Ultime notizie per SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTBY) Azioni

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SoftBank Group

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.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

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L&#39;azienda stringe un&#39;alleanza strategica per un data center all&#39;avanguardia. Quali benefici economici si prospettano per l&#39;azienda?

Nvidia non si ferma più: il nuovo cliente spingerà il titolo ancora più in alto?

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Il colosso dei chip punta al mercato asiatico con un investimento strategico. Quali benefici per l&#39;economia malese e per il titolo ARM?

Arm si espande in Asia: accordo da 250 milioni di dollari con la Malesia

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Previsioni di mercato indicano una potenziale crescita per un titolo cinese nel settore dell&#39;IA, alimentando i rumors sui futuri movimenti.

Jim Cramer: dopo DeepSeek e BABA, questo titolo cinese potrebbe volare?

SOFTBANK GRP UNSP/ADR by Softbank Group Corp

SoftBank Group Corp

Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) continues to tap the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/artificial-intelligence" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence frenzy</a>, adding Stargate as its next customer.
OpenAI&nbsp;and&nbsp;Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>)&nbsp;plan to begin filling a new data center in Texas with thousands of powerful AI chips from&nbsp;Nvidia to get the first facility for their $100 billion Stargate infrastructure venture up and running.
Bloomberg <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-06/openai-oracle-eye-nvidia-chips-worth-billions-for-stargate-site?srnd=phx-technology&amp;sref=TBDibEcD" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that the site in Abilene will likely accommodate 64,000 of Nvidia&#8217;s GB200 semiconductors by the end of 2026.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42397333/google-quantum-ais-new-willow-chip-can-do-in-minutes-that-supercomputers-would-take-10-septillion-years" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Quantum AI&#8217;s New Willow Chip Can Do in Minutes That Supercomputers Would Take 10 Septillion Years</a>
OpenAI and Oracle plan to add the Nvidia chips to several data center halls in phases, with an initial rollout by 2025 summer, according to the report. The total planned shipments represent computing power for a single customer&#8217;s initial phases of one data center.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump announced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says" rel="noreferrer noopener">the $500 billion</a> OpenAI,&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 Oracle initiative when OpenAI said Stargate will expand to as many as ten sites.
An OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg that it collaborated with Oracle on the design and delivery of the Abilene data center and that Oracle is in charge of the supercomputer being built there.
In January, Nvidia launched Digits, a desktop-sized <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/42838231/jensen-huang-unveils-3000-personal-ai-supercomputer-the-size-of-a-small-book-it-runs-the-entire-nvidia-ai-stack" rel="noreferrer noopener">personal AI supercomputer</a> available in May 2025.
Reportedly, Amazon.Com Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) is also building <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42317004/amazon-launches-ai-war-againt-nvidia-by-building-ai-supercomputers-and-servers-at-cheaper-costs" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI&nbsp;supercomputers in</a> collaboration with Anthropic, featuring thousands of Amazon&#8217;s latest AI training chip, Trainium 2.
Price Action: NVDA stock is up 0.33% at $110.93 premarket at last check Friday.
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Nvidia Powers OpenAI And Oracle's $100 Billion Stargate Infrastructure, First AI Data Center Set To Launch in Texas

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/openai" rel="noreferrer noopener">ChatGPT parent</a> OpenAI could charge up to $20,000 monthly for specialized AI &#8220;agents,&#8221;&nbsp;the Information <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-plots-charging-20-000-a-month-for-phd-level-agents" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>.
The Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) backed AI startup plans to launch several &#8220;agent&#8221; products tailored for different applications, including sorting and ranking sales leads and software engineering.
OpenAI plans to charge $2,000 monthly for a &#8220;high-income knowledge worker&#8221; agent and $10,000 monthly for a software developer agent.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/03/44140452/gm-stellantis-supplier-samsung-sdi-weighs-new-us-battery-plant-amid-trumps-ev-policy-shift" rel="noreferrer noopener">GM, Stellantis Supplier Samsung SDI Weighs New US Battery Plant Amid Trump&#8217;s EV Policy Shift</a>
OpenAI&#8217;s $20,000-per-month AI agent will likely support &#8220;PhD-level research.&#8221; Reportedly, OpenAI investor SoftBank (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>) committed to spending $3 billion on OpenAI&#8217;s agent products in 2025.
OpenAI and Microsoft <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">reportedly negotiated how</a> to convert Microsoft&#8217;s $14 billion investment into equity amid OpenAI&#8217;s $157 billion valuation.
Both companies enlisted financial advisors to navigate the high-stakes discussions as OpenAI transitions to a for-profit model.
OpenAI&#8217;s projected computing expenses could reach $37.5 billion annually by 2029. OpenAI, whose&nbsp;monthly revenue hit&nbsp;$300 million in August, proposed increasing the chatbot&#8217;s price by 10% in 2024 and doubling it to $44 over the next five years.
Meanwhile, in China, Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/44040003/alibaba-expands-ai-workforce-while-deepseek-slashes-model-prices-in-market-battle" rel="noreferrer noopener">introduced 3,000 internships</a>, half of which are in AI. It committed $52.2 billion in AI and cloud investment.
Alibaba&#8217;s move coincided with Chinese AI startup&nbsp;DeepSeek&#8217;s AI model price war, offering discounted off-peak pricing for developers. Chinese tech companies like&nbsp;Alibaba and its rivals were already&nbsp;engaged in a price war&nbsp;to win market share.&nbsp;
Price Action: MSFT stock is down 1.26% at $395.97 premarket at the last check on Thursday.
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MSFT

ChatGPT Parent OpenAI's Specialized AI Agents Could Cost Up To $20 Thousand Per Month: report

On Wednesday, the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority ruled that Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) $13 billion investment in OpenAI does not warrant a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/12/36151493/after-securing-a-board-seat-microsofts-openai-partnership-comes-under-the-uk-antitrust-authoritys-sc">formal merger investigation</a>.
What Happened: The CMA announced that Microsoft's investment in OpenAI does not constitute a merger, as there was no "change of control" giving Microsoft "de facto control" over the AI startup, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8f7fcaaf-2ae0-4c2f-a016-6f51d2f83cba">reported</a> the Financial Times.
This decision follows months of scrutiny into whether Microsoft's stake in OpenAI could stifle competition in the AI market.
See Also: <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/25/03/44087329/microsoft-unveils-ai-powered-dragon-copilot-to-ease-clinician-workloads">Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered Dragon Copilot To Ease Clinician Workloads</a>
The regulator pointed to "recent developments" that have reduced OpenAI's dependence on Microsoft, including its <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/news/25/01/43400191/openais-100-billion-texas-stargate-data-center-will-reportedly-employ-just-57-people-with-57600-annual-salaries">newly formed $100 billion</a> AI infrastructure partnership with SoftBank Group (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>).
The CMA's executive director for mergers, Joel Bamford, cautioned that this decision "should not be read as the partnership being given a clean bill of health on potential competition concerns."
Why It Matters: The decision marks a win for Microsoft, allowing it to continue its lucrative partnership with OpenAI without immediate regulatory hurdles.
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that SoftBank is currently in discussions to spearhead a new funding round for OpenAI, aiming to raise $40 billion.
This investment could push the ChatGPT creator's <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">valuation to $300 billion</a>, marking a record-breaking funding round for a private company.
Price Action: Microsoft&#8217;s stock closed Wednesday at $401.02, rising 3.19%. However, it dipped 0.25% in after-hours trading. Year-to-date, the stock is down 4.20%, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro data</a>.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com
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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.

