SoftBank sells T-Mobile stake to raise $4.8 billion to fuel AI push

SoftBank Group Corp. has raised approximately $4.8 billion through the sale of shares in T-Mobile US Inc., reinforcing its financial arsenal for a bold push into artificial intelligence.

The Japanese tech conglomerate, which held about 7.5% of T-Mobile’s common stock, offloaded 21.5 million shares in an overnight block trade at $224 each, according to reports from wire agencies. The price came in at the lower end of the $224–$228 range and reflects a 3% discount to T-Mobile’s closing price of $230.99 on Monday.

In mid-April, the Japanese tech investment group said it had agreed to fund OpenAI with $10 billion and an additional $30 billion in December, contingent on the AI firm showing a path to profitability by the end of the year. The T-Mobile stock sale could contribute directly to financing that effort.

The proceeds will help fund founder Masayoshi Son’s expansive AI vision, which includes potential investments of up to $30 billion in OpenAI. Son is also working closely with the ChatGPT maker to channel hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure globally, including data centres under a project dubbed Stargate.

SoftBank had initially explored debt financing for its AI ambitions, but those efforts ran into headwinds owing to uncertainty around U.S. trade tariffs. The equity sale provides fresh capital and more flexibility for Son to pursue what he sees as the next technological frontier.

SoftBank had entered the U.S. telecom market in 2013 by acquiring Sprint, marking a key phase in its global expansion. The subsequent merger with T-Mobile helped create the world’s largest telecom company by market capitalisation.