SoftBank Group Corp. said Wednesday its net profit for fiscal 2025 surged more than fourfold to 5.00 trillion yen ($31.70 billion), marking a record high for a Japanese company, on the back of its investment in OpenAI, the developer of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.
It exceeded the previous net profit record for a Japanese company of 4.99 trillion yen, also set by SoftBank Group, in fiscal 2020.
"When looking at the services and technology offered (by OpenAI), their growth is only natural," SoftBank Group Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said at a press conference.
"It is wonderful to hit (a record high)," he said, but emphasized that "the 'now' is not the most important. We must calmly consider how to maintain this position five or 10 years from now."
SoftBank Group has focused its investments on AI-centered industries ranging from semiconductors and robotics to data centers and energy infrastructure.
It logged 7.29 trillion yen in investment profit for fiscal 2025, nearly double compared to the 3.70 trillion yen profit the previous year.
The surge comes after the company announced in February that it would invest an additional $30 billion in OpenAI, raising its total investment to $64.6 billion and increasing its ownership stake from about 11 percent to around 13 percent.
Regarding the recent growth of competitors in AI, Goto said, "Industry value is not based on one firm, but is increased through their myriad technological advances and business models."
SoftBank Group also said earlier this year that it plans to invest $500 billion to build an artificial intelligence data center in Ohio as part of the $550 billion commitment Japan made last year in a deal with the United States for tariff relief.
"We are certain that it will be a symbol for the rapid development of AI," Goto said regarding the 9.2 gigawatt gas-fired power plant.
Sales for the year ended March were up 7.7 percent at 7.80 trillion yen.
The Japanese investment and technology group does not release earnings forecasts.
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source Newswire