Microsoft Dodges UK Competition Crackdown Over OpenAI Deal, Watchdog Director Says Partnership Doesn't Get 'A Clean Bill Of Health'

Arm Holdings&#8211;ADR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>), a subsidiary of&nbsp;SoftBank Group Corp.&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), has entered into a $250 million agreement with Malaysia to supply chip designs and technology for the next ten years.
What Happened: &#8220;We have always wanted to move from the back-end — which is on testing and assembly — to the front-end," Malaysian Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-03-05/softbank-s-arm-inks-landmark-chip-deal-with-malaysia-video">told</a> Bloomberg Television. The government has decided to work with Arm &#8220;with the perspective of building the whole ecosystem.&#8221;
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Arm CEO Rene Haas signed a partnership agreement today.
The deal is a part of Malaysia&#8217;s ambitious strategy to shift from chip assembly to more lucrative semiconductor production. Currently, Malaysia packages about 10% of the world&#8217;s semiconductors. The country plans to use this deal to help local firms&nbsp;design their chips and&nbsp;aims to export semiconductors worth&nbsp;1.2 trillion ringgit ($270 billion)&nbsp;by 2030.
Although Malaysia is already a key center for chip testing and packaging with facilities for&nbsp;Intel Corp.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>),&nbsp;GlobalFoundries Inc., and&nbsp;Infineon Technologies AG&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IFNNY#OTC">IFNNY</a>), it has yet to make significant strides in chip design.
Prime Minister Ibrahim told a local news portal, Selangor Journal that this partnership is key to their &#8220;Made in Malaysia&#8221; initiative. "This marks a fundamental shift in our approach to semiconductors and technology that will define our future,"&nbsp;affirmed Ibrahim. 
The country aims to establish up to 10 chip companies with a combined annual revenue of $20 billion through this partnership. The agreement could potentially increase the country&#8217;s GDP by one percentage point.
SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/03/44136076/trump-reportedly-plans-executive-order-to-boost-us-shipbuilding-and-counter-chinas-maritime-lead"> Trump Reportedly Plans Executive Order To Boost US Shipbuilding And Counter China&#8217;s Maritime Lead</a>
Why It Matters: This deal comes on the heels of Arm&#8217;s confirmation of its central role <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/02/43521100/arm-confirms-central-role-in-100-billion-stargate-ai-infrastructure-project-with-openai-oracle">in the $100 billion Stargate AI </a>infrastructure project with OpenAI and Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NASDAQ">ORCL</a>) in February. The company&#8217;s expanding role in AI infrastructure and strong momentum in data center deployments further underscore its value to Malaysia&#8217;s semiconductor ambitions.
Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim also revealed that Arm will open its first Southeast Asian office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aiming to extend its reach into other regional markets, including Australia and New Zealand. 
CEO Rene Haas stated that the agreement was well-positioned for success. He credited Arm&#8217;s decision to collaborate with Malaysia to the country&#8217;s decades of experience in the semiconductor industry.
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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.

Arm Strikes $250 Million Deal With Malaysia To Boost Chip Design And Tech Ecosystem

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>) weighed investing $100 billion in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/tsmc" rel="noreferrer noopener">chip manufacturing plants</a> in the U.S. over the next four years.
The Wall Street Journal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/trump-chip-maker-tsmc-expected-to-announce-100-billion-investment-in-u-s-02a44399" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that President Trump could make an announcement soon.
The Taiwanese contract chipmaker looks to build advanced chip-making facilities to help the U.S. consolidate its semiconductor position.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/44040003/alibaba-expands-ai-workforce-while-deepseek-slashes-model-prices-in-market-battle" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alibaba Expands AI Intern Workforce While DeepSeek Slashes Model Prices in Market Battle</a>
The chipmaker invested over $65 billion in its Arizona fabs to develop advanced chips.
The company only builds its most advanced chip-making facilities on its home soil, Taiwan. Its chips are critical for powering everything from the latest artificial intelligence systems to smartphones.&nbsp;
Since the Biden administration, the U.S. has expressed concerns about Taiwan Semiconductor's near-monopoly on advanced chip manufacturing. It has been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/02/44052145/taiwan-semi-faces-geopolitical-strain-due-to-us-scrutiny-on-huaweis-chip-access" rel="noreferrer noopener">urging the company</a> to migrate more of its advanced production, including advanced chip packaging facilities, to the U.S.
Taiwan Semiconductor spent over $17 billion on advanced chips and packaging.
In 2025, the Trump administration announced a $500 billion <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says" rel="noreferrer noopener">"Stargate" AI venture</a> with OpenAI, 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>), Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and MGX, starting with 10 Texas data centers.
Last week, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NTC#NASDAQ">NTC</a>) launched new&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/02/44052935/intel-delays-28-billion-ohio-chip-plant-again-pushing-opening-to-2030-amid-financial-struggles" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intel Xeon 6 processors</a> to meet the demands of AI and high-performing&nbsp;and efficient computing.
Intel's new&nbsp;ASML Holding (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ASML#NASDAQ">ASML</a>)&nbsp;advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines&nbsp;are in production. Intel plans to use ASML's high NA machines for 18A chip technology to regain market share from Taiwan Semiconductor.
Price Action: TSM stock is down 1.64% to $177.56 at the last check on Monday.
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Photo by Sundry Photography on Shutterstock

