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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.

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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

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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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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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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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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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</ul>
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
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.

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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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

Government

Regulations

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.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43377716/tesla-employee-headcount-drops-after-april-layoff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla Reports Over 10% Employee Reduction By Year-End Following April Layoffs</a>
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.
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.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Introduction to Deep Research" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jv-lpIsnLOo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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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>.
Read Next:
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<li><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></li>
</ul>
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's 'Deep Research' Promises AI-Powered Analysis — Here's What It Can (And Can't) Do

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a technological milestone on Friday, revealing the deployment of NVIDIA Corp.&#8216;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) first full 8-rack GB200 NVL72 system on Microsoft Corp.&#8216;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) Azure platform, marking a major advancement in the companies&#8217; strategic partnership.
What Happened: &#8220;First full 8-rack GB200 NVL72 now running in Azure for OpenAI—thank you Satya Nadella and Jensen [Huang]!,&#8221; Altman wrote on X.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">first full 8-rack GB200 NVL72 now running in azure for openai—thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satyanadella</a> and jensen!
&mdash; Sam Altman (@sama) <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1885191346916356371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The GB200 NVL72, known for delivering 30 times faster real-time large language model inference and enhanced AI training capabilities, represents the latest evolution in OpenAI&#8217;s infrastructure expansion. This deployment comes as Microsoft reported a 175% year-over-year surge in AI revenue and <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/43327008/microsofts-13-billion-run-rate-and-openai-azure-deal-spark-surge-in-enterprise-demand-for-ai-solutions-just-first-tranche-of-future-growth-potential">a $13 billion annual AI revenue run rate</a>.
large language model inference is&nbsp;the process by which LLMs use their training to generate human-like responses to user input.
The infrastructure upgrade arrives amid reports that SoftBank Group Corp. (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) is in discussions to lead a massive $40 billion <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">funding round for OpenAI</a> at a potential $300 billion valuation. 
However, OpenAI faces challenges on the competitive front. The company recently alleged that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/01/43354099/openai-alleges-deepseek-used-proprietary-models-without-permission-as-microsoft-investigates-ai-secu">used its proprietary models without authorization</a>, leading to the blocking of suspected accounts for terms of service violations. 
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43377716/tesla-employee-headcount-drops-after-april-layoff">Tesla Reports Over 10% Employee Reduction By Year-End Following April Layoffs</a>
Why It Matters: This controversy emerged after DeepSeek claimed to have developed its R1 model for just $5.6 million using lower-end Nvidia chips.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged DeepSeek&#8217;s &#8220;real innovations&#8221; during a recent earnings call but remained noncommittal about whether these developments mark a turning point <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43327016/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-accepts-deepseek-ai-has-some-real-innovations-but-wont-say-if-they-mark-a-turning-point-for-ai-cost-reduction">for AI cost reduction</a>. 
Despite these challenges, OpenAI appears to be strengthening its partnership with Microsoft. Earlier this week, Altman <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/01/43354099/openai-alleges-deepseek-used-proprietary-models-without-permission-as-microsoft-investigates-ai-secu">hinted at expanded collaboration</a>, stating on social media that the &#8220;next phase of the MSFT x OAI partnership is gonna be much better than anyone is ready for.&#8221; 
This aligns with Microsoft CFO Amy Hood&#8216;s recent statement that OpenAI&#8217;s Azure commitment represents just the &#8220;first tranche&#8221; of future growth potential.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/01/43373775/tim-cook-praises-chinas-deepseek-for-driving-efficiency-stresses-apples-prudent-and-deliberate-approach-toward-capital-expenditure">Tim Cook Praises China&#8217;s DeepSeek For Driving Efficiency, Stresses Apple&#8217;s &#8216;Prudent And Deliberate&#8217; Approach Toward Capital Expenditure</a></li>
</ul>
Image Via Shutterstock 
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Sam Altman Thanks Satya Nadella, Jensen Huang As OpenAI Deploys NVIDIA's GB200 On Microsoft Azure, Boosting Performance By 30X

