• SoftBank plans a $2 Billion bond sale to boost AI funding and expand its global partnership with OpenAI.
• Masayoshi Son commits billions toward “Stargate,” advancing SoftBank’s bold artificial intelligence vision.
• SoftBank’s euro bond plan and strong investor demand highlight its rising influence in global AI finance,

SoftBank Group Corp. is poised to return to the international bond market with another blockbuster issuance. The Japanese technology giant aims to raise $1.5 billion to $2 billion through the sale, which will help it generate more funding for its ongoing investment into artificial intelligence (AI). The offer follows a bond sale earlier in the year and is yet another indication of how the company is increasingly concentrating on AI projects, like its expanding partnership with OpenAI.

The platform also plans to raise another €500 million, or about $580 million, through bonds denominated in euros. The scale of the problem is unknown. A company spokesmen said that discussions were ongoing, and he had no other information to offer. The plan is still under discussion and SoftBank will make a decision depending on investor demand and global market situations.

SoftBank’s “Stargate” Vision Powers Global AI Drive

Masayoshi Son, the founder and chief executive of SoftBank, is doubling down on A.I. He has pledged to invest as much as $500 billion over 14 years in a new effort named “Stargate” to usher in the next generation of artificial intelligence. This year he said the platform will plow $30 billion into OpenAI, highlighting the company’s aim to be a major player in AI world wide stampede.

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The fund-raising effort reflects a broader pattern among Japanese companies. Richer yields and record acquisition activity have already beckoned companies to sell more than $100 billion of foreign debt this year. SoftBank’s bond sales show how eager it is to tie up long-term funding in its struggle in the rapidly evolving AI sector.

The company has already raised $24 billion this year through multiple loans and bond sales. It is among its largest fund-raising initiatives in recent history. By using the put, compnay would have more financial leeway to place aggressive bets without drawing down its own cash holdings, analysts said.

OpenAI Deal, Debt, and Doubts Shadow SoftBank’s Next Move

In October, SoftBank announced that it would complete its $30 billion OpenAI investment by 2025. But the company offered few details on its current stake or the exact timeline. The opacity has stoked questions about how platform plans to integrate its AI bets into the rest of the business.

Early this year, SoftBank sold $4.2 billion in bonds denominated in both dollars and euros. Investor demand was robust, totaling $17.3 billion in bids. Of that, $2.2 billion was raised in the lower-rated dollar notes and €1.7 billion sold in European markets. The strong appetite from investors after a tumultuous year suggested continued confidence in compnay’s long-term artificial intelligence strategy, even as its debt load weighed on the company.

The company has plenty of hurdles to overcome as it expands. Its $6.5 billion acquisition of the semiconductor start-up Ampere Computing is being scrutinized by the United States Federal Trade Commission. Regulators are also grappling with whether the deal could reduce competition in chips.

The platform is also negotiating a $5 billion margin loan secured by shares of its chip unit Arm Holdings. The money would likely be used to fund more investments in OpenAI. Margin borrowing allows firms to borrow against their equity holdings in shares, giving them access to additional capital that they can use for new investments — a tactic SoftBank has used often to grow.

SoftBank hit the domestic market for yen-denominated bonds this year for more than ¥600 billion, or roughly $4.2 billion. That is above most corporate issuers in Japan’s bond market. The strong results are a sign that investors continue to have confidence in Masayoshi Son’s vision for AI.

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