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Tech Beat
Nov 12, 2026, 5:00 PMArtificial Intelligence

SoftBank’s billion-dollar loss may have put a cap on AI’s natural

SoftBank might not be the first to invest in a hot trend, but when it does, it goes big. Witness its $30 billion bet on OpenAI in early 2025 or its…

Summary

SoftBank might not be the first to invest in a hot trend, but when it does, it goes big. Witness its $30 billion bet on OpenAI in early 2025 or its announcement in February that its SB Energy subsidiary would spend $33 billion on a 9. That philosophy apparently spilled over into procurement, where orders were also supersized. Starting about two years ago, SoftBank reportedly put down deposits on more than 13 gigawatts of turbines, almost 50% more than it needed.

Positives

  • Witness its $30 billion bet on OpenAI in early 2025 or its announcement in February that its SB Energy subsidiary would spend $33 billion on a 9.

Risks & concerns

  • The article may not provide enough evidence to validate every implication.
  • Execution, cost, adoption, regulation, or security could change the outcome.
Primary sourceTechCrunchhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/11/12/softbanks-billion-dollar-loss-may-have-put-a-cap-on-ais-natural-gas-ambitions/
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