Amid recent artificial intelligence sector turbulence, CNBC&#8217;s Jim Cramer wondered if Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BIDU#NASDAQ">BIDU</a>) might be the next Chinese tech giant to draw market focus. 
What Happened: He posed the question on X on Thursday, writing, &#8220;First, it was DeepSeek, then it was BABA, and next, maybe Baidu?&#8221;
The observation comes as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) shares surged 6.39% to $102.91 on Thursday, driven by growing investor confidence in its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/01/43351350/alibaba-stock-rises-as-deepseek-selloff-continues-qwen-ai-model-gains-attention">Qwen 2.5-Max AI model</a>. Alibaba&#8217;s latest AI iteration has reportedly outperformed DeepSeek-V3 in multiple benchmarks, including Arena Hard, LiveBench, and GPQA-Diamond tests.
The market repositioning follows a tumultuous period triggered by DeepSeek&#8217;s disruptive entrance, which initially caused a massive tech sector selloff. NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) saw <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/43294528/jim-cramer-says-the-shoot-first-learn-later-crowd-got-hosed-as-nvidia-and-other-tech-stocks-stage-recovery-after-deepseek-turmoil">nearly $600 billion erased from its market value</a> on Monday before staging an 8.82% recovery on Tuesday.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/01/43351350/alibaba-stock-rises-as-deepseek-selloff-continues-qwen-ai-model-gains-attention">Tim Cook Praises China&#8217;s DeepSeek For Driving Efficiency, Stresses Apple&#8217;s &#8216;Prudent And Deliberate&#8217; Approach Toward Capital Expenditure</a>
Why It Matters: DeepSeek, which emerged from <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/43293842/bill-ackman-questions-whether-deepseek-ais-hedge-fund-affiliate-profited-from-nvidias-sell-off-a-fortune-could-have-been-made">the $8 billion quantitative hedge</a> fund High-Flyer, had claimed to match OpenAI&#8217;s performance at significantly lower costs, developing its R1 model for just $5.6 million using lower-end Nvidia chips. However, sustainability concerns have since dampened enthusiasm for DeepSeek-linked investments.
The shifting landscape has caught the attention of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/43296517/black-swan-author-nassim-taleb-nvidias-17-drop-on-monday-is-just-the-beginning-says-electric-cars-are-next-noting-pioneers-with-innovative-ideas-never-made-money">prominent market observers</a>. &#8220;Black Swan&#8221; author Nassim Taleb warned investors about the fragility of wealth concentration in technology stocks, suggesting at Miami Hedge Fund Week that potential drawdowns could be &#8220;two or three times bigger&#8221; than Monday&#8217;s selloff.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly in discussions with SoftBank Group (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) for a potential $40 billion funding round at <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">a $300 billion valuation</a>, highlighting the intense competition in the AI space. OpenAI has accused DeepSeek of using its proprietary models without authorization, adding another layer of complexity to the evolving narrative.
Price Action: Baidu closed at $94.77 on Thursday, gaining 5.76% for the day. In after-hours trading, the stock dipped slightly by 0.047%, according to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/">data from Benzinga Pro</a>.
Read Next: 
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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.

Jim Cramer Wonders If Baidu Could Be Next After Alibaba's AI Model Outperforms DeepSeek

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 in discussions to spearhead a new funding round for OpenAI, potentially raising up to $40 billion.
What Happened: This investment would value the ChatGPT-maker at $300 billion, marking a record-setting funding round for a private entity, reported Reuters, citing sources.
As per the report, SoftBank assessed OpenAI&#8217;s value at $260 billion before the funding round, a notable increase <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41149788/openai-valuation-soars-to-157b-in-latest-funding-round">from $157 billion just months ago</a>.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43295689/tesla-gears-up-for-q4-print-here-are-the-recent-forecast-changes-from-wall-streets-most-accurate-analysts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla Gears Up For Q4 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts</a>
Earlier on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openaiin-talks-for-huge-investment-round-valuing-it-up-to-300-billion-2a2d4327">reported</a> that OpenAI could be valued at around $340 billion with this funding round.
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: Previously, it was reported that <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">SoftBank might invest</a> $15 billion to $25 billion directly into OpenAI. This investment would represent a significant commitment for SoftBank and its CEO, Masayoshi Son, who has approximately $30 billion in cash reserves.
It could make it the largest stakeholder in OpenAI, surpassing Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), which has invested nearly $14 billion.
The move comes as DeepSeek, a Chinese startup, has said it developed its cost-effective R1 model <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43327016/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-accepts-deepseek-ai-has-some-real-innovations-but-wont-say-if-they-mark-a-turning-point-for-ai-cost-reduction">in just two months</a>, investing $5.6 million and using lower-end Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) chips.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43296041/openai-alleges-deepseek-used-proprietary-models-without-permission-as-microsoft-investigates-ai-security-risks">OpenAI has accused DeepSeek</a> of using its proprietary models without authorization.
Photo by NP27 on Shutterstock.
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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</ul>
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.

