New reports about OpenAI’s high capital consumption are causing unrest in the market. SoftBank shares are coming under pressure.
• Tech holding records price drops
• Reports of massive capital needs at AI pioneer OpenAI
• Analysts point to long-term risks of capital-intensive tech investments
SoftBank shares under pressure
The shares of the Japanese tech holding SoftBank Group suffered noticeable losses in the middle of the week. Ultimately, they lost 3.13 percent to 6,880 yen on their home stock exchange in Tokyo. Market observers attribute this weakness primarily to growing concerns regarding the group’s investment portfolio. The company, which is known for its aggressive bets on future-oriented technologies under the leadership of Masayoshi Son, is now finding itself in defensive waters. The latest price developments make it clear that the extreme valuations in the AI sector are being questioned increasingly critically.
Cost pressure at OpenAI: The dark side of the AI boom
The main driver for investors’ current skepticism is likely to be reports about the financial situation of AI pioneer OpenAI, in which SoftBank Group has a significant stake through its Vision Fund. According to information from industry insiders available to the US trade magazine “The Information”, the developer of ChatGPT is struggling with rapidly increasing operating costs for data centers and the training of new language models. In the first quarter of 2026, OpenAI burned through $3.7 billion, more than half of its $5.7 billion in revenue, The Information reported, citing documents the company provided to its shareholders. The expenses for the infrastructure threaten to exceed the startup’s already ambitious sales forecasts in the short term. As the further development of technology becomes more and more capital intensive, existing major shareholders are threatened with ongoing dilution effects or the need for massive capital injections. This dynamic is fueling fears in the market that OpenAI’s profitability could come significantly later than originally calculated by the investors.
Conclusion for investors
The recent price losses of SoftBank shares could be a first warning signal that the euphoria surrounding the topic of artificial intelligence is likely to give way to a more realistic valuation. For market participants, the tech holding’s risk-reward profile is likely to become more volatile, as the company’s success is likely to increasingly depend on the extremely capital-intensive development of individual investments such as OpenAI. Investors should therefore closely monitor whether the cost dynamics in the AI sector can be quickly offset by appropriate monetization strategies.
Julia Walter, editorial team at finanzen.net
Selected leverage products on OpenAI
With knock-outs, speculative investors can participate disproportionately in price movements. Simply select the leverage you want and we will show you suitable open-end products on OpenAI
The leverage must be between 2 and 20
Risk warning: Suffer on average 7 out of 10 retail investors Losses when trading with turbo certificates. Turbo certificates are high-risk products and not suitable for long-term investment strategies. Risk warning: Suffer on average 7 out of 10 retail investors Losses when trading with turbo certificates. Turbo certificates are high-risk products and not suitable for long-term investment strategies.
Advertising