La vendita allo scoperto per SoftBank Group dà agli investitori un'idea del grado in cui gli investitori stanno scommettendo sul declino delle azioni di SoftBank Group. I dati relativi alle vendite allo scoperto vengono aggiornati ogni due settimane.

SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTBF) Azioni, Report sulle vendite allo scoperto

SoftBank is a Japan-based telecom and e-commerce conglomerate that has expanded mainly through acquisitions, and its key assets include a 40%-owned mobile and fixed broadband telecom operator business in Japan. It also owns 90% of semiconductor chip designer Arm Holdings following the 2023 IPO of this business, and has a vast portfolio of mainly internet- and e-commerce-focused early-stage investments. It is also general partner of the $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund 1 and sole investor in SoftBank Vision Fund 2, both of which primarily invest in pre-IPO internet and AI companies.

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OpenAI valuta un accordo da $500 milioni per acquisire la startup io Products

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OpenAI is reportedly in discussions to acquire the AI hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive and Sam Altman in a deal worth approximately $500 million.
What Happened: OpenAI is considering purchasing io Products, a company that focuses on creating AI-enabled devices, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/07/openai-reportedly-mulls-buying-jony-ive-and-sam-altmans-ai-hardware-startup/?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD_uBwDYVYnR2c7KWaVm_nY-ox0apur5w8aw4jUS-Oy0OFvTa8r9WhYT944FJeyI5KNKwEaGPaLH64zjhG8FdXJ3ZOX0R_0cINQS_QTsFXKDNzdnHfyKzDhjiF_N-aVQOYsGzbLYnTj9mgv0coigBvdnJ-nJ77e2KDSUrkWafSx-">reported</a> TechCrunch (<a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-discussed-buying-jony-ive-sam-altmans-ai-device-startup">via</a> The Information).
The <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40973399/apples-former-design-maestro-jony-ive-confirms-hes-joined-forces-with-openais-sam-altman-for-a-new-a">startup was co-founded</a> by former Apple design lead Ive, who left the tech giant in 2019 to start his own design firm, LoveFrom, and OpenAI CEO Altman.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44566020/arm-aims-for-50-data-center-cpu-market-share-by-2025-challenging-intel-and-amd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arm Aims for 50% Data Center CPU Market Share by 2025, Challenging Intel and AMD</a>
io Products, which has received funding from Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective and others, has been developing a range of products, including smart home gadgets.
The report indicates that OpenAI may choose to partner with io Products instead of acquiring it outright. The small team at io Products includes former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a> to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters: Earlier this year, OpenAI closed a historic $40 billion funding round, pushing its <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/04/44580172/openai-finalizes-historic-40-billion-funding-round-valuing-company-at-300-billion-with-backing-from-softbank-and-microsoft">valuation to $300 billion</a>, with major backing from SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), and other prominent investors.
According to research firm PitchBook, this marks the largest funding round ever recorded and nearly doubles OpenAI's previous valuation of $157 billion.
OpenAI is reportedly projecting its revenue to reach $12.7 billion this year. The company also announced that its enterprise versions of ChatGPT now have 1 million paying users, alongside the introduction of a new $200-per-month &#8220;Pro&#8221; plan offering access to its most advanced AI models.
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Consumer Tech coverage by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech">following this link</a>.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://benzinga.com/25/03/44554189/openai-and-microsoft-back-mcp-standard-in-major-shift-toward-interoperable-ai-agents-that-can-think-click-and-navigate-the-web-but-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-appears-to-be-mulling-over-it-in-shakespearean-fashion-to-mcp-or-not-to-mcp">OpenAI And Microsoft Back MCP Standard For Web-Surfing AI Agents; Google&#8217;s Sundar Pichai Asks A Shakespearean Question</a></li>
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

OpenAI Eyes $500 Million Deal To Acquire Jony Ive And Sam Altman's AI Hardware Startup: Report