SoftBank May Lead OpenAI's $40 Billion Funding Round At A $300 Billion Valuation Despite DeepSeek Disruption: Report

<a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=apHfmtE96QvaluwxRl81vGcop3VEu-Qs9m2GAoV13EJboxQ-Cl5LnKEf4QB-yPx8so_s4BJUfCHIf2mWJlfY-zFh9cBPyTA8llgbSNrLBn0=">Cipher Mining Inc.</a> (NASDAQ:<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CIFR#NASDAQ">CIFR</a>) ("Cipher" or the "Company") today announced a $50 million investment from <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=8dYD191Ow5JNB_D0820yfEJuIv3-nWLs9cX1g_YrsKHm8Q7E2KBA36Ws_gL51HpzhzgeK1eYwmqvdYPA2WLIJgLNkAP_aJTfiZyhxRdgRSA=">SoftBank Group Corp</a>. (TSE: 9984, "SoftBank"), one of the world's most prominent investment holding companies. The $50 million PIPE investment will support Cipher's HPC data center development business and establish SoftBank as a significant primary investor in Cipher.

Contracts

CIFR

Cipher Mining Announces $50M Investment From SoftBank For HPC Data Center Development

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="659" src="https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30163640/image-21.png" alt="" class="wp-image-5197" srcset="https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30163640/image-21.png 1200w,https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30163640/image-21-300x165.png 300w,https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30163640/image-21-1024x562.png 1024w,https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30163640/image-21-768x422.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></figure>
To gain an edge, this is what you need to know today.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Humanoid Robot Opportunities Ahead</h4>
Please<a href="https://thearorareport.com/chart-analysis-stock-market-tesla-humanoid-robots-microsoft-deepseek-tsla-mc-01302025"> click here</a> for an enlarged chart of Tesla stock (TSLA).
Note the following:
<ul>
<li>This article is about the big picture, not an individual stock.&nbsp; The chart of TSLA stock is being used to illustrate the point.</li>
<li>The chart shows the release of TSLA earnings.</li>
<li>The chart shows TSLA stock is still above the support zone as of this writing in the premarket, despite terrible earnings.</li>
<li>RSI on the chart shows that TSLA stock bounced back from oversold conditions.</li>
<li>The chart shows significant gain in TSLA stock since the last Arora buy signal on November 6.</li>
<li>Tesla earnings were terrible, significantly below consensus and whisper numbers.
<ul>
<li>Tesla missed EBIT by 38%.</li>
<li>Margin was the lowest in years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>TSLA stock first fell on terrible earnings, but then it shot up on humanoid robots and robotaxis.
<ul>
<li>Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the Optimus humanoid robot is a $10T opportunity.&nbsp; Tesla plans to ramp production of Optimus faster than previous products.&nbsp; In The Arora Report analysis, humanoid robots are a bigger opportunity than electric vehicles (EVs).&nbsp;</li>
<li>Musk also announced unsupervised full self driving robotaxis are arriving by June 2025. In The Arora Report analysis, the June timeframe is earlier than expected.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Significant opportunities are ahead in robotaxis and humanoid robots.&nbsp; The Arora Report will publish signals when opportunities for high risk adjusted returns arise.</li>
<li>Buying in TSLA stock is almost all by retail investors.&nbsp; Institutions are not buying TSLA stock.</li>
<li>In The Arora Report analysis, Tesla's moonshots are getting closer to reality than institutions believe.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>As full disclosure, TSLA is in The Arora Report&#8217;s ZYX Buy Core Model Portfolio.&nbsp; In The Arora Report analysis, TSLA stock should be bought by those not in TSLA stock in the context of a properly diversified portfolio when TSLA stock drops in the buy zone.</li>
<li>Retail investors are also rushing headlong into NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) stock. &nbsp; So far this week, retail investors have bought more than $1B worth of NVDA stock.</li>
<li>Prudent investors should note that institutions are taking advantage of retail investor buying and selling NVDA stock on up spikes.&nbsp; Keep in mind, institutions still have massive positions in NVDA.&nbsp; Institutions are simply engaging in the prudent practice of reducing risk in NVDA stock after DeepSeek.</li>
<li>We previously shared with you that we would be listening to conference calls from Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), especially regarding CapEx for AI.
<ul>
<li>Meta is not backing off.&nbsp; Meta reiterated $60B &#8211; $65B of CapEx for the year.</li>
<li>Microsoft is also not backing off. Microsoft is planning to spend $22B during each of the next two quarters.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>SoftBank Group Corp &#8211; ADR (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>), the big Japanese conglomerate that is the prime mover behind Stargate is also not backing off.&nbsp; SoftBank is in discussions to invest $25B in OpenAI.&nbsp; If this investment occurs, SoftBank will become the largest investor in OpenAI, displacing Microsoft.&nbsp; Such an investment indicates that SoftBank does not believe DeepSeek is an existential threat to OpenAI.</li>
