SoftBank Group shares jump 11.6% to high since July in Tokyo market

Because it’s heavily paywalled, here’s th gist:

February 2025: A major AI infrastructure investment in the US. Here are the key points:

Scale and Participants:

  • A $500 billion AI infrastructure investment announced by President Trump
  • Joint venture called “Stargate” formed by three companies:
    • SoftBank Group (Japan)
    • OpenAI (US)
    • Oracle (US)

Financial Details:

  • Initial commitment of $100 billion
  • Plans to increase to $500 billion over four years
  • SoftBank made an additional separate $100 billion investment pledge

Market Impact:

  • SoftBank shares rose 11.6% to ¥10,325 (highest since July 2024)
  • Oracle shares up 7.2% on Nasdaq
  • Japanese chip stocks also rose (Advantest +4.5%, Tokyo Electron +2.9%)

First Project:

  • Data center in Abilene, Texas
  • Over 46,500 square meters
  • Already under construction

Policy Context:

  • Trump administration emphasizing AI investment and deregulation
  • Trump rescinded Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI regulation
  • Positioned as keeping technology investment in US rather than China

The announcement involved high-profile executives including Masayoshi Son (SoftBank CEO), Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), and Larry Ellison (Oracle Chairman/CTO), who appeared with Trump at the White House for the announcement.

This represents one of the largest technology infrastructure investments in history and signals a major shift in US AI policy and investment strategy.