SoftBank and OpenAI Launch Joint Venture in Japan, Unveiling Cristal AI Service
38 Sources
[1]
SoftBank suspends DeepSeek usage amid OpenAI collaboration
On February 3, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at a major AI briefing in Japan, attended by executives from 500 top companies. During the event, they announced the launch of their joint venture, "SB OpenAI Japan," and introduced "Cristal Intelligence," an AI tool tailored
[2]
OpenAI and SoftBank announce artificial intelligence joint venture
Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI stepped up their AI partnership Monday, setting up a 50-50 held company called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank Chief Masayoshi Son and OpenAI Chief Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo, talking up their collaboration and inviting Japanese companies
[3]
SoftBank and OpenAI set up joint company to push artificial intelligence services
TOKYO -- Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI stepped up their AI partnership Monday, setting up a 50-50 held company called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank Chief Masayoshi Son and OpenAI Chief Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo, talking up their collaboration and inviting Japanese
[4]
SoftBank and OpenAI set up joint company to push artificial intelligence services
Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI stepped up their AI partnership Monday, setting up a 50-50 held company called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank Chief Masayoshi Son and OpenAI Chief Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo, talking up their collaboration and inviting Japanese companies
[5]
SoftBank and OpenAI set up joint company to push artificial intelligence services
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI stepped up their AI partnership Monday, setting up a 50-50 held company called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank Chief Masayoshi Son and OpenAI Chief Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo, talking up their collaboration and inviting
[6]
SoftBank and OpenAI set up joint firm to push artificial intelligence services | BreakingNews.ie
Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI have stepped up their AI partnership, setting up a 50-50 held company called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son and OpenAI supremo Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo, talking up their collaboration and inviting Japanese companies
[7]
OpenAI, SoftBank Team Up to Develop AI for Japan Businesses
(Bloomberg) -- OpenAI and SoftBank Group Corp. are joining forces in a joint venture to sell AI services to businesses across Japan, one of the broadest efforts yet to sell the fast-growing startup's tools to enterprise customers outside of the US. OpenAI chief Sam Altman is on a global tour
[8]
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son says AGI will arrive 'much earlier' than he thought
Jay Peters is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. SoftBank isn't just part of the group investing $500 billion into Project Stargate to build American AI infrastructure capacity for OpenAI. It's also making a Japanese
[9]
SoftBank, OpenAI to Develop Cristal Intelligence - an Advanced Enterprise AI
The companies also established a joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan. SoftBank Group, a Japanese investment firm, announced a partnership to "develop and market" an enterprise AI solution called 'Cristal intelligence'. "Cristal intelligence will securely integrate the systems and data of
[10]
SoftBank commits to joint venture with OpenAI, will spend $3 billion per year to use ChatGPT Enterprise and other products
SoftBank has committed to spending $3 billion per year for itself and its subsidiaries to use OpenAI's tech, according to a joint announcement on Monday. The two also announced a new joint venture, billed as "SB OpenAI Japan," which will market OpenAI's enterprise tech exclusively to major
[11]
OpenAI and SoftBank Partner on Enterprise AI Solutions in Japan | PYMNTS.com
OpenAI and the SoftBank Group agreed to establish a joint venture company that will market enterprise artificial intelligence solutions to major companies in Japan. The joint venture, SB OpenAI Japan, will market enterprise AI called "Cristal intelligence," which will be developed and marketed by
[12]
SoftBank and OpenAI Announce Partnership to Develop and Market Cristal Intelligence
SoftBank aims to boost productivity with the deployment of over 100 million automated workflows. SoftBank Group and OpenAI have announced a partnership to develop and market "Cristal Intelligence," an Advanced enterprise AI solution designed to integrate with and optimise company-specific systems
[13]
SoftBank and OpenAI seize the moment with new Stargate AI initiative
The newly set up company, SB OpenAI Japan, aims to take maximum advantage of President Trump's Stargate initiative and will be owned jointly by Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group and OpenAI. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI boss Sam Altman appeared at an event in Tokyo talk about their
[14]
OpenAI, SoftBank Form Joint Venture for AI Services
SoftBank, whose portfolio of companies includes chip-design giant Arm Holdings, will also spend $3 billion a year to deploy Cristal across its businesses. OpenAI has formed a joint venture with SoftBank Group to expand artificial intelligence (AI) services for businesses globally, starting with
[15]
SoftBank, OpenAI to Offer AI Services in Japan -- Update
SoftBank Group and ChatGPT maker OpenAI plan to team up to offer artificial-intelligence services, initially targeting Japanese businesses to lay the groundwork for potential expansion worldwide. SoftBank Group Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said Monday that the company will assign 1,000 employees
[16]
SoftBank forms joint venture with OpenAI in enterprise play
SoftBank Group will spend $3 billion a year to adopt and deploy OpenAI technology throughout its operations, while the two companies have agreed to form a joint venture to market the artificial intelligence as an enterprise solution. "This initiative will not only transform the way SoftBank Group
[17]
SoftBank Is Betting Billions That OpenAI's Agents Will Automate Work
It's another big swing from an investment firm that's had a lot of high-profile misses. In what could be SoftBank's newest trick to make ungodly amounts of money disappear, the Japanese investment firm will pay $3 billion a year to force companies in its portfolio to experiment with AI
[18]
SoftBank seems ready to invest (more) billions in OpenAI
Hype Money: SoftBank is a Japanese investment holding company primarily focused on technology ventures. In the past, the financial giant has backed some of the world's most influential companies, ranging from unprofitable "unicorns" to high-growth tech firms that have delivered substantial returns.
