SoftBank Group (9984.T) Stock: Vision Fund Cuts 20% as Focus Shifts to AI and Chips

TLDR

• SoftBank cuts 20% Vision Fund jobs, pivots to AI & chip-heavy bets.
• AI-first: SoftBank trims Vision Fund staff, doubles down on chips & data.
• Vision Fund layoffs fuel SoftBank’s $500B AI and chip ecosystem push.
• SoftBank shifts from startups to AI, chips, and mega data center bets.
• Masayoshi Son leads SoftBank pivot: job cuts, AI bets, chip dominance.

SoftBank Group(9984.T) shares closed the trading session at ¥18,375, rising ¥120 or 0.66%, after sharp intraday fluctuations. The stock dropped in midday but rebounded in late trading, reflecting strong market activity. This came as SoftBank announced a 20% global workforce reduction in its Vision Fund unit.

SoftBank Group (9984.T)

Shift to AI and chip strategy triggers global job cuts

SoftBank has initiated its third round of layoffs in the Vision Fund division since 2022. Around 20% of the fund’s global workforce, which numbers over 300, will leave the company. Unlike previous reductions tied to losses, this move follows a quarter of strong fund performance.

SoftBank is now reallocating capital to large-scale artificial intelligence ventures in the U.S. and infrastructure investments. The strategy emphasizes concentrated bets over the earlier venture capital-style approach. The group moves closer to the high-risk investment tactics preferred by founder Masayoshi Son.

SoftBank is backing AI infrastructure with long-term plans including the $500 billion Stargate data center network in the United States. This project, in collaboration with OpenAI, reflects a pivot away from a broad startup portfolio. The latest restructuring aligns staffing with the company’s new AI-first priorities.

Record gains enable strategic realignment toward capital-heavy bets

SoftBank Vision Fund recently posted its strongest results since mid-2021, helped by positions in Nvidia and Coupang. This financial rebound has given the group breathing room to act aggressively. Rather than de-risking, SoftBank is shifting to large-scale technology and infrastructure bets.

The fund invested $9.7 billion in AI initiatives over the past year through Vision Fund 2. These include foundation model projects and infrastructure that support advanced computation. SoftBank’s recent acquisitions include chipmakers Graphcore and Ampere Computing.

The group also took stakes in Arm, Intel, and Nvidia to deepen its chip ecosystem strategy. These moves aim to unify chip design, data centers, and AI models under a single ecosystem. Though ambitious, delays in both U.S. and Japan-based infrastructure projects pose challenges.

SoftBank reinforces financial position as risks mount

SoftBank continues to emphasize strong liquidity during its strategic transition. The company reported a cash balance of ¥4 trillion ($27 billion) during its August earnings call. This reserve may help cushion the impact of execution risks from capital-heavy projects.

While Vision Fund will still consider selective investments, focus will remain on supporting AI infrastructure. This includes efforts to build scalable systems in both domestic and international markets. SoftBank appears committed to redefining its future around advanced technology infrastructure.

SoftBank’s transformation reflects a return to bold, targeted investments driven by technological conviction. The company’s direction signals a clear move away from diversified startups to core AI and chip assets. As restructuring continues, markets will evaluate how well the new strategy delivers results.

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