Downcodes editor reports: Recently, there has been big news in the technology world! SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son invested US$500 million in artificial intelligence company OpenAI, raising its valuation to US$150 billion. This move reflects Son’s great confidence and long-term layout in the AI field, and also injects strong impetus into the future development of OpenAI. This investment is not an impulsive one, but is based on in-depth research and long-term consideration of OpenAI’s technical strength and market prospects.
According to Theinformation, recently, Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank Group, announced an investment of US$500 million in OpenAI. After this round of financing, OpenAI’s valuation has exceeded US$150 billion. This investment was made after nearly a year of research and preparation, showing Son's deep understanding and confidence in the field of AI.
Although OpenAI has recently experienced the challenges of executive departures and a shift from a non-profit to a for-profit model, the outside world's perception of it has not affected the success of this financing. In fact, OpenAI’s latest round of financing was even oversubscribed, which is enough to show that the market’s trust in it is still strong.
Son has stated on many occasions that he is a loyal user of ChatGPT and uses this product almost every day. The close relationship with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, allows him to have a deeper understanding of the development potential and technology trends of generative AI. SoftBank is not blindly following the trend, but has made in-depth layout and investment in the field of AI and is committed to promoting the development of related technologies.
OpenAI's financial performance remains strong despite the challenges of negative press. In August alone, OpenAI's revenue exceeded $300 million, an increase of 1,700% year-on-year. It is expected that its total revenue will reach US$3.7 billion by the end of this year, and if it successfully transforms into a profitable company, its revenue next year may even exceed US$1 billion. These eye-catching data have undoubtedly attracted the favor of many investors including SoftBank, Thrive Capital and Microsoft.
Highlight:
Masayoshi Son invested US$500 million in OpenAI through SoftBank, bringing its valuation to US$150 billion.
Despite challenges such as executive departures, OpenAI's financing was still oversubscribed and market confidence was strong.
SoftBank not only invested in OpenAI, but also acquired Graphcore to enhance its AI technology capabilities.
All in all, SoftBank’s huge investment in OpenAI marks the continued enthusiasm of the AI field and also indicates that OpenAI will play a more important role in future development. The editor of Downcodes will continue to pay attention to the dynamics of OpenAI and bring more exciting reports to readers!