SoftBank has offloaded its $5.8 billion Nvidia stake to boost its investment in OpenAI, underscoring its belief that AI software will deliver stronger long-term returns than hardware manufacturing.
The Japanese investor reported quarterly profits of 2.5 trillion yen, more than double last year’s figure, largely driven by AI-linked valuation gains. It also divested part of its T-Mobile stake to increase liquidity for upcoming projects.
CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said, “Our OpenAI commitment this year surpasses $30 billion. Selling Nvidia is part of our capital optimization plan.” He stressed that the sale was not related to Nvidia’s performance.
Nvidia’s shares dropped 3.5%, and other AI-related stocks followed suit, reflecting a wave of cautious trading. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.85% as traders questioned whether the AI rally was losing steam.
Despite short-term volatility, analysts suggest SoftBank’s pivot marks a transition from betting on AI hardware enablers to funding core intelligence engines like OpenAI that are shaping the industry’s next evolution.