Government

Regulations

ASML

Taiwan Semiconductor Weighs $100 Billion US Investment As Chip War Heats Up

A new study from UC Riverside and Caltech has found that pollution from Big Tech's data centers has cost the U.S. public health system an estimated $5.4 billion over the past five years. Alphabet Inc.'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/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) Google, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) are among the biggest contributors.
What Happened: Data centers, which power artificial intelligence models and cloud computing, consume <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/partner/commodities/24/05/38814247/ai-data-center-power-requirements-increasing-demand-for-critical-materials-like-copper-and-ur">vast amounts of electricity</a>, much of it sourced from fossil fuels.
Air pollution linked to these energy demands has been tied to increased cases of cancer, asthma, and other illnesses, researchers found, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d595d5f6-79d1-47eb-b690-8597f09b39e7">reported</a> the Financial Times, citing the study.
In 2023 alone, public health costs from data center-related pollution were estimated at $1.5 billion, up 20% from the previous year.
Over the five years from 2019 to 2023, Google was responsible for the highest estimated health costs at $2.6 billion, followed by Microsoft at $1.6 billion and Meta at $1.2 billion.
Read Next:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43221770/apples-ipad-turns-15-today-heres-a-throwback-to-when-steve-jobs-explained-called-it-the-third-category-after-phones-and-notebooks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple&#8217;s iPad Turns 15 Today: Here&#8217;s A Throwback To When Steve Jobs Explained Called It The ‘Third Category&#8217; After Phones And Notebooks</a>
In response to the report, Google, Microsoft, and Meta pushed back on the findings, arguing that the research overestimated their pollution levels.&nbsp;
Google told the publication that the estimates "promote an inaccurate emissions estimate generated under false pretenses." Microsoft pointed to its sustainability efforts, while Meta reiterated its commitment to "net zero greenhouse gas emissions."
Google, Microsoft, and Meta did not immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga's</a> request for comments.
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: The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, fueled by Big Tech's multi-billion-dollar investments, is expected to further increase data center pollution, the report noted.
U.S. data centers accounted for 4% of the nation's electricity consumption in 2023, a figure that could rise to 12% by 2028, according to a Department of Energy-backed Berkeley Lab report.
"Unlike carbon emissions, the health impacts caused by a data center in one region cannot be offset by cleaner air elsewhere," said Shaolei Ren, associate professor at UC Riverside, underscoring the local impact of air pollution.
Ren suggested that tech companies could reduce the rising public health risk by building data centers in less populated areas. This would help minimize their impact.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>), and Meta <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/25/02/43564458/big-techs-2025-ai-bill-is-320-billion-and-counting-can-investors-stomach-it">expect to spend over $320 billion</a> on AI this year, up from $151 billion in 2023 and $246 billion in 2024. Last month, OpenAI and SoftBank Group (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>) also announced &#8220;Stargate,&#8221; a $500 billion AI infrastructure project in the U.S.
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:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

GOOG

Google, Microsoft, And Meta Linked To $5.4 Billion In Health Costs As AI Data Centers Fuel Pollution Crisis In The US: Report

ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok, has reportedly seen its valuation climb past $400 billion, driven by major investors like 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>), Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TROW#NASDAQ">TROW</a>).
What Happened: At least three major investors have marked up ByteDance's valuation, with Fidelity estimating it at more than $410 billion and T. Rowe Price at over $450 billion.
SoftBank's Vision Fund has also revised its valuation to exceed $400 billion, factoring in the growth potential of ByteDance's AI business, Doubao, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-21/softbank-fidelity-t-rowe-value-bytedance-at-above-400-billion?srnd=phx-technology">reported</a> Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43876492/apples-visual-intelligence-may-come-to-iphone-15-pro-heres-how-it-can-transform-your-camera-with-ai-powered-real-time-search">Apple&#8217;s Visual Intelligence May Come To iPhone 15 Pro: Here&#8217;s How It Can Transform Your Camera With AI-Powered Real-Time Search</a>
SoftBank's valuation model assigns zero value to <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43724471/tiktok-returns-to-apple-and-google-app-stores-after-a-month-long-hiatus">TikTok's U.S. operations</a>, reflecting ongoing regulatory threats. If TikTok avoids a shutdown in the U.S., ByteDance's valuation could rise even further, the report noted, citing a source.
The increase comes amid a broader rally in Chinese tech stocks, driven by optimism <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43878215/chinas-deepseek-to-open-source-key-code-repositories-in-a-bid-for-full-transparency">around AI startup</a> DeepSeek and a more favorable regulatory environment in China.
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: ByteDance's valuation surge highlights the growing importance of AI in the global tech sector, even as geopolitical tensions cloud its U.S. business prospects.
Investors are betting on ByteDance's AI leadership in China, where Doubao has 75 million active users.
In October 2023, ByteDance valued <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/11/42027476/bytedance-valuation-soars-to-300b-despite-threat-of-us-tiktok-ban">itself at around $225 billion</a>. This rose to $268 billion after a buyback in December 2023.
ByteDance investors see Donald Trump's return to the White House as a good sign for TikTok in the U.S. Although Trump once backed a ban on the app, he changed his position during his campaign.
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>.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://in.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43840286/apples-iphone-16e-to-drive-revenue-growth-for-tim-cooks-company-says-top-analyst" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple's iPhone 16e To Drive Revenue Growth For Tim Cook's Company, Says Top Analyst</a></li>
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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ByteDance's AI Business Helps Boost Valuation Past $400 Billion Even As US TikTok Business Risks Loom

In a move to protect its autonomy, Sam Altman-led AI firm,&nbsp;OpenAI, is contemplating&nbsp;granting special voting rights to&nbsp;its non-profit board. This comes in response to a&nbsp;takeover bid from Elon Musk.
What Happened: CEO Altman and the board members are considering new governance policies as the company shifts to a traditional for-profit model, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5af7279f-5996-46f8-a7b9-f35d966880a0">according</a> to a Financial Times report on Tuesday. 
Musk&#8217;s bid is part of his continued efforts to keep OpenAI from shifting toward a profit-driven model as the company seeks additional funding to remain competitive in the AI industry. The proposed special voting rights would enable the non-profit board to overrule decisions by major investors, such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) and SoftBank (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), ensuring OpenAI retains the decision-making authority.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to <a href="http://pro.benzinga">Benzinga&#8217;s</a> request for comment.
SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43681134/palantir-ceo-alex-karp-western-software-superiority-will-make-america-stronger-as-stock-soars-368-on-ai-boom">Palantir CEO Alex Karp Says Western Software Superiority Will Make America &#8216;Stronger&#8217; As Burgeoning AI Demand Pushes Stock Up 368%</a>
Why It Matters: This development comes on the heels of OpenAI&#8217;s rejection of a $97.4 billion acquisition proposal from Musk and his consortium of investors. On Friday, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43755069/openai-board-rejects-elon-musks-97-billion-acquisition-proposal-days-after-sam-altman-calls-it-a-move-to-slow-down-a-competitor">the board of OpenAI communicated to Musk&#8217;s lawyer </a>in a letter that the offer was not in the best interests of OpenAI&#8217;s mission. OpenAI&#8217;s chairman, Bret Taylor, emphasized that the company is not for sale and the board unanimously turned down Musk&#8217;s offer.
Previously, in an interview with CNBC, Altman stated that Musk's bid could be a tactical move to obstruct a competitor and strengthen his own AI company, xAI.
Meanwhile, in a research note on Feb. 11, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/02/43653531/elon-musks-97b-openai-bid-a-distraction-from-teslas-challenges-says-analyst-as-tsla-stock-set-for-sixth-consecutive-drop">analysts at&nbsp;Oppenheimer&nbsp;said that Elon Musk</a>&#8216;s recent attempt to acquire ChatGPT&#8217;s parent company, OpenAI, serves as a diversion from his electric vehicle company, Tesla (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>).
While the decision is yet to be finalized, the proposed special voting rights could serve as a protective measure for OpenAI to strengthen its defense against future unsolicited takeover bids.
<ul>
<li>READ MORE: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/25/02/43778265/baidu-q4-earnings-ai-cloud-grows-margin-slides-expects-ai-investments-to-bear-fruit-in-2025">Baidu Q4 Earnings: AI Cloud Grows, Margin Slides, Expects AI Investments To Bear Fruit In 2025</a></li>
</ul>
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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.

