Masayoshi Son Plans $16 Billion Loan for AI Investments

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son is planning to secure a $16 billion loan to boost investments in artificial intelligence (AI). The plan was disclosed by SoftBank executives to banks last week, according to a report by The Information, citing multiple insider sources.

In addition, the Japanese tech investor is expected to take out an additional $8 billion loan in early 2026, according to The Information, as reported by Reuters on Monday (March 3, 2025).

Back in January, Reuters reported that SoftBank was in discussions to inject $25 billion into OpenAI, the company behind the widely used ChatGPT. This investment is separate from SoftBank’s $15 billion commitment to the Stargate initiative.

According to The Information, SoftBank has plans to invest a total of $40 billion into both Stargate and OpenAI. To finance this, the company has already begun discussions to secure an $18.5 billion loan, backed by its publicly traded assets.

Stargate is a joint venture formed by Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank, aiming to raise a staggering $500 billion to help the U.S. surpass China in AI dominance.

U.S. President Donald Trump personally announced the formation of Stargate at the White House in January. However, Elon Musk later criticized the initiative, claiming that Trump had been deceived, arguing that Son and his partners lacked the necessary funds to fully support Stargate.

Since the early boom of AI technology, Masayoshi Son has been an outspoken advocate for the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence. He has consistently argued that AI’s benefits far outweigh its potential risks, despite concerns raised by others.

As one of the world’s leading venture capital firms, SoftBank has backed numerous high-profile tech startups, including GoJek and Grab, which are widely popular in Indonesia.

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