<li>To date, Microsoft has been mostly dependent on OpenAI.&nbsp; In a development worth noting, Microsoft is hedging its bets.&nbsp; Even after investigating DeepSeek for improperly using data from OpenAI from Microsoft servers, Microsoft has started offering DeepSeek to its customers.</li>
<li>Initial jobless claims came at 207K vs. 221K consensus.&nbsp; This data shows the jobs picture is stronger than anticipated.</li>
<li>GDP data is inline with expectation.&nbsp; Investors should note this is a lagging indicator.&nbsp; We publish it because the market pays attention to GDP data.&nbsp; However, The Arora Report system is focused on leading indicators.&nbsp; Here are the details:
<ul>
<li>Q4 GDP-Adv. came at 2.3% vs. 2.3% consensus.</li>
<li>Q4 GDP Deflator-Adv. came at 2.2% vs. 2.4% consensus.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Earnings will be released after the close today from Apple Inc (AAPL), Intel Corp (INTC), and Visa Inc (V).</li>
<li>In the early trade, the U.S. market is seeing buying due to developments in Japan.  Please scroll down. DJIA is not representing what is happening in the early trade due to Caterpillar Inc (CAT) earnings coming below consensus and whisper numbers.</li>
</ul>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Japan</h4>
With quantitative tightening, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has shrunk its balance sheet by $500B.&nbsp; This move is causing the dollar to weaken.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Europe</h4>
The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points.&nbsp; This is inline with expectations.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Magnificent Seven Money Flows</h4>
In the early trade, money flows are positive in GOOG, META, and TSLA.
In the early trade, money flows are negative in AAPL, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), MSFT, and NVDA.
In the early trade, money flows are positive in SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ).
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Momo Crowd And Smart Money In Stocks</h4>
Investors can gain an edge by knowing money flows in SPY and QQQ.  Investors can get a bigger edge by knowing when smart money is buying stocks, gold, and oil.  The most popular ETF for gold is SPDR Gold Trust (GLD).  The most popular ETF for silver is iShares Silver Trust (SLV).  The most popular ETF for oil is United States Oil ETF (USO).
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bitcoin</h4>
Bitcoin (BTC.USD) is seeing buying along with tech stocks.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Protection Band And What To Do Now</h4>
It is important for investors to look ahead and not in the rearview mirror.&nbsp; The proprietary protection band from The Arora Report is very popular.&nbsp; The protection band puts all of the data, all of the indicators, all of the news, all of the crosscurrents, all of the models, and all of the analysis in an analytical framework that is easily actionable by investors.
Consider continuing to hold good, very long term, existing positions. Based on individual risk preference, consider a protection band consisting of cash or Treasury bills or short-term tactical trades as well as short to medium term hedges and short term hedges. This is a good way to protect yourself and participate in the upside at the same time.
You can determine your protection bands by adding cash to hedges.&nbsp; The high band of the protection is appropriate for those who are older or conservative. The low band of the protection is appropriate for those who are younger or aggressive.&nbsp; If you do not hedge, the total cash level should be more than stated above but significantly less than cash plus hedges.
A protection band of 0% would be very bullish and would indicate full investment with 0% in cash.&nbsp; A protection band of 100% would be very bearish and would indicate a need for aggressive protection with cash and hedges or aggressive short selling.
It is worth reminding that you cannot take advantage of new upcoming opportunities if you are not holding enough cash.&nbsp; When adjusting hedge levels, consider adjusting partial stop quantities for stock positions (non ETF); consider using wider stops on remaining quantities and also allowing more room for high beta stocks.&nbsp; High beta stocks are the ones that move more than the market.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Traditional 60/40 Portfolio</h4>
Probability based risk reward adjusted for inflation does not favor long duration strategic bond allocation at this time.
Those who want to stick to traditional 60% allocation to stocks and 40% to bonds may consider focusing on only high quality bonds and bonds of five year duration or less.&nbsp; Those willing to bring sophistication to their investing may consider using bond ETFs as tactical positions and not strategic positions at this time.
The Arora Report is known for its accurate calls. The Arora Report correctly called the big artificial intelligence rally before anyone else, the new bull market of 2023, the bear market of 2022, new stock market highs right after the virus low in 2020, the virus drop in 2020, the DJIA rally to 30,000 when it was trading at 16,000, the start of a mega bull market in 2009, and the financial crash of 2008. Please click here to sign up for a free forever<a href="https://thearorareport.com/generate-wealth-newsletter-benzinga"> Generate Wealth Newsletter</a>.

