SoftBank posts $7bn quarterly net loss

Japanese technology investment group SoftBank reported a net loss of 1.1 trillion yen, or $7 billion, for the second quarter on Tuesday, swinging from a profit a year earlier.

SoftBank’s earnings often fluctuate with changes in the value of global technology stocks and its investment portfolio. The company is a major backer of OpenAI and has put billions of dollars into artificial intelligence and related infrastructure.

In the second quarter of 2025-26, SoftBank made a net profit of 2.5 trillion yen as stock markets worldwide hit records.

The company cited several reasons for the latest loss, including interest expenses and selling and administrative costs. It also said a revision of procurement plans for power-generation-related equipment for AI data centre projects in the United States cost it $3.7 billion in the first half of 2026-27.

SoftBank said the strategy had been revised because of the evolving requirements of existing and planned projects. It did not issue a forecast for the full fiscal year.

SoftBank separately said last week that China had blocked its $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB Robotics, a Swiss-Swedish industrial robot maker linked to its push into AI-powered robots.