The Tokyo-based investment giant booked 1.86 trillion yen in total investment gains during the quarter, largely driven by its strategic stake in Intel. SoftBank invested in the chipmaker last year during its restructuring phase, a move facilitated by Son’s ties to Intel board member Lip-Bu Tan. Additional gains were realized through the company’s position in ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok.

Despite the recent profit dip, the firm remains heavily tethered to the trajectory of OpenAI. SoftBank’s cumulative investment in the ChatGPT developer is projected to reach $64.6 billion by October, securing a roughly 13% stake. To manage liquidity, the group finalized a $10 billion loan in August, using its OpenAI shares as collateral after overcoming previous valuation hurdles inherent to the private company's equity.

Masayoshi Son continues to pivot the group's balance sheet toward artificial intelligence, having offloaded legacy holdings in Nvidia and T-Mobile. The company faces a significant financial horizon, with a $40 billion bridging loan set to mature in 2027. Ahead of that deadline, SoftBank has committed billions to future acquisitions, including $5.4 billion for ABB’s robotics division and $3.1 billion for DigitalBridge, even as its net asset value fluctuates from record highs recorded in June.