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Sam Altman's OpenAI Reportedly Considers Special Voting Rights To Thwart Elon Musk's Acquisition Attempt And Defend Future Unsolicited Bids

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SoftBank Group 13F Update: New 14.67M Share Stake In Recursion Pharmaceuticals, 20.45M Shares In Pacific Biosciences, 628.55K Shares In Better Home & Finance; Dissolved 5.68M Shares Stake In Exscientia, 1.59M Shares In IonQ, 23.38K Shares In DoorDash; Increased Stakes in T-Mobile, Nvidia, Webtoon, VTEX, YMM; Decreased Stakes In Lemonade, Nu Holdings, Neumora, Symbotic

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/chip-stocks" rel="noreferrer noopener">British chip designer</a> Arm Holdings Plc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) stock has surged over 155% since its September 2023 initial public offering, making way to the Nasdaq 100 index. Arm chip designs mainly cater to smartphones, including&nbsp;Apple Inc&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) iPhone.
CEO&nbsp;Rene Haas&nbsp;proclaimed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/06/39470998/arm-holdings-ceo-rene-haas-says-experts-underestimated-the-rapid-growth-of-ai-the-analysts-maybe" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential of AI</a> to drive growth in the smartphone and Arm sectors.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/25/02/43653433/softbank-q3-earnings-revenue-rises-vision-fund-takes-2-33-billion-hit-as-investments-falter" rel="noreferrer noopener">SoftBank Q3 Earnings: Revenue Rises, Vision Fund Takes $2.33 Billion Hit As Investments Falter</a>
Arm Holdings stock gained 26% year-to-date versus the S&amp;P Semiconductors Select Industry Index&#8217;s 4.3% decline.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="750" height="650" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12135339/newplot-8.png" alt="" class="wp-image-779449" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12135339/newplot-8.png 750w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/12135339/newplot-8-300x260.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /></figure>
Haas aims for Arm <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/06/39157897/whats-going-on-with-arm-holdings-stock-tuesday" rel="noreferrer noopener">to capture over</a> 50% of the Windows PC market within five years and envisions 100 billion AI-ready Arm devices&nbsp;worldwide by 2025. In 2024, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40687996/microsofts-ai-pcs-stumble-with-game-compatibility-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched Windows PCs</a> with AI capabilities powered by Arm chips to intensify the rivalry with Apple&#8217;s Mac lineup.
Amazon.Com Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) and 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 remain invested in building out new data centers bypassing Intel Corp&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/INTC#NASDAQ">INTC</a>) x86 and are instead using a combination of Arm architecture and their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/42826372/intel-struggles-to-compete-with-amd-and-nvidia-in-data-centers-and-ai-chips" rel="noreferrer noopener">in-house chip</a> designs. Arm-based chips are increasingly taking center stage in Nvidia Corp&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) current-generation AI systems.
Arm sustained gross margins of 95%-96% by designing and licensing semiconductor intellectual property instead of manufacturing physical chips.
This enables it to earn upfront fees and ongoing royalties for each chip sold using its designs.&nbsp;Arm&#8217;s research and development margin increased to 61% in fiscal 2024 from 42% a year ago.
Arm&#8217;s positive catalysts: Last week, CEO&nbsp;Rene Haas&nbsp;declared Arm&#8217;s expanding role in AI infrastructure through its involvement in&nbsp;OpenAI&#8217;s $100 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project. It also plans to boost prices by up to 300% and has discussed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/42966025/softbank-backed-arm-plans-major-price-hike-apple-qualcomm-supplier-explores-chip-development" rel="noreferrer noopener">manufacturing its chips</a>.
Reportedly, Arm has been strategizing since 2019 to raise its annual smartphone revenue by ~$1 billion over a decade to boost royalty rates for its latest Armv9 computing architecture.
Haas has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/42966025/softbank-backed-arm-plans-major-price-hike-apple-qualcomm-supplier-explores-chip-development" rel="noreferrer noopener">explored producing complete</a> chips or chipsets, posing as a rival to its current customers, Apple and Qualcomm. However, the British chip designer is involved in a licensing disagreement between Arm&nbsp;and Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>), reportedly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/06/39470998/arm-holdings-ceo-rene-haas-says-experts-underestimated-the-rapid-growth-of-ai-the-analysts-maybe" rel="noreferrer noopener">threatening to disrupt</a> the shipment of new AI-powered laptops.
Wall Street analysts, including Raymond James&#8216; Srini Pajjuri,&nbsp;expressed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/02/43540659/arms-rising-royalties-and-v9-adoption-strengthen-market-position-analysts-say" rel="noreferrer noopener">optimism over Armv9 CPU</a> architecture and the progress of compute subsystems (CSS), which essentially doubles the royalty rate, fueling continued strong double-digit growth. They expect the emergence of AI agents and efficient AI models (such as DeepSeek) to be significant positives for Arm.
Needham&#8217;s Charles Shi&nbsp;noted the company is overdelivering the fiscal 2025 targets set during the IPO and transition from licensing-driven growth to royalty-driven growth.
Analysts also flagged exposure to China (historically accounted for 20% of Arm&#8217;s overall sales) and ongoing smartphone, networking, and auto-cyclical headwinds.
Meanwhile, Arm China <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43298802/arm-china-eyes-leadership-change-ai-boom-and-us-china-chip-wars-reshape-the-industry" rel="noreferrer noopener">tapped Chen Feng</a> as sole CEO after co-CEOs Liu Renchen&nbsp;and&nbsp;Eric Chen stepped down. The co-CEOs have served as interim leaders of Arm China since the company terminated&nbsp;Allen Wu in 2022 for&nbsp;alleged conflicts of interest.&nbsp;
Japanese conglomerate 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>) snapped Arm in 2016 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/large-cap/23/09/34593085/is-arm-a-buy-after-record-ipo-ceo-insights-ongoing-lawsuit-and-financials" rel="noreferrer noopener">for $32 billion</a>. SoftBank retained 90% of its ownership in Arm.
Price Actions: ARM stock closed at $155.41 on Wednesday.
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Photo via Shutterstock

