SoftBank Group

SoftBank is a very big company from Japan. It helps other companies by giving them money. This money helps them build new things. They work with robots and smart computers.

They also help with how we use the internet. One leader named Masayoshi Son started the company. It began a long time ago in 1981. Now, the company works all over the world. It is one of the largest groups of its kind.

It helps make the future happen.

SoftBank is a large company from Japan. It is based in Tokyo. The company focuses on investment management. This means they give money to other businesses. They help these businesses grow.

Masayoshi Son started the company in 1981. At first, it sold software. Later, it made computer magazines. SoftBank now invests in many new areas. They help companies work with robots. They also help with artificial intelligence, which is smart computer tech.

One of their biggest tools is the Vision Fund. This is a massive pool of money used to help tech companies.

They have invested in many famous names. They have stakes in Arm, which makes computer chips. They also have stakes in Alibaba.

SoftBank is working on big new projects too. In 2025, they announced a plan called Stargate. They will work with the U.S. government on this. The goal is to build a huge system for artificial intelligence. This project might cost $500 billion over four years.

SoftBank Group is a huge company from Japan. It is based in the Minato area of Tokyo. The company focuses on investment management. This means they use money to buy parts of other businesses. They mostly help companies that work with new technology. These companies offer goods and services in many different markets. They work in areas like the internet and automation.

SoftBank works by putting money into many different tech fields. They invest in things like robotics and artificial intelligence. They also help companies in software, logistics, and transportation. Some of their businesses focus on biotechnology or even real estate. They own stakes in famous names like Arm, which makes computer chips. They also have stakes in Alibaba, a huge e-commerce site. They even have a stake in OYO Rooms, which is for hospitality.

Masayoshi Son started the company in September 1981. He was only 24 years old at the time. At first, the business was called SOFTBANK Corp. It began as a company that distributed software. In 1982, they started making computer magazines. One magazine, called Oh! PC, had 140,000 readers by 1989. By 1994, the company was worth $3 billion.

Son later became the largest shareholder of the group.

SoftBank uses a very large tool called the Vision Fund. It is the world's largest fund for technology companies. It started with over $100 billion in capital. Many investors helped fund it, including wealthy funds from the Middle East. In 2017, they partnered with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. This partner helped create a fund worth $93 billion.

SoftBank also created a second version called Vision Fund 2 in 2019.

Today, SoftBank is working on a massive new project. In January 2025, they announced a plan called Stargate. They will work with OpenAI, MGX, and Oracle on this. They are also working with the U.S. government. The goal is to build an artificial intelligence infrastructure system. This project is expected to cost $500 billion. It will be funded over the next four years.

This project aims to create American-made AI in the United States.

SoftBank Group is a massive Japanese multinational investment holding company. It is headquartered in the Minato district of Tokyo. The company focuses primarily on investment management. This means they use large amounts of capital to buy stakes in other businesses. They target companies that operate in high-tech sectors. These businesses provide goods and services across many different industries. Their reach extends from the internet to advanced automation.

The company operates through a complex mechanism of investing in diverse technologies. They provide capital to companies working in robotics and artificial intelligence. They also support firms in software, logistics, and transportation. Other areas of interest include biotechnology, proptech, and e-commerce. SoftBank holds significant international stockholdings in several famous companies. These include Arm, which specializes in semiconductors. They also hold stakes in Alibaba for e-commerce and OYO Rooms for hospitality.

SoftBank manages several distinct types of business interests and funds. One major part is the Vision Fund, which is the world's largest technology-focused venture capital fund. This fund uses massive amounts of capital to back new ideas. They also have the SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which was created in 2019. This second fund focuses specifically on AI-based technology. Additionally, SoftBank Corporation exists as a spun-out affiliate. It serves as a major wireless carrier in Japan. As of March 2021, it had 45.621 million subscribers.

The history of the company began in September 1981. A 24-year-old named Masayoshi Son founded the business as SOFTBANK Corp. Initially, the company worked as a software distributor. By May 1982, they entered the publishing industry. They launched magazines like Oh! PC and Oh! MZ. By 1989, Oh! PC had a circulation of 140,000 copies. The company grew quickly and went public in 1994. At that time, the company was valued at $3 billion.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, SoftBank made many famous moves. In 2000, they made a very successful $20 million investment in Alibaba. This single investment grew to $60 billion when Alibaba went public in 2014. In 2006, they bought Vodafone Japan. This gave them a major stake in the mobile market. They later rebranded this service as SoftBank Mobile. In 2016, they completed their largest deal ever. They bought the British chip designer Arm Holdings for over $32 billion.

The scale of SoftBank's finances is quite significant. In 2017, they partnered with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. This partnership created the $93 billion Vision Fund. SoftBank contributed $28 billion to this specific fund. They raised some of this money by selling shares of Arm. In the 2025 Forbes Global 2000 list, SoftBank was ranked as the 130th largest public company in the world. This shows their massive global economic presence.

SoftBank is currently involved in a massive future project called Stargate. Announced on January 21, 2025, this project involves several partners. They are working with OpenAI, MGX, and Oracle. They are also collaborating with the United States government. The goal is to build an artificial intelligence infrastructure system. This project is estimated to cost $500 billion. It will be funded over the next four years. The aim is to develop American-made AI within the United States.