SoftBank Quarterly Preview: Net Interest-Bearing Debt Rises to 10.8 Trillion Yen

SoftBank will announce its quarterly financial report on Tuesday. Against the backdrop of a sell-off in AI-related stocks and obstacles in acquiring the ABB robotics business, investors are focusing on whether SoftBank can provide a reassuring explanation for its strategic direction. SoftBank has made massive investments in AI, most notably spending $64.6 billion to acquire a 13% stake in OpenAI, which has sparked concerns about its resilience to industry setbacks. Rolf Bulk of Futurum Group stated that questions regarding infrastructure development, fundraising, power supply, and deployment locations may have been easier to answer six months ago, but are now much more complex. The health of the AI industry is crucial for SoftBank, as its investments span AI models, data centers, semiconductors, and robotics. As of the end of June, SoftBank's net interest-bearing debt reached 10.8 trillion yen (about $68 billion), up from 6.6 trillion yen a year earlier.