Broad U.S. Equity ETFs

Humanoid Robots Bigger Than Evs, Retail Investors Buy $1B Nvidia But Institutions Sell, Microsoft Offers DeepSeek

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 a potential investment of $15 billion to $25 billion in OpenAI. This move could make SoftBank the largest investor in the ChatGPT creator, surpassing Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), which has <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42664762/after-investing-nearly-14-billion-in-openai-microsoft-reportedly-moves-to-reduce-its-dependence-on-chatgpt-parent">invested nearly $14 billion</a>.
What Happened: The investment would support OpenAI&#8217;s commitment to the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43139410/softbanks-role-in-500-billion-stargate-ai-venture-seen-as-major-growth-driver-analyst-says">Stargate AI infrastructure project</a>, a joint venture with companies like SoftBank, Oracle Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and the UAE&#8217;s MGX fund, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/softbank-in-talks-to-invest-up-to-25-billion-in-openai-03d653fc?mod=mhp">reported</a> the Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Stargate plans to invest up to $500 billion in AI data centers over the next four years. SoftBank&#8217;s funding for OpenAI would be separate from its planned $15 billion investment in the Stargate initiative.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/01/43327016/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-accepts-deepseek-ai-has-some-real-innovations-but-wont-say-if-they-mark-a-turning-point-for-ai-cost-reduction">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Accepts DeepSeek AI Has Some &#8216;Real Innovations&#8217; — But Won&#8217;t Say If They Mark A Turning Point For AI Cost Reduction</a>
Despite the potential investment, SoftBank would hold a smaller stake in OpenAI&#8217;s for-profit division compared to Microsoft, due to the latter's earlier investments, the report noted
Why It Matters: Last year, OpenAI&#8217;s valuation surged to $157 billion following 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>. At that time, the Tokyo-based conglomerate SoftBank invested $500 million in OpenAI.
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.
Elon Musk's xAI has also quickly expanded, reaching an estimated valuation of $50 billion in 2024.
Perplexity AI, supported by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in December raised $500 million in a funding round, boosting its <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">valuation to $9 billion</a>.
Anthropic, backed by Google, is also reportedly in late-stage discussions to secure $2 billion in funding, which would push its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/01/43127416/anthropic-gains-big-with-google-backing-aiming-for-60-billion-valuation-and-surging-ai-revenue">valuation to $60 billion</a>.
Photo by NP27 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.

