Tech investor SoftBank Group logs $7 bn quarterly net loss

Japanese tech investment giant SoftBank on Tuesday reported a net loss of 1.1 trillion yen ($7 billion) for the second quarter, marking a swing from a profit a year ago.

The company's profits routinely see wild fluctuations linked to the volatile value of global technology stocks and its changing portfolio of investments and acquisitions.

SoftBank has funnelled billions into developing AI and related infrastructure, with CEO Masayoshi Son extolling the technology's world-changing potential.


In the second quarter of 2025-26, SoftBank -- a major backer of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI -- saw a net profit of 2.5 trillion yen as stock markets worldwide hit record highs.

The company gave several reasons for the latest losses, from interest expenses to costs related to selling and administration.

Another reason -- which SoftBank said cost it $3.7 billion in the first half of 2026-27 -- was the "revision of procurement plans for power-generation-related equipment for AI data centre projects in the US".

The strategy was revised "given the evolving requirements of its existing and planned projects", SoftBank said.

As usual SoftBank did not issue a forecast for the full fiscal year.

Technology shares plunged worldwide last week as fears grew that Democrats would ramp up AI regulation after their crushing win over President Donald Trump's Republicans in the US midterms.

Data centres have faced broad opposition from US voters, and many midterm winners have pledged to put the brakes on such projects, including moratoriums on new construction projects.

Separately, SoftBank said last week that China had blocked its $5.4 billion acquisition of a Swiss-Swedish industrial robot maker touted as part of its push into the field of AI-powered robots.

The deal to buy ABB Robotics, which specialises in industrial machines, was announced last year.

Its parent company ABB Group says China is its second-largest market, with more than 90 percent of sales there from locally made products and services.

But Beijing -- which is locked in a diplomatic spat with Japan -- has been tightening control over AI and other sensitive technologies.