SoftBank Group Posts Quarterly Loss on Special Losses Linked to U.S. Data-Center Projects

By Kosaku Narioka

SoftBank Group reported a quarterly net loss due to investment losses and special losses related to procurement plan changes for power generation-related equipment for U.S. data-center projects.

The Japanese technology investment company on Tuesday booked a net loss of 1.115 trillion yen, equivalent to $7.06 billion, for the three months ended September. That missed the estimated net profit of Y53.5 billion in a poll of analysts by data provider Visible Alpha.

The Japanese company recorded net profit of Y2.502 trillion in the year-earlier period, boosted by billions of dollars of gains from its OpenAI investment.

SoftBank Group booked a loss of Y597.2 billion due to procurement plan changes for power generation-related equipment for artificial-intelligence data-center projects in the U.S. The company said its unit revised its equipment procurement strategy given the evolving requirements of its existing and planned projects.

The disappointing results add to a series of setbacks the company has faced in recent months. China recently blocked its $5.4 billion acquisition of Swiss industrial giant ABB's robotics business, a deal announced in October 2025 aimed at combining the potential of AI with robots.

SoftBank had been banking on the acquisition of ABB's robotics unit, which makes robotic arms and other devices used in manufacturing and logistics, to headline a broader push into physical applications of AI.

In the U.S., SoftBank-backed data-center company SB Energy has delayed its initial public offering date after getting pushback on its potential valuation.

Meanwhile, OpenAI rival Anthropic plans to forge ahead with its IPO later this month despite recent market volatility tied to AI investments, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

OpenAI raised less than half of what it initially targeted for its latest funding round at a lower-than-targeted valuation of $1.25 trillion.

SoftBank has been going all in on AI in recent years, pivoting from its earlier strategy of betting on a mix of startups.

In October, it said it invested an additional $10 billion in OpenAI as part of its previously announced investment plan, bringing its total investments in the ChatGPT maker to $64.6 billion and its ownership interest to about 13%.

Last week, British chip-design unit Arm Holdings reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings as AI demand fuels growth.

Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 10, 2026 02:44 ET (07:44 GMT)