SoftBank plans $2B bond sale amid aggressive push into AI

SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company, is on a fundraising spree to support its ambitious Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives, particularly its investment in OpenAI. This is the second time this year that the company has tapped the international bond market.

Sources with knowledge of the situation have revealed that the Japanese tech investment leader is seeking to raise between $1.5 billion and $2 billion from the dollar debt market. Moreover, it intends to collect about €500 million, equivalent to around $580 million, from euro-denominated bonds.

A representative from SoftBank weighed in on the topic of discussion, stating that the size of the bond deal has not been decided yet and did not provide any additional information.

SoftBank implements the biggest fundraising efforts to invest in the AI industry 

Masayoshi Son, the founder, current Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., pledged up to $500 billion to support an initiative known as “Stargate”. 

He also mentioned his plans to invest about $30 billion in OpenAI earlier this year. This decision demonstrated the company’s strong focus on investing in new AI technologies.

Industry observers have noted that this action is a growing trend among Japanese companies, citing their earlier efforts to issue an unprecedented amount of overseas bonds this year. This amount surpassed $100 billion, driven by higher acquisitions and the growing yields on yen debt.

Regarding the total amount of money collected, the company raised $24 billion this year, including funds from SoftBank. Data from a reliable source highlighted that the funds were secured through loans and bonds, marking one of its biggest fundraising efforts.

In the meantime, during a global investor call on Tuesday, October 21, SoftBank’s management announced its intention to finalize a $30 billion investment in OpenAI by the end of 2025.

However, sources close to the situation revealed that SoftBank’s team neither provided a specific timeline for the investment nor mentioned their current stake in OpenAI.

Son pledged to make SoftBank the leading artificial superintelligence platform

Earlier, SoftBank sold $4.2 billion in bonds in dollars and euros as the firm eyed global debt markets to enhance its efforts in AI.

The technology investment company provided $2.2 billion in low-rated dollar notes, divided into four parts, and €1.7 billion, equivalent to approximately $2 billion, in euro bonds, split into three sections, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who wished to remain anonymous. This deal drew more than $17.3 billion from interested investors.

As a reminder that antitrust concerns had dogged Son as his global expansion accelerated, a reliable source pointed out the US Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to initiate a thorough investigation of SoftBank’s $6.5 billion acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing.

Meanwhile, at the company’s annual meeting in June, Son pledged to make SoftBank the leading platform for artificial superintelligence within a decade. 

This year, his company has collected more than ¥600 billion ($4.2 billion) through yen bonds, according to data from sources, which stated that the amount exceeded that of most other issuers in Japan’s corporate debt market.

Meanwhile, SoftBank is in discussions to borrow $5 billion from banks around the world, refilling its coffers at a time Masayoshi Son is advancing the Japanese investment firm’s bets on AI.

SoftBank is nearing an agreement with several lenders for a margin loan secured by shares of its chip unit Arm Holdings Plc., people familiar with the information said. The money will finance more investment in OpenAI this year, the people said, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

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