The White House is set to hold a meeting with key officials to discuss the future of&nbsp;TikTok, as the app faces an April 5 deadline to secure a non-Chinese <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/25/04/44599624/tiktok-clock-ticks-louder-as-deadline-approaches-trump-to-consider-final-proposal-as-private-equity-firms-bid-for-platform" rel="noreferrer noopener">buyer or&nbsp;face a potential U.S. ban</a>.
China announced a series of retaliatory measures on Friday in response to President&nbsp;Donald Trump‘s tariffs on Chinese goods, escalating the trade conflict <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44647999/trumps-tariff-war-could-take-us-tech-industry-back-a-decade-while-china-steam-rolls-ahead-analyst-says" rel="noreferrer noopener">between the two&nbsp;largest global economies</a>.&nbsp;
President&nbsp;Donald Trump‘s 25% tariffs on auto imports have sent shockwaves through the integrated North American automotive supply chain, prompting&nbsp;divergent responses from major manufacturers&nbsp;as United Auto <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/04/44642355/trumps-25-auto-tariffs-spark-stellantis-layoffs-gm-expansion-uaws-shawn-fain-calls-job-cuts-completely-unnecessary" rel="noreferrer noopener">Workers leadership criticizes job cuts</a>.
Gaming &amp; Smartphones
Nintendo ADR (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NTDOY#OTC">NTDOY</a>)&nbsp;announced key details surrounding the&nbsp;Switch 2&nbsp;during Nintendo Direct, revealing a June 5<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/gaming/25/04/44609298/nintendo-switch-2-price-release-date-specs-new-games-revealed" rel="noreferrer noopener"> launch date and a $450 price tag</a>.
The standard console will be accompanied by a $500 bundle that includes a digital copy of&nbsp;Mario Kart World, the first installment in the beloved franchise built exclusively for the new hardware.
Apple Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) has officially released&nbsp;iOS 18.4,&nbsp;iPadOS 18.4,&nbsp;macOS 15.4, and&nbsp;VisionOS 2.4, bringing a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/04/44579491/ios-18-4-is-now-live-with-new-emojis-apple-news-food-and-priority-ai-notifications-alongside-vision-pro-updates-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">range of new features to its devices</a>.
Social Media &amp; Auto
YouTube&nbsp;star&nbsp;Jimmy Donalson, popularly known as&nbsp;MrBeast, pulled a dark yet humorous April Fool&#8217;s prank that involved burning 20 million trees and blinding 1,000 kids, but it was all in jest and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44601201/mrbeast-drops-dark-april-fools-joke-about-burning-20-million-trees-and-blinding-1000-kids-but-its-all-a-callback-to-his-philanthropic-work" rel="noreferrer noopener">reference to his past charitable efforts</a>.
Ford (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/F#NYSE">F</a>) announced it will extend employee pricing to all car shoppers, a move that coincides with the implementation of new 25% U.S. tariffs on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44641009/ford-launches-from-america-for-america-discount-program-as-tariffs-threaten-vehicle-price-surge" rel="noreferrer noopener">imported vehicles and auto parts</a>.
Technology
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee is set to hold a hearing next week to examine&nbsp;Mark Zuckerberg-led&nbsp;Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) alleged efforts to establish a presence in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/25/04/44620411/mark-zuckerberg-led-meta-set-to-face-truth-at-senate-hearing-over-china-operations-and-communist-party-censorship-efforts" rel="noreferrer noopener">China and its ties to censorship tools</a>.
Meta is reportedly gearing up to release an over $1,000 version of its smart glasses to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44599475/meta-is-planning-to-drop-1000-smart-glasses-to-disrupt-apples-ar-ambitions-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">further challenge&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44599475/meta-is-planning-to-drop-1000-smart-glasses-to-disrupt-apples-ar-ambitions-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple&#8217;s&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44599475/meta-is-planning-to-drop-1000-smart-glasses-to-disrupt-apples-ar-ambitions-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">AR ambitions</a>.
At Intel&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) Vision 2025 conference, the company revealed that it had entered the &#8220;risk production&#8221; phase for its<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/04/44600131/intels-stock-plummeted-50-in-past-12-months-now-the-lip-bu-tan-led-company-is-betting-on-18a-chip-breakthrough-were-freezing-it" rel="noreferrer noopener"> 18A process node,&nbsp;reported&nbsp;Tom&#8217;s Hardware</a>.
Intel&#8217;s Lip-Bu Tan&nbsp;made bold promises about the company&#8217;s future during his first public speech as CEO on Monday, highlighting a&nbsp;major cultural overhaul&nbsp;and signaling potential support from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44577045/intels-new-ceo-lip-bu-tan-says-trump-administration-ready-to-help-beleagured-chipmaker-warns-bureaucracy-kills-innovation" rel="noreferrer noopener">the&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44577045/intels-new-ceo-lip-bu-tan-says-trump-administration-ready-to-help-beleagured-chipmaker-warns-bureaucracy-kills-innovation" rel="noreferrer noopener">Donald Trump&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44577045/intels-new-ceo-lip-bu-tan-says-trump-administration-ready-to-help-beleagured-chipmaker-warns-bureaucracy-kills-innovation" rel="noreferrer noopener">administration.</a>
Microsoft Corp&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) has paused discussions and postponed the development of sites in Indonesia, the U.K., Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin, Bloomberg&nbsp;reported, citing unnamed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/global/25/04/44645946/microsoft-halts-data-center-expansions-due-to-semiconductor-tariff-concerns-ai-overcapacity-fears" rel="noreferrer noopener">sources familiar with the matter</a>.
Alphabet Inc.&#8217;s&nbsp;Google&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) removed the mailing list for the&nbsp;Bitcoin&nbsp;developer group&nbsp;Bitcoindev, citing "policy violations," prompting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44643317/google-removes-bitcoin-developer-mailing-list-for-policy-violations-jack-dorsey-calls-out-sundar-pichai-for-censorship" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jack Dorsey</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44643317/google-removes-bitcoin-developer-mailing-list-for-policy-violations-jack-dorsey-calls-out-sundar-pichai-for-censorship" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;to call out the company's approach</a>.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>) is reportedly set to acquire a 20% stake in a new joint venture with&nbsp;Intel, aimed at addressing the&nbsp;U.S. chipmaker&#8217;s ongoing struggles, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44640394/tsmc-to-take-20-stake-in-joint-venture-with-intel-amid-us-chipmakers-struggles-with-188-billion-net-loss-in-2024-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">including its $18.8 billion net loss in 2024</a>.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Sentient, a San Francisco-based AI development lab backed by&nbsp;Peter Thiel&#8217;s Founder's Fund, has unveiled its open-source AI search framework, positioning its work <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/04/44620834/peter-thiel-backed-nonprofit-sentient-aims-to-be-americas-deepseek-takes-aim-at-closed-ai-systems" rel="noreferrer noopener">as a response to China&#8217;s&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/04/44620834/peter-thiel-backed-nonprofit-sentient-aims-to-be-americas-deepseek-takes-aim-at-closed-ai-systems" rel="noreferrer noopener">DeepSeek</a>.
OpenAI&nbsp;has finalized a record-setting $40 billion funding round, boosting the company&#8217;s valuation to $300 billion, with major investments from&nbsp;SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>),&nbsp;Microsoft, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44580172/openai-finalizes-historic-40-billion-funding-round-valuing-company-at-300-billion-with-backing-from-softbank-and-microsoft" rel="noreferrer noopener">and other key backers</a>.
OpenAI&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;Sam Altman&nbsp;announced that the company plans to release its new open-weight language model with reasoning capabilities in the coming months. This decision might have been driven by the&nbsp;impressive success of&nbsp;DeepSeek's R1&nbsp;model and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44577187/sam-altman-led-openai-releases-open-weight-ai-model-with-reasoning-capabilities-as-deepseek-and-meta-taste-success" rel="noreferrer noopener">growing popularity of&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44577187/sam-altman-led-openai-releases-open-weight-ai-model-with-reasoning-capabilities-as-deepseek-and-meta-taste-success" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meta's&nbsp;Llama</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44577187/sam-altman-led-openai-releases-open-weight-ai-model-with-reasoning-capabilities-as-deepseek-and-meta-taste-success" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;models</a>.
Last week, in a direct response to growing speculation online,&nbsp;Perplexity&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;Aravind Srinivas&nbsp;took to&nbsp;Reddit Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RDDT#NYSE">RDDT</a>)&nbsp;to deny rumors that the AI search company is facing financial trouble<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44557415/perplexity-ceo-aravind-srinivas-shuts-down-financial-rumors-on-reddit-says-ai-search-startup-has-no-plans-of-ipoing-before-2028" rel="noreferrer noopener"> or preparing for an imminent IPO</a>.
As industry giants like&nbsp;Microsoft and OpenAI throw their weight behind a rising AI protocol,&nbsp;Alphabet&#8217;s CEO has <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44554189/openai-and-microsoft-back-mcp-standard-in-major-shift-toward-interoperable-ai-agents-that-can-think-click-and-navigate-the-web-but-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-appears-to-be-mulling-over-it-in-shakespearean-fashion-to-mcp-or-not-to-mcp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">offered a cryptic but telling response</a>.
Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/25/03/44553924/tesla-bull-pierre-ferragu-predicts-113-combined-market-cap-of-elon-musks-ai-startup-xai-and-x-will-look-tiny-in-few-years-so-much-potential" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla Bull Pierre Ferragu Predicts $113 Billion Combined Market Cap Of Elon Musk&#8217;s AI Startup xAI And X Will Look &#8216;Tiny&#8217; In Few Years: &#8216;So Much Potential&#8217;</a>
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Consumer Tech News (Mar 31-Apr 4): China Plans Retaliation Against Trump's Tariffs Change, Meta To Release $1,000 Version Of Its Smart Glasses & More