[19]
SoftBank explores investing billions in OpenAI partnership
This story incorporates reporting from The Financial Times, New York Post, The Australian Financial Review, Business Insider, Business Insider and Bloomberg L.P.. SoftBank, the Japanese multinational conglomerate, is in negotiations with OpenAI, the prominent artificial intelligence research and
[20]
SoftBank in Talks for Up to $25 Billion Investment in OpenAI
In November last year, OpenAI allowed employees to sell $1.5 billion in shares to SoftBank. SoftBank is reportedly in discussions to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI, which would make it the startup's largest backer. In November last year, OpenAI allowed employees to sell $1.5 billion in shares
[21]
SoftBank Reportedly Weighs $25 Billion OpenAI Investment | PYMNTS.com
The news comes days after OpenAI and SoftBank announced they would join Oracle on an AI data center project dubbed "Stargate," with a price tag that could reach as high as $500 billion over the next four years. Sources tell the FT that SoftBank is in talks to invest between $15 billion and $25
[22]
SoftBank in talks to invest as much as $25B in OpenAI, report says | TechCrunch
SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI as part of a broader partnership that could see the Japanese conglomerate spend more than $40 billion on AI initiatives with the Microsoft-backed startup, according to Financial Times. The potential investment would make SoftBank OpenAI's
[23]
SoftBank set to invest billions more in Stargate co-partner OpenAI
Japanese investment holding company SoftBank is reportedly in talks to invest between $15 billion (€14.42bn) and $25bn (€24.03bn) in OpenAI, according to the Financial Times, which would be in addition to SoftBank's commitment to The Stargate Project announced recently. This potential deal would
[24]
SoftBank May Invest Up To $25B Into OpenAI -- Report
While SoftBank would be OpenAI's largest investor in terms of dollars, Microsoft would still have a larger stake since it invested what is believed to be about $14 billion earlier. The new investment would come after OpenAI reportedly committed $19 billion to the new Stargate Project, an
[25]
SoftBank in talks to lead OpenAI funding round at $300 billion valuation, sources say
SoftBank Group is negotiating to lead a $40 billion funding round for AI developer OpenAI, which could value the company at $300 billion. This move comes as competition heats up with Chinese startup DeepSeek's low-cost AI model. The investment is expected to involve convertibles and is contingent
[26]
SoftBank in talks to lead OpenAI funding round at $300 billion valuation
SoftBank has offered a term sheet that would value OpenAI at a pre-money valuation, meaning the valuation without the funding of the current round, at $260 billion. SoftBank Group is in talks to lead a funding round of up to $40 billion in artificial intelligence developer OpenAI at a valuation of
[27]
SoftBank in talks to invest $40b in OpenAI
Davos | San Francisco | SoftBank is in talks to invest as much as $US25 billion ($40 billion) into OpenAI, in a deal which would make it the ChatGPT maker's biggest financial backer, as the pair partner on a massive new artificial intelligence infrastructure project. The two companies announced
[28]
OpenAI reportedly set to be valued at more than $300bn
With this new investment, SoftBank is set to usurp Microsoft as OpenAI's biggest backer. OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise $40bn, taking the nine-year-old start-up to a $340bn valuation. The new funding round would more than double OpenAI's previous valuation just four months ago, when the
[29]
OpenAI in talks to raise funding that would value AI startup at up to $340 billion
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks next to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son after U.S. President Donald Trump delivered remarks on AI infrastructure at the Roosevelt room at White House in Washington, U.S., January 21, 2025. OpenAI is in talks to raise up to $40 billion in a funding round that would lift the
[30]
OpenAI seeking $40 billion in new fundraising round: Report
Japan's SoftBank is leading the investment round and is in talks to invest $15-25 billion in the deal that would make it the ChatGPT-maker's biggest financial backer. The reports came after Chinese startup DeepSeek sparked panic this week with a powerful new chatbot developed at a fraction of the
[31]
OpenAI seeking $40 billion in new fundraising round: Report
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is seeking to raise $40 billion in a fresh round of funding that would value the startup at a staggering $340 billion, the Wall Street Journal Reported on Thursday. Japan's SoftBank is leading the investment round and is in talks to invest $15-25 billion in the deal
[32]
OpenAI seeking USD40 billion in new fundraising round: report
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is seeking to raise USD40 billion in a fresh round of funding that would value the startup at a staggering USD340 billion, the Wall Street Journal Reported on Thursday. Japan's SoftBank is leading the investment round and is in talks to invest
[33]
OpenAI targets $300bn valuation in SoftBank-led funding round
OpenAI is in talks with investors including SoftBank to raise about $40bn in a massive new funding round, which would push the ChatGPT-maker's valuation to $300bn. SoftBank is set to invest between $15bn and $25bn into OpenAI, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. That investment will be the
[34]
Report: OpenAI Aims to Raise $40 Billion in New Funding Round | PYMNTS.com
