Lana

SoftBank's stake in the chat GPT creator swelled by $4.2 billion, helping to offset losses elsewhere.

Zooming out, the firm says it's now made nearly $20 billion back from its $35 billion investment in the startup, which helps explain why it's reportedly considering another $30 billion.

Adding to its stack, SoftBank's pushing into AI hardware and computing by buying chip designer Ampere, ABB's robotics unit, and data center investor Digital Bridge.

SoftBank's latest data center project is one of the first expected to receive funding from the new $550 billion U.S.-Japan fund created by last year's trade deal.

The potential pro?

SoftBank being positioned inside government-backed strategic projects could unlock more funding, as well as policy support.

The cons?

That would tie the firm's future to political deals and tariff diplomacy, on top of the tech industry's usual ups and downs.

All those upcoming AI investments will cost a pretty penny, which is why SoftBank has sold its Nvidia stake, trimmed its T-Mobile holdings, and increased some of its loans backed by arm shares.

That could be a smart pivot if the AI hype sticks.

If not, that would be a big problem.

Using borrowed cash, like those loans, increases the risk involved.

Plus, SoftBank's stake in OpenAI now makes up nearly a third of its total portfolio.

That means the startup is fast becoming a make-or-break bet for the firm.

Before we dive into the next story, it's time for our daily check-in with Carl.

You've got questions, he's got your answers.

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