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) has paused discussions and postponed the development of sites in Indonesia, the U.K., Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-03/microsoft-pulls-back-on-data-centers-from-chicago-to-jakarta?srnd=phx-technology&amp;sref=TBDibEcD" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The stock is trading lower on Friday amid President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/global/25/04/44631606/trumps-tariff-exemptions-include-semiconductors-pharmaceuticals-oil-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">semiconductor tariff announcements</a>.
Microsoft recently dumped negotiations to lease space between London and Cambridge to host advanced NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) chips, Bloomberg cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44523216/microsoft-plans-proprietary-ai-to-power-business-software-and-reduce-openai-dependence-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft Plans Proprietary AI To Power Business Software And Reduce OpenAI Dependence: Report</a>
The company has also halted negotiations for data center space near Chicago.
Microsoft recently ditched a proposal to obtain more cloud-computing capacity from CoreWeave, its CEO Michael Intrator, told Bloomberg.
Microsoft has paused work on parts of a data center campus near Jakarta.
Microsoft has also postponed its planned expansion at a Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, site.
Microsoft has postponed negotiations, including a deal for a server farm complex in North Dakota with Applied Digital Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APLD#NASDAQ">APLD</a>) and Ada Infrastructure&#8217;s Docklands data center&nbsp;in London.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Bloomberg that Microsoft&#8217;s $3.3 billion project in Wisconsin will likely come online in 2026. A company spokesperson in Jakarta told Bloomberg that Microsoft&#8217;s planned Indonesia Central cloud region is on track to go live in the second quarter of 2025.
In March, TD Cowen analysts told Bloomberg that Microsoft postponed new <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44515782/microsoft-halts-expansion-plans-yet-analysts-still-rank-it-among-top-investment-picks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data center projects</a> in the U.S. and Europe, signaling potential AI computing overcapacity.
In February, the analysts highlighted leases Microsoft had abandoned in the U.S. They described the latest move as the company&#8217;s choice to forgo some new business from ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
TD Cowen&#8217;s supply chain checks indicated Microsoft&#8217;s pullback has led to Alphabet Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google and  Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) to backfill the capacity in international markets.
Chinese upstart DeepSeeks&#8217;s open-source AI model led to Wall Street questioning the sustainability of Microsoft, Meta and Amazon.com Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) capex outlays on AI models.
Microsoft stock is down 11% year-to-date. Reportedly, SoftBank (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) may become OpenAI's top backer, surpassing <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44513286/softbank-may-want-to-outdo-microsoft-with-40-billion-investment-in-openais-latest-funding-round">Microsoft's $14 billion stake</a>.
MSFT Price Action: MSFT stock was down 2.17% at $365 premarket Friday at publication.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44513286/softbank-may-want-to-outdo-microsoft-with-40-billion-investment-in-openais-latest-funding-round" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44627035/pony-ai-teams-up-with-luxembourg-transit-giant-to-launch-level-4-autonomous-vehicle-trials" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pony AI Teams Up With Luxembourg Transit Giant to Launch Level 4 Autonomous Vehicle Trials</a></li>
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Microsoft Halts Data Center Expansions Due To Semiconductor Tariff Concerns, AI Overcapacity Fears

President Donald Trump's <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/news/global/25/04/44631606/trumps-tariff-exemptions-include-semiconductors-pharmaceuticals-oil-and-more">new reciprocal tariffs</a> could undermine the billion-dollar AI infrastructure projects being spearheaded by leading tech companies, analysts warn.
What Happened: On Thursday, analysts highlighted the negative impact of the Trump administration's tariffs on technology equipment, which were levied at 34% on China, 32% on Taiwan, and 25% on South Korea, while also imposing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the U.S., reported Reuters.
The tariffs threaten to raise the costs of essential hardware used in artificial intelligence infrastructure, such as data centers, servers, and chips.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/04/44640656/apple-making-iphones-in-america-a-fantasy-that-sounds-great-behind-the-microphones-says-top-analyst-dan-ives">Apple Making iPhones In America A Fantasy That Sounds Great &#8216;Behind The Microphones,&#8217; Says Top Analyst Dan Ives</a>
&#8220;Capital expenditure by tech giants will get reshuffled,&#8221; said Abhishek Singh, partner at Everest Group. &#8220;Expect major players in AI infrastructure and consumer tech to reallocate short-term spending away from expansion and toward procurement hedging or sourcing shifts.&#8221;
The tariffs are expected to increase the cost of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43908921/microsoft-pulls-plug-on-ai-data-center-leases-says-analyst-oversupply-situation-likely">building data centers</a> in the U.S., potentially delaying large-scale AI projects.
D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria pointed out that companies like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) have already begun to scale back their data center investments due to financial uncertainty.
&#8220;Microsoft has already started articulating a more balanced, cautious approach to their data center build-out,&#8221; Luria noted.
The most high-profile project affected is the $500 billion Stargate venture between Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), and OpenAI, aimed at building 20 data centers across the U.S.
&#8220;Stargate was already unlikely to get to that scale even before these things happened. Given the shock to the economy that these tariffs represent, it is highly unlikely that such a risky endeavor will be able to raise anywhere near that number in terms of debt financings,&#8221; stated Luria.
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Why It Matters: President Trump&#8217;s sweeping new trade tariffs jolted global markets on Thursday, sparking a dramatic sell-off reminiscent of the pandemic-era crashes.
Wall Street witnessed a <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/04/44631916/wall-street-wipes-out-2-trillion-apple-eyes-worst-day-since-covid-19-pandemic-oil-plummets-whats-driving-markets-thursday">staggering $2 trillion wiped</a> from market value, with the 10 largest U.S. companies alone accounting for $1 trillion of those losses.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) plunged 9.25%, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) fell 7.81%, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) dropped 8.98%, and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>) slid 8.9%.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) declined 5.47%, while Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) lost 8.96%. Alphabet Inc.'s Class A shares (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) dipped 4.02%, and Class C shares (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) were down 3.92%, according to <a href="http://pro.benzinga.com/">data from Benzinga Pro</a>.
Photo Courtesy: Jack_the_sparow on Shutterstock
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs Threaten To Derail Big Tech's Billion-Dollar AI Infrastructure Plans, Analyst Singles Out This OpenAI-Linked Project As Likely To Get Hit

Dutch advanced chipmaking equipment supplier ASML Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ASML#NASDAQ">ASML</a>) plans to quintuple its Japan-based maintenance staff for the machines in the next few years, Nikkei <a target="_blank" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/ASML-to-quintuple-advanced-EUV-chip-tools-staff-in-Japan" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> Tuesday.
ASML manufactures extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment for making advanced technology chips.
In December, Rapidus became the first Japanese chipmaker to receive EUV machines.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43945751/huawei-boosts-ai-chip-production-despite-taiwan-semi-and-asml-ban-aims-to-challenge-nvidia-in-china" rel="noreferrer noopener">Huawei Boosts AI Chip Production Despite Taiwan Semi And ASML Ban, Aims to Challenge Nvidia In China</a>
Japan continues bolstering its advanced semiconductor technology position, as in the U.S., Europe, and China.
Japanese multinational investment holding company Softbank Group Corp (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/04/44589685/softbank-weighs-165-billion-loan-that-could-back-openais-40-billion-raise-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">weighing a loan</a> of up to $16.5 billion to finance its&nbsp;U.S. artificial intelligence ambitions. The loan may help SoftBank lead a $40 billion&nbsp;funding round&nbsp;in OpenAI. The move values the ChatGPT parent&nbsp;at $300 billion.
Contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>) is expanding globally with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/01/42843001/taiwan-semiconductor-ramps-up-production-in-japan-us-and-germany-to-diversify-away-from-china" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants in the U.S., Japan, and Germany</a>.
Meanwhile, ASML continues to gain traction, which is backed by the higher demand for semiconductor chips.
In March, ASML and imec forged a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/eurozone/25/03/44253751/asml-boosts-ai-chip-rd-in-europe-amid-us-sanctions-china-slowdown-and-subsidy-uncertainty" rel="noreferrer noopener">five-year deal</a> complemented by funding made available by the Chips Joint Undertaking, the Flemish government, and&nbsp;the Dutch government to boost semiconductor R&amp;D and sustainable innovation with EU and government backing to develop sub-2nm chips and advance AI-ready semiconductor solutions.
ASML Holding stock has plunged 34% in the last 12 months. The company disclosed in its&nbsp;annual report that the U.S. semiconductor sanctions on China hurt 2024 demand, with China making up 36% of its sales.
ASML customers slashed capital spending amid U.S. chip restrictions, impacting AI and semiconductor growth. Additionally, reports indicated President Donald Trump&#8217;s plans to scrap&nbsp;the U.S. CHIPS Act.
The EUV lithography market size was worth $10.09 billion in 2023 and is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/03/21/3047088/0/en/Extreme-Ultraviolet-EUV-Lithography-Market-to-Hit-USD-35-70-billion-by-2032-Driven-by-Rising-Demand-for-Advanced-Semiconductor-Manufacturing-SNS-Insider.html" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected to reach</a> $35.70 Billion by 2032 and grow at a CAGR of 15.1% over the forecast period 2024-2032.
The growth potential reflects technological advancements, increasing semiconductor complexity, and the demand for smaller, more powerful chips. Industries like AI, high-performance computing, 5G, and IoT.
Price Action:&nbsp;ASML stock is down 4.55% at $638.55 at the last check on Thursday.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43938789/intel-deploys-asmls-advanced-euv-machines-aims-to-challenge-taiwan-semiconductors-lead" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intel Deploys ASML&#8217;s Advanced EUV Machines, Aims to Challenge Taiwan Semiconductor&#8217;s Lead</a></li>
</ul>
Photo via Shutterstock