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Softbank-Backed Arm Holdings 155% Post-IPO Surge Bolstered by AI Growth and Smartphone Integration

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/softbank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Japanese investment holding company</a> 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>) reported third-quarter net sales of 1.83 trillion yen ($12.11 billion), up from 1.77 trillion yen a year ago. SoftBank segment net sales grew 5.2% to 1.66 trillion yen ($10.96 billion). Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) net sales grew 22.9% to 148.7 billion yen ($0.98 billion).
Loss before tax for the company was 190.2 billion yen.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/02/43458397/sam-altman-in-korea-openai-seeks-ai-deals-with-samsung-sk-hynix-and-softbank-amid-global-ai-boom" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sam Altman in Korea: OpenAI Seeks AI Deals With Samsung, SK Hynix, and SoftBank Amid Global AI Boom</a>
The net loss was 369.1 billion yen (or $2.44 billion loss) compared to a profit of 950 million yen a year ago. Loss on investments was 481 billion yen (or $3.18 billion loss).
Vision Fund investments reported a 352.75 billion yen loss (or $2.33 billion loss), compared to a profit of 600.73 billion yen a year ago. The segment reported a 309.93 billion yen loss (or $2.05 billion loss) versus a profit of 422.74 billion yen.
SoftBank reported a segment income of 224.1 billion yen (or $1.48 billion) versus 196.3 billion yen a year ago. Arm&#8217;s segment income is 13.4 billion yen (or $0.09 billion) compared to a loss of 8 billion yen a year ago.
In January, the Trump Administration announced an&nbsp;AI infrastructure joint venture&nbsp;in the U.S. dubbed &#8220;Stargate,&#8221; comprising &nbsp;OpenAI,&nbsp;SoftBank Group,&nbsp;Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and Abu Dhabi&#8217;s&nbsp;MGX. The venture will deploy $100 billion initially and up to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says" rel="noreferrer noopener">$500 billion over</a> the next four years.
Masayoshi Son of SoftBank and President Donald Trump announced in December plans for SoftBank to invest in the U.S. over the next four years while creating 100,000 jobs focused on &#8220;AI and related infrastructure.&#8221;
SoftBank offloaded its entire stake in Alibaba Group Holdings (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) in 2024 to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/05/38791106/softbank-group-offloads-entire-alibaba-stake-after-jack-ma-founded-company-causes-6-16b-loss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">focus on AI investments</a>.
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Photo by NP27 on Shutterstock.

Earnings

SoftBank Q3 Earnings: Revenue Rises, Vision Fund Takes $2.33 Billion Hit As Investments Falter

SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) reported quarterly losses of $(0.83) per share. This is a 138.07 percent decrease over earnings of $2.18 per share from the same period last year. The company reported $12.03 billion in sales this quarter. This is a 0.16 percent increase over sales of $12.01 billion the same period last year.

SoftBank Group Q3 EPS $(0.83) Down From $2.18 YoY, Sales $12.03B Up From $12.01B YoY

