Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank Group, is currently pursuing capital from sovereign investors to establish a new acquisition fund dedicated to artificial intelligence. This initiative follows SoftBank's recent financial involvement with OpenAI, where the firm secured a 13% stake in the company.
The investment in OpenAI totaled $64.6 billion. To finance this deal, SoftBank utilized complex instruments, including a $40 billion bridge facility and a $11.1 billion high-yield bond issuance. The latter is recognized as the largest corporate junk-bond sale globally.
These financial maneuvers coincide with a funding round for OpenAI that reached $122 billion. This round resulted in an overall company valuation of $852 billion. Market analysts are now evaluating how Son's search for additional sovereign backing might influence the financial stability of OpenAI.