OpenAI is reportedly in talks for a $40 billion funding round that would value it at $300 billion. The round would be led by SoftBank, which would invest between $15 billion and $25 billion, with the rest coming from other investors, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Thursday (Jan. 30),
[35]
Report: OpenAI could double valuation to $340B with new $40B funding round - SiliconANGLE
Report: OpenAI could double valuation to $340B with new $40B funding round OpenAI is seeking to raise up to $40 billion in new funding at a valuation of $340 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported today. SoftBank Group Corp. is expected to lead the investment. The Japanese tech conglomerate
[36]
OpenAI Asking for Tens of Billions in New Investment to "Fund Its Money-Losing business Operations"
After getting epically roasted by an upstart competitor, OpenAI is seemingly refusing to reevaluate its approach, asking investors to close their eyes and give them another $40 billion anyway, pretty please. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the Sam Altman-led company is in early talks for a new
[37]
OpenAI in talks for investment round valuing it up to $340 billion, WSJ reports
(Reuters) -OpenAI is in talks for an investment round to raise nearly $40 billion that would value the AI startup at up to $340 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report. SoftBank could invest $15
[38]
OpenAI said to be in talks to raise $40B at a $340B valuation | TechCrunch
OpenAI may have billions of dollars in the bank. But it's gearing up to raise billions more, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Per The WSJ, OpenAI is in talks to secure up to $40 billion in a funding round that would value the startup at $340 billion. SoftBank would lead the
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SoftBank and OpenAI have formed a 50-50 joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan, introducing the Cristal AI service for enterprise use. This collaboration marks a significant step in AI advancement in Japan, with implications for global AI development and competition.
SoftBank and OpenAI Form Strategic Partnership
SoftBank Group and OpenAI have announced a significant collaboration, forming a 50-50 joint venture called SB OpenAI Japan. This partnership was unveiled at a major AI briefing in Tokyo, attended by executives from 500 top companies
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. The event featured SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who introduced their new AI tool, "Cristal Intelligence," designed for enterprise use1
.Cristal Intelligence: A New AI Powerhouse
Cristal Intelligence is positioned as an AI agent capable of autonomously analyzing internal documents, codes, meeting notes, and more
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. Son, demonstrating the tool's potential with a symbolic blue crystal ball, explained that Cristal could be utilized for various business functions including planning, marketing, email management, and deciphering old source codes2
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.Substantial Investment and Rollout Plans
SoftBank Group has committed to investing US$3 billion annually into SB OpenAI Japan
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. This significant funding will primarily support the integration of Cristal Intelligence across SoftBank's subsidiaries, including SoftBank Telecom, Arm, LY, ZOZO, PayPay, and others1
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. The initial rollout of Cristal will focus on Son's own SoftBank Group companies2
.Global AI Initiatives and Partnerships
This collaboration is part of a broader initiative called the "Stargate" project, which involves SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle. Announced in January in the presence of US President Donald Trump, the project aims to invest US$50 billion in AI development in the US over the next four years
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. Son has indicated that Stargate will expand beyond the US into Japan and other nations4
.Addressing Data Sovereignty and Security Concerns
SB OpenAI Japan plans to establish data centers in Japan to ensure the safety of AI inference and training processes
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. This move addresses growing concerns about data sovereignty and reduces dependency on foreign technologies. While Cristal Intelligence's training and development will remain US-based, the collaborative structure aims to mitigate risks of over-reliance on foreign AI technologies1
.Related Stories
New AI Capabilities and Competition
Altman introduced "deep research," a new capability allowing ChatGPT to perform more complex tasks, such as preparing reports by browsing the web and finding thousands of sources rapidly
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. This feature will be available in Japan in the Japanese language3
. However, the AI landscape is evolving rapidly, with Chinese newcomer DeepSeek announcing very smart but low-cost AI models, potentially disrupting the market4
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.Challenges and Uncertainties
Despite the excitement surrounding SB OpenAI Japan's services, Japanese companies remain cautious about entrusting sensitive data to external providers
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. The widespread adoption of these AI services is still uncertain, as businesses may be hesitant to rely on a single provider, especially given potential difficulties in switching to other generative AI services in the future1
. Additionally, the costs and challenges in the adoption process of SB OpenAI Japan's services remain unclear1
.References
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