AI chipmaker, the report went on.

Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara

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Sean O'Meara

Sean O'Meara is an Editor at Asia Financial. He has been a newspaper man for more than 30 years, working at local, regional and national titles in the UK as a writer, sub-editor, page designer and print editor. A football, cricket and rugby fan, he has a particular interest in sports finance.