SoftBank Group Corp is reportedly in discussions to inject up to $30 billion more into OpenAI, according to a person familiar with the matter. The potential investment would be part of a broader funding round that could raise up to $100 billion, valuing OpenAI at approximately $830 billion.

This move underscores SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son’s continued “all-in” commitment to OpenAI, as the Japanese conglomerate seeks to strengthen its position in the global artificial intelligence race. In December, SoftBank announced it had completed a $41 billion investment in OpenAI, securing an 11% stake in the company.

Rising Costs and Increasing Competition

OpenAI has been facing escalating costs to train and operate its AI models, amid intensifying competition from Alphabet’s Google. The additional investment from SoftBank would provide further financial backing as OpenAI scales its infrastructure and research efforts.

Strategic AI Infrastructure Collaboration

Both SoftBank and OpenAI are investors in Stargate, a $500 billion initiative aimed at building AI data centers for training and inference. Executives involved in the project describe it as vital to the U.S. government’s strategy to maintain an edge over China in AI development.

Market Reaction and Background

SoftBank’s shares rose 3.5% in Tokyo morning trading following the news, although the company declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the story.

Last month, Reuters reported that CEO Masayoshi Son had to quickly mobilize funds for the prior investment, slowing other dealmaking activities at SoftBank’s Vision Fund.

The new investment talks highlight the growing financial demands of the AI industry, as major players race to expand computing capacity and capabilities.