Marvell Technology, Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MRVL#NASDAQ">MRVL</a>) stock has surged about 350% in the last five years as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/artificial-intelligence" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence frenzy</a> has triggered demand for hardware and infrastructure.
The company supplies data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, spanning the data center core to the network edge. It is a fabless semiconductor supplier of high-performance standard and semi-custom products with core strengths in developing and scaling complex System-on-a-Chip architectures, integrating analog, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing functionality.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43570917/cloudflares-ai-expansion-and-enterprise-growth-set-the-stage-for-big-gains-analysts" rel="noreferrer noopener">Buy Cloudflare Or Sell? Analysts Vary Over Sales Acceleration And Business Momentum</a>
Its solutions empower the data economy and enable the data center, enterprise networking, carrier infrastructure, consumer, and automotive/industrial end markets.
Aswath Damodaran of the Stern School of Business at New York University flagged how computer chips have become part of every consumer good in the last four decades, from <a target="_blank" href="https://aswathdamodaran.substack.com/p/ais-winners-losers-and-wannabes-valuing" rel="noreferrer noopener">appliances to automobiles</a>.
He noted that semiconductor chip customers have also shifted from personal computers to smartphones, with demand emerging from automobile, crypto, and gaming companies in the last decade.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) became the first <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/19/10/14589580/apple-microsoft-battle-for-position-as-worlds-most-valuable-company-by-market-cap" rel="noreferrer noopener">trillion-dollar company</a> in 2018 as its iPhones gained traction. It is currently worth over $3.4 trillion. Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) hit the trillion-dollar market cap in 2024 and is currently worth ~ $ $3.2 trillion, backed by its AI processors.
Damodaran also said that data processing has emerged as a demand driver. He highlighted the potential upside of the automobile business, backed by automated driving and other enhancements.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) also reached a trillion-dollar valuation, supported by Elon Musk&#8217;s EVs and autonomous driving technology.
Reportedly, a third of the ten global companies worth <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/01/42762874/broadcom-thrives-with-114-stock-surge-in-ai-boom-while-intel-faces-steep-decline" rel="noreferrer noopener">over $1 trillion</a> came from the chip industry, as 2024 proved immensely beneficial for the U.S. semiconductor sector.
For Marvell, China accounted for 42%- 44% of its revenue between fiscal <a target="_blank" href="https://app.quotemedia.com/data/downloadFiling?webmasterId=101533&amp;ref=318157157&amp;type=HTML&amp;symbol=MRVL&amp;cdn=36dc57774e0f888a3d7612adedcf3e12&amp;companyName=Marvell+Technology+Inc.&amp;formType=10-K&amp;dateFiled=2024-03-13" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 and 2024</a>, while the U.S. generated 11%- 14%.
The company reported a 7% decline in fiscal 2024 revenue after a 33% growth in fiscal 2023 due to a decrease in sales in the majority of its end markets, including data center, enterprise networking, consumer, and carrier infrastructure, partially offset by growth in the automotive/industrial end market.
The decline coincides with the slowdown in Chinese demand, which impacted the company&#8217;s gross margin, which remained at 42% in fiscal 2024 versus 50% in 2023.
Semiconductor companies have adopted organic growth strategies (e.g., investing in research and development, product innovation, and operational efficiency improvements) or inorganic growth strategies (via acquisitions, mergers, or strategic partnerships) to expand their market share.
R&amp;D consumed 32%- 34% of Marvell&#8217;s revenue between fiscal 2022 and 2024, compared to bigger rival Broadcom Inc&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>) 15%- 18%. In absolute terms, Broadcom&#8217;s <a target="_blank" href="https://investors.broadcom.com/financial-information/annual-reports" rel="noreferrer noopener">R&amp;D stood at</a> $9.3 billion in fiscal 2024 on revenue of $51.6 billion versus Marvell&#8217;s R&amp;D at $1.9 billion on revenue of $5.5 billion.
In relative terms, Marvell&#8217;s R&amp;D margin is comparable to that of British chip designer Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>). Arm&#8217;s fiscal 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://investors.arm.com/financials/sec-filings" rel="noreferrer noopener">R&amp;D margin stood</a> at 61% on revenue of $3.23 billion. Still, Marvell posted a gross margin of above 40%, which is testimony to its pricing power or moat.
Marvell stock surged over 57% in the last 12 months, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-global-semiconductor-index/#overview" rel="noreferrer noopener">topping</a> S&amp;P Global Semiconductor Index&#8217;s 11%. Marvell commands an EV/EBITDA multiple of 262.5x versus Arm&#8217;s 283.1x and Broadcom&#8217;s 47.9x.
Marvell&#8217;s dividend yield is 0.20%, compared to 1.00% for Broadcom or 0.5% for Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MU#NASDAQ">MU</a>).
Marvell&#8217;s inorganic growth strategies include mergers and acquisitions. On October 5, 2021, Marvell completed the acquisition of Innovium, Inc., a provider of networking solutions for cloud and edge data centers, for $1.0 billion. On April 20, 2021, Marvell completed the acquisition of Inphi, a provider of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/m-a/20/10/18135863/marvell-confirms-merger-with-chipmaker-inphi-to-create-40b-entity" rel="noreferrer noopener">high-speed data movement</a> enabled by optical interconnects, for $9.9 billion.&nbsp;
Marvell&#8217;s operating cash flow, net of capital expenditures, helped it generate $1.02 billion in free cash flow as of February 3, 2024, compared to $1.07 billion in 2023 and $632 million in 2022.
Excess cash flows above capex help a company pay dividends and/or buyback shares, thereby adding to shareholder value. A company may also use the surplus funds for acquisitions and debt repayment to fuel growth.
Marvell&#8217;s positive AI catalysts for 2025: OpenAI,&nbsp;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>), and&nbsp;Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>) launched a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43127416/anthropic-gains-big-with-google-backing-aiming-for-60-billion-valuation-and-surging-ai-revenue" rel="noreferrer noopener">$500 billion joint venture</a>, Stargate, to build AI infrastructure in the U.S.
Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) committed $80 billion for AI-driven data centers. Alphabet Inc&#8216;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&nbsp;earmarked over $1 billion for its OpenAI rival Anthropic.
BofA Securities Vivek Arya <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/02/43570410/broadcoms-trillion-dollar-run-analyst-expects-asic-to-take-10-15-market-share-backed-by-ai-compute-demand" rel="noreferrer noopener">expressed optimism over</a> AI infrastructure providers like Marvell, which are backed by AI compute/networking demand. He expects Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) vendors like Marvell and Broadcom (which hit the trillion dollars market cap in 2024) to bag over a 10%-15% share of the overall accelerator market as Nvidia GPUs dominate with their 80%+ share.
JPMorgan&#8217;s&nbsp;Harlan Sur noted that Marvell is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/01/42859614/jpmorgan-sees-marvells-ai-revenue-surge-with-2-billion-run-rate-in-networking-by-2025" rel="noreferrer noopener">well-positioned to</a> significantly exceed its previous AI target of $2.5 billion in calendar 2025. This is backed by AI optical/copper networking products and two AI ASIC programs for&nbsp;Amazon.Com Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>), Amazon Web Services, and&nbsp;Google.
Marvell is a holding in 200 US-traded&nbsp;ETFs. Investors can gain exposure to the stock through Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/VTI#NYSE">VTI</a>)
and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>).
MRVL&nbsp;Price Action: Marvell Technology stock closed up by 1.97% to $112.50 on Monday.
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Photo via Shutterstock

AVGO

MRVL

Behind Marvell Tech's Multi-Fold Growth: R&D, Acquisitions And AI Infrastructure

The past week was a whirlwind in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), with major tech players making headlines. From Pinterest&#8217;s AI &#8220;Taste Graph&#8221; expansion to Amazon&#8217;s massive AI investment, the weekend was packed with significant developments. Here&#8217;s a quick recap of the top stories.
Pinterest&#8217;s AI &#8216;Taste Graph&#8217; Expands 75%
Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PINS#NYSE">PINS</a>) announced a significant expansion in its AI capabilities, with its proprietary &#8220;Taste Graph&#8221; growing its connections by 75% over the past two years. This advancement coincides with the company&#8217;s first billion-dollar revenue quarter, indicating that its tech investments are paying off. The platform&#8217;s ability to convert user engagement into sales was evidenced by a 90% year-over-year increase in clicks to advertisers.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/25/02/43552113/pinterests-ai-taste-graph-expands-75-as-meta-rival-hits-first-1-billion-revenue-quarter">Read the full article here.</a>
Amazon&#8217;s $100 Billion AI Investment
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) plans to invest nearly $100 billion in AI initiatives this year, surpassing its competitors. CEO Andy Jassy revealed that the company&#8217;s $26.3 billion spending in the last quarter of 2024 reflects its planned quarterly investments for 2025, with most of the funds going to Amazon Web Services.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/02/43550696/amazon-to-pour-nearly-100-billion-into-ai-in-2025-surpassing-microsoft-and-alphabet-andy-jassy-says-cost-of-inference-will-meaningfully-come-down-amid-deepseek-worries">Read the full article here.</a>
Arm&#8217;s Central Role in $100 Billion Stargate AI Project
Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) confirmed its central role in OpenAI‘s ambitious $100 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project. CEO Rene Haas highlighted Arm's expanding role in AI infrastructure, noting strong momentum in data center deployments alongside partners OpenAI, Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NASDAQ">ORCL</a>), and SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>).
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/02/43521100/arm-confirms-central-role-in-100-billion-stargate-ai-infrastructure-project-with-openai-oracle">Read the full article here.</a>
DeepSeek&#8217;s Impact on AI Stocks
Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, also known as Hangzhou Huanfang Technology Ltd. Co., founded DeepSeek in 2023 with the intention to explore artificial general intelligence (AGI). Before the AI startup became popular and caused a $1 trillion market cap erosion of AI stocks, this quantitative fund was involved with several innovations in China.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/market-summary/25/02/43521806/deepseeks-hedge-fund-owner-had-multiple-top-projects-before-creating-the-firm-that-fueled-1-trillion-market-cap-erosion-of-ai-stocks">Read the full article here.</a>
Qualcomm&#8217;s Record Quarter and Lowered Q2 Guidance
Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>) shares fell 4.6% despite beating earnings expectations and posting a record first-quarter revenue. The company&#8217;s strength in on-device artificial intelligence inference was evident, but the weak second-quarter guidance due to seasonality and Apple shipments dragged down the stock.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43519066/qualcomm-rides-ai-wave-to-record-quarter-but-q2-guidance-dampens-investors-dragging-the-stock-down">Read the full article here.</a>
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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