Asia

ASML

Chip Equipment Maker ASML To Boost Japan Workforce 5x Amid Global Race For Advanced Semiconductor Tech

<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/arm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British chip designer</a> Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) explored snapping up semiconductor intellectual property supplier Alphawave.
That is, until discussions collapsed.
Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>), an Arm rival, also considered acquiring Alphawave, according to Reuters. Both companies are vying for serializer-deserializer technology. This type of tech enabled companies like Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>) to win AI chip customers like Alphabet Inc&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google and OpenAI.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/03/44235249/slowdown-and-tariff-talk-grips-the-hottest-sector-on-wall-street-semiconductor-etf-now-has-a-negative-1-year-return" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Slowdown And Tariff Talk Grips The Hottest Sector On Wall Street &#8211; Semiconductor ETF Now Has A Negative 1-Year Return</a>
The technology gained traction by enabling chatbots and other applications to operate smoothly by simultaneously stringing thousands of chips together.
Arm&#8217;s chips have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44566020/arm-aims-for-50-data-center-cpu-market-share-by-2025-challenging-intel-and-amd" rel="noreferrer noopener">gained traction among</a> cloud computing companies as the electricity of AI data centers has surged over the years. Arm expects its&nbsp;data center central processing unit&nbsp;market share to reach 50% by the end of 2025, up from around 15% in 2024.
Both Arm and Qualcomm supply companies with data center CPUs.
Reportedly, Arm planned to&nbsp;boost prices by&nbsp;up to 300% and has discussed manufacturing its chips. It aims to increase annual smartphone revenue by ~$1 billion over the next ten years.
Arm, majority owned by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, recorded over 90% market share within the mobile applications market. According to <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1132112/arm-market-share-targets/#:~:text=Arm%20Holdings%20market%20share%20across%20key%20technology%20markets%20worldwide%202020%2D2022&amp;text=As%20of%202022%2C%20Arm%20Holdings,and%20embedded%20computing%20markets%20globally." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Statista</a>, it boasted a 65% share of the Internet of Things and embedded computing markets globally in 2022.
Price Action: ARM stock is down 0.13% at $106.84 at last check Wednesday.
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</ul>
Image: Shutterstock

AVGO

QCOM

Chip Giants Arm, Qualcomm Target Alphawave To Capture AI Success Like Broadcom

SoftBank Group Corp&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) is weighing a loan of up to $16.5 billion to finance its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/softbank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. artificial intelligence ambitions</a>.
The bridge loan would have a term of about 12 months.
The loan may help SoftBank lead a $40 billion funding round in OpenAI, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-01/softbank-seeks-record-16-5-billion-loan-for-ai-projects-in-us?srnd=homepage-asia&amp;sref=TBDibEcD" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The move values the ChatGPT parent <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44580172/openai-finalizes-historic-40-billion-funding-round-valuing-company-at-300-billion-with-backing-from-softbank-and-microsoft" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at $300 billion</a>.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44566020/arm-aims-for-50-data-center-cpu-market-share-by-2025-challenging-intel-and-amd" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arm Aims for 50% Data Center CPU Market Share by 2025, Challenging Intel and AMD</a>
The Japanese tech investor remains engaged in its $500 billion AI infrastructure project in the U.S., along with other projects in robotics and semiconductors. The Japanese company is partnering with OpenAI, Oracle Corp, and Abu Dhabi&#8217;s MGX on the Stargate AI deal.
On Tuesday, Japan Credit Rating Agency and S&amp;P Global Ratings flagged potential financial strains for SoftBank from its financing needs.
SoftBank&#8217;s founder and chief, Masayoshi Son, has frequently obtained large loans from creditors.
SoftBank is considering a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44544278/softbank-looks-at-investing-1-trillion-for-us-ai-push-with-robot-run-industrial-parks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$1 trillion investment</a> in U.S. AI industrial parks using autonomous robots.
SoftBank may reportedly become OpenAI&#8217;s top backer, investing up to $25 billion, surpassing Microsoft Corp&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) $14 billion stake.
OpenAI expects to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44513286/softbank-may-want-to-outdo-microsoft-with-40-billion-investment-in-openais-latest-funding-round" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than triple</a> its revenue this year to $12.7 billion from $3.7 billion in 2024 and sales to increase to $29.4 billion in 2026. Still, OpenAI does not expect to be cash-flow positive until 2029, when it projects revenue to top $125 billion as it grapples with AI development costs.
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</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

SoftBank Weighs $16.5 Billion Loan That Could Back OpenAI's $40 Billion Raise: Report

OpenAI has finalized a record-setting $40 billion funding round, boosting the company's valuation to $300 billion, with major investments from SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), and other key backers.
What Happened: This financing round is the largest in history, according <a href="https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/openai-largest-vc-funding-round-40-billion">to</a> research firm PitchBook, and almost doubles OpenAI's previous valuation of $157 billion.
SoftBank led the latest funding round with an initial investment of $7.5 billion, accompanied by $2.5 billion from a group of investors, reported Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the agreement.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44566020/arm-aims-for-50-data-center-cpu-market-share-by-2025-challenging-intel-and-amd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arm Aims for 50% Data Center CPU Market Share by 2025, Challenging Intel and AMD</a>
Other investors in the group are Microsoft, Coatue Management, Altimeter Capital Management, and Thrive Capital.
A second round of funding, totaling $30 billion, is expected by the end of 2025. This will consist of $22.5 billion from SoftBank and $7.5 billion from the investor group, the report noted.
Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a>&nbsp;to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters:&nbsp; OpenAI reportedly expects its revenue to surge to $12.7 billion this year. The company also revealed it has 1 million paid users for its corporate versions of ChatGPT, with a new $200-per-month "Pro" plan for access to advanced AI models.
On Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also announced plans to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44577187/sam-altman-led-openai-releases-open-weight-ai-model-with-reasoning-capabilities-as-deepseek-and-meta-taste-success">release a new open-weight</a> language model with reasoning capabilities.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

OpenAI Finalizes $40 Billion Funding Round, Valuing Company At $300 Billion With Backing From SoftBank And Microsoft

