SoftBank Group Corp. has sold its entire stake in Nvidia Corp., securing about $5.8 billion in proceeds as founder Masayoshi Son pivots toward building his own artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.
The Tokyo-based conglomerate had previously raised its Nvidia holdings to roughly $3 billion by the end of March, benefitting from the chipmaker’s meteoric rise amid the global AI boom.
The windfall, alongside gains from SoftBank’s Vision Fund, helped the company report a surprise net income of ¥2.5 trillion ($16.2 billion) in its fiscal second quarter, well above analyst estimates of ¥418.2 billion.
The sale marks another turning point for Son, who has been steadily reshaping SoftBank’s portfolio from speculative tech bets toward direct influence over the infrastructure of AI itself.
SoftBank also announced a 4-for-1 stock split, scheduled for January 1, signaling confidence in its ongoing market rally. Shares have surged 78% over the three months ending in September, the strongest quarterly performance since 2005, driven largely by its AI-linked holdings.
The group’s portfolio now includes major names such as OpenAI and Oracle Corp., positioning it at the center of global AI innovation. “The number of bets from which SoftBank is successfully recouping its investment has increased, so we raise our forecasts,” wrote Citigroup analyst Keiichi Yoneshima, setting a target price of ¥27,100 and linking it to OpenAI’s potential valuation of $500 billion to $1 trillion.
At 68, Son is doubling down on the future of AI and semiconductors. His plans include a massive Stargate data center rollout and an anticipated $30 billion investment in OpenAI. He has also engaged with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and others about forming a $1 trillion AI manufacturing hub in Arizona, a move that would place SoftBank at the heart of the AI hardware supply chain.
Earlier this year, SoftBank reportedly explored acquiring U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology Inc., signaling its ambition to control more of the AI ecosystem. Son’s pursuit reflects both strategic aggression and a desire to shape the direction of next-generation computing infrastructure.
SoftBank’s challenge now lies in financing its ambitious expansion. The company faces over $20 billion in potential investment commitments to OpenAI and another $6.5 billion for chip designer Ampere Computing LLC. Rising concern surrounds lofty AI valuations and uncertainty over who will benefit from the surge in data center spending.
Market observers suggest SoftBank’s run-up may be cooling. “The simple trade was to buy SoftBank for cheap exposure to Arm shares and a broader AI and tech mix. That idea has more than delivered, the stock’s more than doubled, far outpacing the modest rise in NAV,” noted Finimize Research in a Smartkarma post. “But now the discount’s mostly closed, so SoftBank isn’t a ‘cheap’ way in anymore. So on that basis, it’s likely a good time to sell and take your profits,” the report added.