PINS

Pinterest's Taste Graph, Amazon's $100B Investment, DeepSeek's Impact, And More: This Week In AI

Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARM#NASDAQ">ARM</a>) has affirmed its central position in the artificial intelligence ecosystem through its involvement in OpenAI&#8216;s ambitious $100 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project, as revealed during the company&#8217;s <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">third-quarter earnings call</a>.
What Happened: CEO Rene Haas highlighted Arm&#8217;s expanding role in AI infrastructure, noting strong momentum in data center deployments alongside partners OpenAI, Oracle Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>). 
&#8220;We are very excited about the future, whether it&#8217;s about the near-term execution of our strategies with v9 and CSS to all the opportunities that Stargate and Cristal intelligence bring us,&#8221; Haas said. 
The company reported a <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">record total revenue</a> of $983 million, up 19% year-over-year, driven by increasing AI-related demand.
The Stargate project, set to begin with <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/news/25/01/43400191/openais-100-billion-texas-stargate-data-center-will-reportedly-employ-just-57-people-with-57600-annual-salaries">an 875-acre facility in Abilene, Texas</a>, represents a significant validation of Arm&#8217;s architecture in large-scale AI infrastructure. The initial phase includes a 200-megawatt data center, with plans to expand to 1.2 gigawatts &#8211; enough power to serve 200,000 homes.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/25/02/43517095/elon-musks-lenders-cash-in-5-5-billion-on-thanks-to-investor-demand-for-x-loans-report">Elon Musk&#8217;s Lenders Cash In $5.5 Billion Thanks To Investor Demand For X Loans: Report</a>
Why It Matters: The company&#8217;s involvement in Project DIGITS, a collaboration with NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), further demonstrates Arm&#8217;s growing influence in AI computing. The project combines Arm-based Grace CPUs with NVIDIA&#8217;s Blackwell GPUs to create what&#8217;s being marketed as the world&#8217;s smallest AI supercomputer.
Looking ahead, Arm expects continued growth, projecting fourth-quarter revenue between $1.175 billion and $1.275 billion. 
Price Action: Arm Holdings PLC closed at $173.26 on Wednesday, rising 6.82% for the day. However, in after-hours trading, the stock dropped to $162.37, losing 6.29%. Despite the after-hours decline, Arm has surged 137.41% over the past year, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">data from Benzinga Pro</a>. 
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Image Via Shutterstock 
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Arm Confirms Central Role In $100 Billion Stargate AI Infrastructure Project With OpenAI, Oracle

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is reportedly set to visit the United Arab Emirates this week to engage in fundraising discussions with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX.
What Happened: Altman's visit has been confirmed by two sources, as per a report by Reuters. This visit comes at a pivotal time for OpenAI as it faces competition from China&#8217;s<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/25/01/43382103/experts-say-deepseek-proves-high-performance-ai-possible-without-silicon-valleys-spending"> DeepSeek</a>, a more affordable AI alternative.
Altman&#8217;s meeting with MGX follows a recent tour of Asia, where he announced a partnership with Japan&#8217;s SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) for AI services. The UAE, striving to become a leader in AI, is investing heavily in the sector, competing with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Why It Matters: MGX was part of a $6.6 billion funding<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/03/37743640/openais-new-friend-abu-dhabis-investment-firm-mgx-eyes-chip-collaboration-report"> round</a> for OpenAI that concluded in October. SoftBank is reportedly in discussions to lead a funding round of up to $40 billion for OpenAI, potentially setting a record for private company funding.
This round could value OpenAI at $300 billion. Additionally, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43111153/nvidia-and-ai-stock-rises-as-trump-announces-500-billion-stargate-ai-infrastructure-venture">recently announced</a> a joint venture, Stargate, involving OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), with MGX participating.
Altman also visited India, meeting with the country's IT minister to discuss creating a low-cost AI ecosystem. OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT, launched in late 2022, has reached over 300 million weekly users but faces competition from DeepSeek&#8217;s cost-effective AI solutions.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech"> 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"> Benzinga Neuro</a> and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

OpenAI's Sam Altman Looks To Raise Funds From Abu Dhabi's MGX Amid Increased Competition: Report

On Tuesday, a federal judge decided that parts of Elon Musk&#8217;s lawsuit against OpenAI will advance to trial. This legal battle centers on Musk&#8217;s efforts to halt OpenAI&#8217;s transition to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/24/12/42493076/openai-challenges-musks-lawsuit-reveals-2017-profit-talks">a for-profit model</a>.
What Happened: U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, based in Oakland, California, said Musk will be required to testify in court, reported Reuters.
&#8220;Something is going to trial in this case,&#8221; she stated, indicating that a jury will ultimately determine the outcome.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43453553/palantirs-shyam-sankar-us-is-at-war-with-china-in-ai-and-the-time-to-act-was-yesterday">Palantir&#8217;s Shyam Sankar: US Is At War With China In AI—And The Time To Act Was &#8216;Yesterday&#8217;</a>
The lawsuit, initiated by Musk last year, contests OpenAI&#8217;s shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit organization. Musk argues that the original mission was to develop AI for the benefit of humanity, not for profit.
OpenAI, which was co-founded by Musk in 2015, maintains that the transition is crucial to secure funding for AI development.
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: Last year in December, OpenAI <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42712683/openai-lays-out-its-for-profit-transition-plans-says-it-must-evolve-to-advance-its-agi-mission">outlined its plans to evolve</a> into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) to align with its mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all humanity.
OpenAI&#8217;s fundraising efforts, including a $6.6 billion round in October and a potential <a 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">$25 billion round</a> with 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>), depend on this restructuring.
Last month it was reported that SoftBank was in talks to lead a new funding round for OpenAI, potentially <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">raising up to $40 billion</a>. This investment would value the ChatGPT-maker at $300 billion.
Photo courtesy: 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.