On Monday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company plans to release its new open-weight language model with reasoning capabilities in the coming months. This decision might have been driven by the <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/01/43381133/chinas-deepseek-r1-lands-on-microsoft-azure-and-awsthe-same-model-that-shook-silicon-valley">impressive success of</a> DeepSeek&#8217;s R1 model and the growing popularity of Meta Platforms, Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) Llama models.
What Happened: In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, Altman revealed that the model would be the first of its kind since GPT-2 and would feature publicly accessible trained parameters or weights, allowing developers to fine-tune the model for specific tasks.
&#8220;We've been thinking about this for a long time, but other priorities took precedence,&#8221; Altman said, adding, &#8220;Now it feels important to do.&#8221;
Altman also said that the company plans to get feedback from developers through a series of global events.
See Also: <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44566020/arm-aims-for-50-data-center-cpu-market-share-by-2025-challenging-intel-and-amd">Arm Aims for 50% Data Center CPU Market Share by 2025, Challenging Intel and AMD</a>
"We still have some decisions to make, so we are hosting developer events to gather feedback and later play with early prototypes," he said. The first event will take place in San Francisco, followed by sessions in Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">TL;DR: we are excited to release a powerful new open-weight language model with reasoning in the coming months, and we want to talk to devs about how to make it maximally useful: <a href="https://t.co/XKB4XxjREV">https://t.co/XKB4XxjREV</a> we are excited to make this a very, very good model! __ we are planning to…
&mdash; Sam Altman (@sama) <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1906793591944646898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
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OpenAI provides access to its AI via a chatbot and cloud-based services. In contrast, models like&nbsp;R1, Llama, and other open-weight alternatives can be freely downloaded and customized.
A model's&nbsp;weights&nbsp;represent the internal values of a neural network, determined during training. Open-weight models offer a&nbsp;cost-effective&nbsp;solution and can be adapted for specialized applications, such as processing&nbsp;sensitive or confidential data, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/openai-sam-altman-announce-open-source-model/">reported</a> Wired.
After DeepSeek launched its model in January, Altman remarked that <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/02/43426111/openai-rethinks-open-source-as-deepseek-gains-ground-sam-altman-hints-at-major-changes-in-ai-model-development">OpenAI was &#8220;on the wrong side of history&#8221;</a> when it came to open models, hinting at a possible change in stance.
OpenAI might aim to demonstrate its ability to train the new model efficiently, especially since DeepSeek's model was reportedly developed at a significantly lower cost than most large AI models.
"This is amazing news," Clement Delangue, co-founder and CEO of Hugging Face, a company known for hosting open AI models, told the publication. "With DeepSeek, everyone's realizing the power of open weights."
OpenAI is also <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44066117/elon-musk-battles-openai-over-move-to-for-profit-model-and-experts-are-pushing-back">transitioning to a for-profit company</a> by the end of the year to secure a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), which will support the development of future AI models.
This move comes after the company closed a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41149788/openai-valuation-soars-to-157b-in-latest-funding-round">$6.6 billion funding round</a> in October.
Meanwhile, Meta has seen significant success with its AI model family, &#8216;Llama,&#8217; which reached a <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44393122/mark-zuckerberg-announces-that-metas-llama-model-hits-1-billion-downloads-each-llama-download-represents-a-vote-of-confidence-in-open-source-ai-says-vp">milestone of 1 billion downloads</a>. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted this achievement, underscoring the growing confidence in open-source AI models.
Photo by jamesonwu1972 on Shutterstock
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Sam Altman-Led OpenAI Releases Open-Weight AI Model With Reasoning Capabilities As DeepSeek And Meta Taste Success

Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) expects its<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/arm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> data center central processing unit</a> market share to reach 50% by the end of 2025, up from around 15% in 2024.
Arm&#8217;s infrastructure chief, Mohamed Awad, told Reuters that the UK-headquartered Arm&#8217;s technology, which is 90% owned by Japan&#8217;s SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), offers lower power consumption than Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>) processors.
Awad noted that by consuming more of Arm&#8217;s intellectual property, data center chips entitled them to a higher royalty rate.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/03/44235249/slowdown-and-tariff-talk-grips-the-hottest-sector-on-wall-street-semiconductor-etf-now-has-a-negative-1-year-return" rel="noreferrer noopener">Slowdown And Tariff Talk Grips The Hottest Sector On Wall Street &#8211; Semiconductor ETF Now Has A Negative 1-Year Return</a>
Arm&#8217;s chips have become increasingly popular among cloud computing companies as AI data centers use electricity.
Arm stock plunged close to 20% in the last 12 months.
Arm last month reported <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/25/02/43513408/arm-holdings-stock-slides-on-q3-earnings-revenue-beat-eps-beat-revised-guidance-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">third-quarter revenue</a> of $983 million, up 19%, beating analyst estimates of $946.73 million. The adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share beat analyst estimates of 34 cents per share. Arm expects fourth-quarter revenue of $1.175 billion-$1.275 billion versus the $946.73 million analyst consensus. The company anticipates fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 48 cents-56 cents per share versus 34 cents consensus estimate.
Arm&#8217;s foray into the chip sales market reportedly <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44497080/qualcomm-accuses-arm-of-antitrust-violations-across-us-eu-and-korea-over-chip-access" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">directly competes with</a> its clients, including Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>) and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), for AI and data center chip deals.

Price Action: ARM stock is down 5.83% at $101.51 at last check Monday.
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Photo: Piotr Swat/Shutterstock

Arm Aims for 50% Data Center CPU Market Share by 2025, Challenging Intel and AMD

Backed by companies like Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>), and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>), Scale AI is reportedly seeking a valuation of up to $25 billion in a new tender offer.
What Happened: Scale AI is in talks to launch a tender offer that could value the company at nearly double its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/05/38944368/ai-startup-scale-secures-1b-from-investors-including-amd-amazon-meta-doubling-valuation-to-13-8b">previous valuation of $14 billion</a> from last year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scaleai-valuation-tender-offer-shares-2025-3">reported</a> Business Insider, citing multiple sources who have seen the deal.
The terms of the deal, where existing shares are sold by early investors or employees, are still being finalized, and the final valuation could fluctuate, the report noted.
Founded in 2016, the San Francisco-based company plays a critical role in the AI ecosystem by providing high-quality labeled data, essential for training models like OpenAI's ChatGPT.&nbsp;
However, the company is also facing scrutiny. The U.S. Department of Labor is reportedly <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44186059/us-labor-department-probes-nvidia-amazon-backed-startup-scale-ai">investigating Scale AI's compliance</a> with the Fair Labor Standards Act, raising questions about labor practices amid its rapid growth.
Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a>&nbsp;to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It's Important: On Friday, Elon Musk also acquired his social media platform X through xAI <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44549314/elon-musk-acquires-his-own-social-media-platform-x-through-xai-in-33-billion-deal-says-combined-entity-now-worth-80-billion">in a $33 billion deal</a>.
Last month, it was reported that Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI&#8217;s co-founder and former chief scientist, is reportedly securing over $1 billion in funding for his AI startup, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), driving its <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43772135/ex-openai-chief-scientist-ilya-sutskevers-ai-startup-valued-at-30-billion-in-latest-funding-round-report">valuation past $30 billion</a>.
SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) is also reportedly in discussions to lead a new funding round for OpenAI, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/01/43374528/softbank-may-lead-openais-40-billion-funding-round-at-a-300-billion-valuation-despite-deepseek-disruption-report">aiming to raise $40 billion</a>. This investment could push the ChatGPT creator's valuation to $300 billion, marking a record for private company funding.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a> and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Nvidia-Backed Scale AI Reportedly Eyes $25 Billion Valuation In Tender Offer Amid Explosive Demand For Labeled Data And Machine Learning Tools

