Softbank turns to deficit in just 2 years... Loss in U.S. AI data center

(Tokyo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Doyeon Lee = Japan's SoftBank Group recorded losses for the first time in two years due to losses in its U.S. data center business.

According to the Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 10th, Softbank Group recorded a deficit of 1.1153 trillion yen (about 9.4 trillion won) in profit and loss as of the second quarter (July to September) of the 2026 fiscal year announced on this day.

This is the first deficit recorded in about two years since the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 (October to December).

As of the first half of fiscal year 2026 (April to September), there was a deficit of 768 billion yen (about 6.5 trillion won).

This was interpreted as the result of losses incurred, including the advance payment already paid for purchase, as SoftBank reexamined its procurement plan for power generation-related facilities in relation to the artificial intelligence (AI) data center project being promoted in the United States.

The 'AI computing business' division of three semiconductor subsidiaries, including ARM, also recorded a deficit of 322 billion yen (about 2.7 trillion won) in the first half of the year, increasing the deficit by 275 billion yen (about 2.3 trillion won) compared to the same period last year.