Legal

ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI's Future Hangs In The Balance As Judge Says Elon Musk's Lawsuit Will Partially Go To Trial

Shares of ride-hailing, food delivery and digital payment services provider Grab Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GRAB#NASDAQ">GRAB</a>) are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/movers" rel="noreferrer noopener">trading higher on Tuesday</a>.
According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-04/grab-goto-accelerate-merger-talks-and-aim-for-deal-in-2025?embedded-checkout=true" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bloomberg report</a>, Grab and the Indonesian technology company GoTo have resumed discussions about a potential merger, which they aim to complete by 2025.
These talks have continued for some time, with an executive emphasizing that the merger must occur by 2025, or it won't happen at all, according to a report by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/grab-goto-merger-428661" rel="noreferrer noopener">DealStreetAsia</a>.
Grab, which trades on the Nasdaq, and Indonesia-based GoTo are major players in Southeast Asia's tech sector, especially in ride-hailing and food delivery.
The proposed merger is anticipated to strengthen both companies' ability to compete with bigger rivals, especially Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>), a dominant player in the region.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/01/43395171/walmart-canada-to-invest-about-3-8-billion-over-five-years" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walmart Canada To Invest About $3.8 Billion Over Five Years</a>
Both Grab and GoTo receive backing from Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>).
While the companies have explored merger <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/02/37034210/grab-and-goto-rekindle-merger-talks-amidst-fierce-competition-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">options intermittently over the years</a>, the current discussions seem to be gaining more traction.
With considerable overlap in their offerings, many experts view the merger as a sensible move. It could potentially strengthen both companies' positions in fintech and improve their ability to compete in a fast-expanding yet highly competitive market.
Grab, which became publicly traded in 2020 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), is now valued at $18.28 billion. Meanwhile, GoTo is estimated to be worth 85.85 trillion rupiah (around $5.25 billion).
Today, HSBC analyst Piyush Choudhary upgraded Grab stock from Hold to Buy and lowered the price forecast from $5.5 to $5.45.
Price Action: GRAB shares are trading higher by 12.80% at $5.12 at the last check Tuesday.
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</ul>
Photo via Shutterstock

Emerging Markets

Upgrades

Price Target

Analyst Ratings

Movers

General

GRAB

UBER

Why Is Grab Stock Trading Higher On Tuesday?

OpenAI chief Sam Altman, currently in Korea, wants to meet with Samsung Electronics (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSNLF#OTC">SSNLF</a>) Chair Lee Yong and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son on Tuesday.
SoftBank agreed to set up a joint venture in Japan with OpenAI to offer AI services to corporate customers, Reuters reports. The joint venture, dubbed SB OpenAI Japan, will be owned by OpenAI, a company established by SoftBank and its domestic telecoms arm. SoftBank will pay $3 billion annually to use OpenAI&#8217;s technology across Softbank group companies.
OpenAI and SoftBank may ask Samsung to invest in their Stargate venture project, the Korea Herald <a target="_blank" href="https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10411658" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>.
In January 2024, Altman visited Samsung&#8217;s production facility in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Altman had voiced plans to develop such AI-specific hardware via a partnership.
The industrialists will likely discuss potential collaboration on advanced AI technology, including producing an AI-specific device.
The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/artificial-intelligence-stocks" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence frenzy</a> is in no mood to slow down as global companies forge partnerships to integrate technology into various operations.
Donald Trump&#8217;s second time as the US President was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says" rel="noreferrer noopener">well-timed with</a> the $500 billion &#8220;Stargate&#8221; AI venture with OpenAI, 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>), Oracle Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and Abu Dhabi&#8217;s MGX.
Alphabet Inc (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 earmarked over $1 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43127416/anthropic-gains-big-with-google-backing-aiming-for-60-billion-valuation-and-surging-ai-revenue" rel="noreferrer noopener">intensifying competition with</a> Microsoft Corp (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>).
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/25/01/43382010/samsung-q4-earnings-12-revenue-growth-closes-gap-with-apple-in-premium-phones-eyes-ai-powered-growth-in-2025" rel="noreferrer noopener">Samsung Q4 Earnings: 12% Revenue Growth, Closes Gap With Apple In Premium Phones, Eyes AI-Powered Growth In 2025</a>
Anthropic was also on the verge of securing a further $2 billion from Silicon Valley venture capital investors in a deal likely to triple the start-up&#8217;s valuation to about $60 billion versus OpenAI&#8217;s $157 billion valuation. Like Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) and Microsoft, OpenAI and Elon Musk&#8217;s xAI raised over $10 billion in 2024.
Altman also met Samsung rival SK Hynix Chair Chey Tae-won and CEO Kwak Noh-jung to discuss potential collaboration on AI memory chips, including high bandwidth memory AI services, the Korea Herald <a target="_blank" href="https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10411364" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. This meeting followed the previous discussions between Chey and Altman in Seoul in January 2024 and in the US in July.
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Photo via Shutterstock

SSNLF

Sam Altman in Korea: OpenAI Seeks AI Deals With Samsung, SK Hynix, and SoftBank Amid Global AI Boom

On Sunday, OpenAI revealed a new feature for ChatGPT called &#8220;deep research,&#8221; which autonomously plans and executes multi-step data searches.
What Happened: This feature allows users to input questions using text, images, and files like PDFs or spreadsheets. It takes five to 30 minutes to generate a response but goes beyond text generation.
The deep research feature displays a sidebar summary that outlines its research process, includes citations, and provides a reference overview.
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However, despite its capabilities, OpenAI acknowledges that deep research can sometimes &#8220;hallucinate&#8221; or confuse authoritative information with rumors.
The tool is designed to operate at a research analyst level, but it is still refining its accuracy and reliability.
OpenAI&#8217;s deep research is available for Pro users, offering up to 100 queries per month <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42356469/openai-unveils-200-chatgpt-pro-subscription-inside-the-o1-reasoning-model-and-what-it-means-for-power-users">for a $200 fee</a>. Limited access is also available for Plus, Team, and Enterprise users.
The model powering deep research achieved a 26.6% accuracy on an AI benchmark, surpassing previous models, said OpenAI.
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Why It Matters: Last week, OpenAI launched the o3-mini model, which promises exceptional capabilities in science, math, and coding, <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43418650/openai-launches-o3-mini-model-makes-it-free-after-deepseeks-launch">while keeping costs low</a>. This model is part of OpenAI&#8217;s reasoning series and is available on both ChatGPT and the API.
OpenAI&#8217;s latest developments also include the debut of Operator, an AI agent capable of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43186741/openai-debuts-operator-ai-agent-that-performs-web-tasks-but-early-error-has-sam-altman-scrambling-for-a-quick-fix">autonomously performing web tasks</a>. This agent integrates GPT-4o's vision capabilities with advanced reasoning through reinforcement learning.
Meanwhile, 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 reportedly in talks to lead a new $40 billion funding round for OpenAI, which could <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">value the company at</a> $300 billion.
Image via 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.

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