SoftBank Group Corp (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) is <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/softbank" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eying an investment</a> of more than $1 trillion to create industrial parks for artificial intelligence across the U.S., Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-28/softbank-may-pledge-1-trillion-for-ai-effort-in-us-nikkei-says?sref=TBDibEcD" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cites</a> a Nikkei report on Friday.
Founder and CEO Masayoshi Son will likely visit the U.S. to discuss his ideas for such industrial parks.
The factories would likely use AI-equipped robots operating autonomously due to the labor crisis.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/02/43676475/softbank-backed-arm-holdings-155-post-ipo-surge-bolstered-by-ai-growth-and-smartphone-integration" rel="noreferrer noopener">Softbank-Backed Arm Holdings 155% Post-IPO Surge Bolstered by AI Growth and Smartphone Integration</a>
Son tapped OpenAI and Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>) in January for a $100 billion joint venture to fund AI infrastructure in the U.S/, with plans to boost that to at least $500 billion for data centers and physical campuses.
OpenAI and Oracle <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44327422/softbank-to-build-676-million-ai-data-center-in-japan-linked-to-openai-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plan to begin</a> filling a new data center in Texas with AI chips from NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) to get the first facility for their $100 billion Stargate infrastructure venture up and running.
Reportedly, SoftBank may become <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44513286/softbank-may-want-to-outdo-microsoft-with-40-billion-investment-in-openais-latest-funding-round" rel="noreferrer noopener">OpenAI's top backer</a>, investing up to $25 billion, surpassing Microsoft's $14 billion stake. The deal could value OpenAI&nbsp;at $300 billion compared to its&nbsp;previous valuation of $157 billion in the October funding round.
SoftBank will commit an initial $7.5 billion to the company and $2.5 billion from an investor syndicate. The second tranche of $30 billion will include $22.5 billion from SoftBank and $7.5 billion from a syndicate.
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Photo: Shutterstock

SoftBank Looks At Investing $1 Trillion For US AI Push With Robot-Run Industrial Parks

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) is exploring the development of its own <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/microsoft" rel="noreferrer noopener">high-performance artificial intelligence</a> platform model, Nikkei Asia <a target="_blank" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Microsoft-mulls-developing-own-high-end-generative-AI-CEO-Nadella" rel="noreferrer noopener">cited</a> CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday.
Nadella shared plans to build its capability to complement what it had been doing with OpenAI. Microsoft plans to offer such technology through its business software lest it adds value to customers.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44515782/microsoft-halts-expansion-plans-yet-analysts-still-rank-it-among-top-investment-picks" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft Halts Expansion Plans, Yet Analysts Still Rank It Among Top Investment Picks</a>
While Microsoft has been leveraging the OpenAI-developed generative AI ChatGPT technology, having its proprietary platform will make it easier to provide services optimized for its business software.
As of Thursday, OpenAI&nbsp;inched <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44513286/softbank-may-want-to-outdo-microsoft-with-40-billion-investment-in-openais-latest-funding-round" rel="noreferrer noopener">closer to&nbsp;finalizing</a> a $40 billion funding round led by&nbsp;SoftBank Group Corp (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>).
The deal could value OpenAI&nbsp;at $300 billion compared to its&nbsp;previous valuation of $157 billion in the October funding round.
SoftBank will commit an initial $7.5 billion to the company and $2.5 billion from an investor syndicate. The second tranche of $30 billion will include $22.5 billion from SoftBank and $7.5 billion from a syndicate.
Reportedly, OpenAI and Microsoft are facing tensions in their partnership due to financial strain and rising expenses at OpenAI. OpenAI requested Microsoft for additional funding and computing power, but Microsoft has been hesitant since OpenAI's leadership changes.&nbsp;
OpenAI expects to more than triple its revenue in 2025 to $12.7 billion versus $3.7 billion in 2024. Sales are expected to proliferate to $29.4 billion in 2026. Still, OpenAI doesn't expect a positive cash flow until 2029, when it projects revenue to top $125 billion.
A lot has been brewing in the AI space. The emergence of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44511372/alibaba-strikes-back-new-ai-model-takes-on-deepseek-amid-1-trillion-tech-shakeup" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese AI startup</a>&nbsp;DeepSeek&nbsp;and claims of affordable AI models led to&nbsp;Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) losing $600 billion in market cap in&nbsp;a single day. DeepSeek's AI model fueled a domestic price war, prompting Chinese Big Tech companies to roll out affordable AI models.
Price Action: MSFT stock is up 0.40% at $391.54 at the last check on Thursday.
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Photo via Shutterstock

Microsoft Plans Proprietary AI To Power Business Software And Reduce OpenAI Dependence: Report

ChatGPT parent OpenAI&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/openai" rel="noreferrer noopener">inched closer to</a> finalizing a $40 billion funding round as of Thursday, led by&nbsp;SoftBank Group Corp (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) and investors&nbsp;Magnetar Capital,&nbsp;Coatue Management,&nbsp;Founders Fund, and&nbsp;Altimeter Capital Management.
Magnetar Capital could contribute up to $1 billion, Bloomberg <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-26/openai-close-to-finalizing-its-40-billion-softbank-led-funding?sref=TBDibEcD" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The deal could value the company&nbsp;at $300 billion compared to its&nbsp;previous valuation of $157 billion in the October funding round.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44163030/chatgpt-parent-openais-specialized-ai-agents-could-cost-up-to-20-thousand-per-month-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">ChatGPT Parent OpenAI&#8217;s Specialized AI Agents Could Cost Up To $20 Thousand Per Month: report</a>
SoftBank will commit an initial $7.5 billion to the company and $2.5 billion from an investor syndicate. According to the report, the second tranche of $30 billion will include $22.5 billion from SoftBank and $7.5 billion from a syndicate.
SoftBank&nbsp;is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43327823/softbank-eyes-historic-25-billion-investment-in-openai-poised-to-dethrone-microsoft-as-chatgpt-parents-biggest-investor" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly negotiating an</a> investment of $15 billion—$25 billion in&nbsp;OpenAI, making it the largest investor in the&nbsp;ChatGPT&nbsp;creator. This would surpass&nbsp;Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), which has&nbsp;invested nearly $14 billion.
Reportedly, OpenAI and Microsoft negotiated to convert Microsoft&#8217;s $14 billion investment in OpenAI into equity in the AI company.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41407196/openais-for-profit-structure-adds-valuation-complexity-to-microsoft-and-other-equity-investors-repor" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reports also indicated</a> that OpenAI and Microsoft are facing tensions in their partnership due to financial strain and rising expenses at OpenAI. OpenAI asked Microsoft for additional funding and computing power, but Microsoft has been hesitant since OpenAI&#8217;s leadership changes. OpenAI&#8217;s projected computing expenses could reach $37.5 billion annually by 2029.
Separately, SoftBank has committed billions to the Stargate Project, a Texas-based joint venture with partners including OpenAI,&nbsp;Oracle Corp, and MGX.
OpenAI expects to more than triple its revenue this year to $12.7 billion. In 2024, it generated $3.7 billion in revenue. OpenAI expects sales to proliferate to $29.4 billion in 2026.
Still, OpenAI doesn&#8217;t expect to be cash-flow positive until 2029, when it projects revenue to top $125 billion as it grapples with AI development costs.
As of February, SoftBank committed&nbsp;$40 billion in OpenAI at a $260 billion valuation, CNBC <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/26/openai-expects-revenue-will-triple-to-12point7-billion-this-year-sources-say.html" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>. It expects to earmark part of the funding to OpenAI&#8217;s commitment to Stargate.
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Image via Shutterstock