SoftBank Eyes Historic $25 Billion Investment In OpenAI, Set To Dethrone Microsoft As Biggest Investor In ChatGPT-Parent

<a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-softbanks-son-made-it-back-to-the-white-house" title="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-softbanks-son-made-it-back-to-the-white-house">https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-softbanks-son-made-it-back-to-the-white-house</a>

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"How SoftBank's Son Made It Back To The White House; The Potential $18.5B Bank Loans Softbank Is Discussing Include Up To $15B Backed By Arm Shares As Collateral, According To The Person Involved In The Talks." - The Information

President Donald Trump&#8216;s hints at upcoming increases in tariffs have ignited a significant market rally, propelling stocks to unprecedented highs.
What Happened: Earlier, the market was apprehensive about the potential inflationary effects of Trump&#8217;s tariff plan. However, the President&#8217;s initial actions have flipped this narrative, fueling market confidence in economic growth over the forthcoming four years.
Stocks have been on a consistent upward climb since Trump took office. The S&amp;P 500 reached&nbsp;a record high on Thursday,&nbsp;recovering from an early-year sell-off as traders digested a flurry of White House orders and policy declarations. However, On Friday it fell to just 0.3%. 
Despite Friday&#8217;s decline, optimism around Trump&#8217;s pro-business policies has largely driven risk assets higher this week, with investors focusing on his inauguration. 
Traders were also reassured by the absence of formal tariff actions, as Trump has so far issued only threats on that front during his initial days in office.
All three major indexes logged their second consecutive weekly gains, suggesting a strong rebound in the bull market after December&#8217;s pullback. The S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq each advanced approximately 1.7% for the week, while the Dow rose 2.2%.
While addressing world leaders in Davos on Thursday, Trump&nbsp;said that he would demand that interest rates drop immediately. He also said he would ask Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations to&nbsp;lower&nbsp;the price of oil.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/12/42635605/exclusive-eric-trump-predicts-inflation-drop-through-energy-policies-and-spending-cuts">EXCLUSIVE: Eric Trump Predicts Inflation Drop Through Energy Policies And Spending Cuts</a>
Nancy Tengler, the chief investment&nbsp;officer of&nbsp;Laffer Tengler Investments <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trump-tariffs-inflation-stock-market-rally-growth-trade-war-economy-2025-1">told </a>Business Insider,&nbsp;&#8220;Now investors are focused on,&nbsp;okay, the executive orders are&nbsp;coming through, he&#8217;s serious about&nbsp;deregulation, he&#8217;s serious about getting&nbsp;the tax cuts.&#8221;
&#8220;Those are important elements for the market, because — whether you agree with him or not, that&#8217;s never the issue. The issue is the uncertainty. And so it looks like we&#8217;re going to have a regular order of business and things are going to chug along,&#8221; she told the outlet.
The AAII&#8217;s most recent Investor Sentiment Survey showed a significant uptick in investor sentiment. It revealed that 43% of investors&nbsp;were bullish on stocks over&nbsp;the next six months, a substantial rise from the previous week&#8217;s 25%.
Trump&#8217;s executive actions this week have redirected the market&#8217;s attention towards&nbsp;higher growth and away from&nbsp;the potential risks of an unpredictable trade policy. The President also unveiled a $500 billion deal among&nbsp;OpenAI,&nbsp;Oracle&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), and&nbsp;SoftBank&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SFTBY#OTC">SFTBY</a>) to expand AI infrastructure, triggering a surge in AI tech stocks.
Why It Matters: The market&#8217;s positive response to Trump&#8217;s tariff orders and policy announcements signifies a shift in investor sentiment. The focus has moved from potential inflationary risks to prospects for economic growth. 
This change is reflected in the record highs reached by stocks and the bullish outlook of investors.
The President&#8217;s announcement of a $500 billion deal to build more AI infrastructure also indicates a strategic move towards technological advancement, which could further stimulate economic growth and boost investor confidence in the tech sector.
Read Next
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/24/11/41869001/heres-how-trumps-policies-might-shape-the-markets-future">Here&#8217;s How Trump&#8217;s Policies Might Shape The Market&#8217;s Future</a>
Image: Shutterstock

Trump's Tariff Plans Ignite Market Rally, Pushing Stocks To Record Highs

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