By Reuters

(Reuters) - SoftBank Group said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to bolster ‌investments in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and for general corporate ‌purposes, marking another significant step in its artificial intelligence strategy.

The Japanese investment ​conglomerate, led by founder Masayoshi Son, continues to strengthen ties with OpenAI as global tech firms race to gain an edge in the increasingly competitive generative AI space.

The Japanese ‌investor has previously agreed ⁠to invest $30 billion in OpenAI through its Vision Fund 2. The bridge loan is unsecured, ⁠the company said.

The loan, which matures in March 2027, was arranged with lenders including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, ​Sumitomo Mitsui ​Banking Corp and MUFG ​Bank.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has ‌emerged as a leading player following the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, prompting a surge in investment across the sector.

The loan underscores Son's increasingly aggressive bet on AI following years when SoftBank swung between outsized gains and heavy Vision ‌Fund losses.

SoftBank and OpenAI were ​among the companies behind the Stargate ​Project last year, which ​said it aimed to invest up to $500 ‌billion over four years to ​build AI infrastructure ​in the United States.

Son and then President-elect Donald Trump announced in December 2024 that SoftBank planned to invest $100 ​billion in ‌AI and related infrastructure in the U.S. over four ​years.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Tasim Zahid and Pooja Desai)

This week on Reuters

• Dwindling central bank support for Indian rupee, bonds spooks markets

• How investors buy gold and what fuels the market

• Foreign outflows hit Asian stocks as Iran war drives oil shock fears

• Pound loses footing, business activity growth slows on Iran war hit