SoftBank May Want To Outdo Microsoft With $40 Billion Investment in OpenAI's Latest Funding Round

Perplexity is intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence search market, challenging Alphabet Inc.&#8216;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) dominance. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas stated on X Tuesday that &#8220;Native transactions are the best way to go after the AdWords revenue.&#8221; He believes this approach, though complex to implement seamlessly, is <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/02/43488268/googles-gemini-ai-could-soon-include-adssundar-pichai-hints-at-future-monetization-beyond-subscriptions">crucial for competing with Google</a>.
What Happened: Srinivas announced Perplexity&#8217;s introduction of answer modes to improve its core search product for specific verticals like travel, shopping, places, images, videos, and jobs. He highlighted the travel vertical, where Perplexity now enables native hotel bookings, a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40972869/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-ai-in-discussion-with-marriott-and-nike-as-it-prepares-to-challenge-to">feature developed in collaboration</a> with TripAdvisor and Selfbook. 
Srinivas emphasized the importance of moving beyond text-based answers to structured responses for verticals with entities like images, videos, and transactional capabilities. &#8220;Going beyond answering a wall of text and being good at structured answers for verticals with entities like images, videos, cards with built-in commercial transactions is a necessary step for being a daily-usage product and taking on Google,&#8221; he said.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Native transactions are the best way to go after the AdWords revenue. It will take a while to get right and make it seamless. Google is positioned in an evil but legal way to claim maximum credit for any brand awareness that another platform (research or social) provides users. <a href="https://t.co/rUA7R3mEzw">https://t.co/rUA7R3mEzw</a>
&mdash; Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) <a href="https://twitter.com/AravSrinivas/status/1904652822156894335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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This development comes as Alphabet reported that its AI-powered search features are generating revenue at similar rates to traditional search results. During <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/02/43485518/google-ais-search-revenue-matches-traditional-ads-says-alphabet-but-there-is-rising-competition-from-openai-perplexity-deepseek">Alphabet's fourth-quarter 2024 earnings call</a>, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler stated that AI overviews are delivering revenue &#8220;at approximately the same rate&#8221; as conventional search results. 
This is significant, as search advertising remains Alphabet&#8217;s largest revenue source, generating $54 billion in the fourth quarter, a 13% year-over-year increase.
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Why It Matters: Alphabet faces growing competition from companies like OpenAI, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) with its AI-powered Bing, DeepSeek, and Perplexity. 
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai hinted at potential monetization strategies for Gemini AI, including the future integration of ads. During the earnings call, Pichai acknowledged that while the company is currently focused on subscription tiers, advertising is likely to play a <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/02/43488268/googles-gemini-ai-could-soon-include-adssundar-pichai-hints-at-future-monetization-beyond-subscriptions">role in Gemini&#8217;s monetization</a>.
Perplexity, backed by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) founder Jeff Bezos and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), is reportedly in talks to raise up to $1 billion in a new funding round, potentially <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44432846/backed-by-jeff-bezos-and-nvidia-perplexity-ai-eyes-18-billion-valuation-in-new-funding-rounddoubling-in-just-4-months">valuing the company at $18 billion</a>. 
Perplexity&#8217;s rapid growth has also drawn scrutiny. Media companies have accused the startup of scraping and republishing <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41442679/rupert-murdochs-dow-jones-new-york-post-sue-jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-for-copyright-infringement">content without attribution</a>. 
Alphabet stock outpaces Microsoft in growth and momentum, per <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/GOOGL">Benzinga Edge Ranking</a>— For more insights, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/screener/top-momentum-stocks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sign up for Benzinga Edge</a>.
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Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Google's Ad Dominance Faces Challenge As Perplexity Introduces Answer Modes, Aravind Srinivas Advocates 'Native Transactions'

On Monday, OpenAI rolled out updates to ChatGPT's <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/06/39493705/openai-postpones-launch-of-voice-assistant-a-month-after-scarlet-johansson-blasted-the-chatgpt-paren">voice assistant</a>, positioning itself as a serious contender against rivals like Amazon.com, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) Alexa and AI startup Sesame.
What Happened: OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT is designed to make the AI assistant more personable, responsive, and less likely to interrupt users mid-sentence.
Manuka Stratta, a post-training researcher at OpenAI, explained the changes in a video posted on YouTube.&nbsp;
&#8220;Because it interrupts you less, you&#8217;ll be able to have more time to gather your thoughts and not feel like you have to fill in all the gaps and silences all the time,&#8221; she stated.
The update improves the assistant's ability to handle real-time voice interactions, addressing a common user complaint that voice AI models often jump in too soon when users pause.
See Also: <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43772135/ex-openai-chief-scientist-ilya-sutskevers-ai-startup-valued-at-30-billion-in-latest-funding-round-report">Ex-OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever&#8217;s AI Startup Valued At $30 Billion In Latest Funding Round: Report</a>
Free users will now be able to pause mid-conversation without being interrupted while paying subscribers — including those on the Plus, Teams, Edu, Business, and Pro plans — will receive a more advanced version.
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Why It's Important: The update comes amid growing competition in the AI voice assistant space.&nbsp;
OpenAI faces pressure from new entrants like Sesame — an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup that went viral for its natural-sounding AI voices, Maya and Miles — and Amazon, which is preparing a large language model-powered upgrade to Alexa, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/24/openai-says-its-ai-voice-assistant-is-now-better-to-chat-with/">noted</a> TechCrunch.
Meanwhile, SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) is reportedly negotiating to spearhead a fresh <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/01/43374528/softbank-may-lead-openais-40-billion-funding-round-at-a-300-billion-valuation-despite-deepseek-disruption-report">investment round for OpenAI</a>, which could bring in $40 billion. If finalized, this funding would value the ChatGPT maker at $300 billion, marking a record-setting deal for a privately held company.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
Image via Shutterstock
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

OpenAI Says It's Making ChatGPT Voice Assistant Sound More Like A Human And It Won't Interrupt As Much

Perplexity, backed by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) founder Jeff Bezos and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) is reportedly in talks to raise up to $1 billion in a new funding round that would value the company at $18 billion—<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42570376/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-raises-500-million-tripling-its-valuation-to-9-billion-as-competition-with-google-and-openai-heats-up">double its valuation</a> just four months ago.
What Happened: Perplexity is in discussions to raise between $500 million and $1 billion, reported Reuters, citing a person familiar with the matter
This comes after the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41420230/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-aims-for-8b-valuation-in-new-funding-round-ai-fueled-google-challen">company was previously</a> valued at $9 billion in November 2024.&nbsp;
The massive jump reflects surging investor demand in AI search and agent-based technologies that can perform complex tasks on behalf of users.
Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a>&nbsp;to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It&#8217;s Important: Perplexity's rising valuation puts it closer to elite AI firms like OpenAI, which raised $6.6 billion in 2023 at a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41149788/openai-valuation-soars-to-157b-in-latest-funding-round">$157 billion valuation</a>.
However, Perplexity's rapid rise has drawn scrutiny. Media companies including Forbes, Wired, and News Corp have accused the startup of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40972869/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-ai-in-discussion-with-marriott-and-nike-as-it-prepares-to-challenge-to">scraping and republishing</a> content without attribution.
In response, the company has launched a publisher partnership program to work directly with news organizations.
Earlier this week, SoftBank Corp. (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/03/44370200/softbank-signs-agreement-to-resell-perplexity-enterprise-pro-deploying-7000-sales-members-to-drive-adoption-in-japan">signed an agreement</a> to become an authorized reseller of Perplexity Enterprise Pro, deploying a 7,000-member sales team to boost adoption in Japan.
Meanwhile, Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has stated that the <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44429645/perplexity-ceo-says-app-will-make-apple-intelligence-work-amid-iphone-makers-ai-challenges">company could enhance</a> Apple Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) AI capabilities, amid criticism of Cupertino for its delayed AI initiatives.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Jeff Bezos And Nvidia-Backed Perplexity AI Eyes $18 Billion Valuation In New Funding Round — Doubling In Just 4 Months

On Wednesday, SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) announced that it has <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/42890464/softbank-owned-arm-eyes-acquisition-of-oracle-backed-chip-designer-ampere-computing-amid-nvidias-dominance-report">acquired</a> Ampere Computing in a $6.5 billion deal, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of 2025.
What Happened: Ampere, backed by Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>) and Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CG#NASDAQ">CG</a>), designs high-performance server chips based on Arm Holdings PLC – ADR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) architecture.
Both Oracle and Carlyle will sell their stakes as part of the transaction.
Founded in 2017 by Renee James, a former Intel Corp president, Ampere will operate as an independent subsidiary of SoftBank and retain its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
The company currently employs around 1,000 semiconductor engineers.
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Why It's Important: The acquisition signals SoftBank's aggressive pivot toward AI infrastructure, <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/01/43374528/softbank-may-lead-openais-40-billion-funding-round-at-a-300-billion-valuation-despite-deepseek-disruption-report">following its partnership</a> with OpenAI and involvement in the Donald Trump-backed $500 billion Stargate initiative.
The move also bolsters SoftBank's Arm ecosystem, following its $32 billion acquisition of Arm in 2016 and Arm's 2023 IPO.
SoftBank also plans to build a <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44327422/softbank-to-build-676-million-ai-data-center-in-japan-linked-to-openai-partnership">$676 million AI data center</a> in Japan. This facility is expected to support large-scale AI projects, further enhancing SoftBank&#8217;s AI ecosystem.
Earlier this week, the company also unveiled a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44398359/softbank-unveils-ai-model-to-streamline-telecom-operations">new AI model</a> designed to optimize telecom operations.
Photo by NP27 on Shutterstock.
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Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Buys Oracle-Backed Ampere For $6.5 Billion To Boost US AI Push

SoftBank Corp. (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) has introduced a new<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/artificial-intelligence"> generative AI model</a> called the Large Telecom Model.
The Japanese investment firm designed LTM to improve the design, management, and functioning of cellular networks.
Built on extensive datasets from SoftBank's network and years of operational expertise, the <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250319899009/en/SoftBank-Corp.-Develops-a-Foundational-Large-Telecom-Model-LTM">LTM is set to optimize </a>telecom operations. The company intends to continue its research and development to incorporate the model into its own operations.
These AI models can accurately predict configurations for real base stations with more than 90% accuracy.
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This process reduces the time needed to make adjustments from days to minutes, while also minimizing human error. Furthermore, the LTM serves as the core of SoftBank's "AI for RAN" initiative, improving Radio Access Network (RAN) performance.
SoftBank&#8217;s partnership with Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) was essential in enhancing the LTM&#8217;s performance. By utilizing Nvidia&#8217;s NIM for fine-tuning, SoftBank achieved substantial improvements in key performance metrics. That includes Time to First Token (TTFT) and Tokens Per Second (TPS).
The LTM incorporates SoftBank&#8217;s extensive mobile network data, providing valuable insights and expert knowledge to solve network issues effectively.
Through fine-tuning, LTM allows the development of AI models designed for specific use cases in mobile network operations, such as optimizing new base station deployments and adjusting configurations for special events.
SoftBank&#8217;s use of Nvidia&#8217;s DGX SuperPOD for distributed training and its continued collaboration on AI inference microservices will enhance LTM&#8217;s capabilities and its potential deployment across networks.
SoftBank aims to leverage the LTM to improve operational efficiency, deliver new services, and enhance mobile network experiences. 
It is to be noted that the Trump Administration has revealed a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says">new AI infrastructure initiative </a>in the U.S. called &#8220;Stargate,&#8221; which includes OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and Abu Dhabi's MGX. The venture plans to invest $100 billion initially, with the potential to reach up to $500 billion over the next four years.
Price Action: SFTBF shares closed at $51.95 on Tuesday.
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Image: Shutterstock

General

SoftBank Unveils AI Model To Streamline Telecom Operations

The week was rife with significant developments in the tech world, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). From SoftBank Group&#8217;s (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBF#OTC">SFTBF</a>) announcement of a massive AI data center in Japan to Apple Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) struggle in the AI race, the stories were as diverse as they were impactful. Here&#8217;s a quick round-up of the top stories.
SoftBank&#8217;s $676 Million AI Data Center
On Friday,&nbsp;SoftBank Group revealed plans to acquire assets from Sharp Corp to build a large-scale AI data center. The investment firm will spend approximately $676 million on the project, which aligns with its strategic partnership with OpenAI. The AI data center, set to begin operations in 2026, will be built on a vast area of land and buildings at the Sharp Sakai Factory.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44327422/softbank-to-build-676-million-ai-data-center-in-japan-linked-to-openai-partnership">Read the full article here.</a>
Block&#8217;s AI Performance Boost with Nvidia
Block Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XYZ#NYSE">XYZ</a>), led by CEO Jack Dorsey, became the first U.S. company to deploy Nvidia Corp.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) new AI clusters. Dorsey expects the implementation to be 30 times more powerful than current ones, thanks to Nvidia's DGX SuperPOD with GB200 systems.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/03/44299872/jack-dorseys-block-first-us-company-to-deploy-nvidias-ai-cluster-predicts-30x-performance-boost">Read the full article here.</a>
Sam Altman&#8217;s AI Warning
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking at a private Morgan Stanley event, warned that AI will be deflationary. He also highlighted that the biggest constraint for OpenAI isn&#8217;t data or demand, but GPUs.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44297444/sam-altman-warns-ai-will-be-deflationary-but-says-openais-biggest-constraint-isnt-data-or-demand-its-gpus">Read the full article here.</a>
Nvidia&#8217;s Valuation Drop
Despite impressive Q4 earnings,&nbsp;Nvidia&#8217;s stock has seen a significant drop in 2025. The chipmaker&#8217;s valuation is now 41% cheaper compared to November 2022, when ChatGPT was launched, and 85% cheaper from its record high valuations in July 2023.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44298732/nvidia-valuation-drops-after-2025-rout-ai-chipmakers-price-declines-41-from-its-peak-when-chatgpt-was-launched">Read the full article here.</a>
Apple&#8217;s AI Race Fumble
Apple&#8217;s shares are under significant selling pressure, with the company struggling in the AI race. The stock is down 10.85% year-to-date, 8.22% in the past month, and 1.56% on Friday alone.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/03/44284821/apple-stock-takes-a-bite-out-of-investors-as-siri-fumbles-ai-race">Read the full article here.</a>
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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
This story was generated using <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro">Benzinga Neuro</a> and edited by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/Rounak-Jain" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rounak Jain</a>