SoftBank swings to $7 billion loss after U.S. data center hit and Intel share decline

SoftBank reported a fiscal second-quarter net loss of 1.12 trillion yen ($7 billion) on Tuesday, as losses tied to U.S. AI data center equipment procurement and Intel share declines weighed on earnings.

The Japanese investment giant also recorded a 597.2 billion ($3.7 billion) yen loss in the six months ending on Sept. 30 due to changes in procurement plans for power generation equipment for AI data center projects in the U.S.

SoftBank said it had made advance investments to secure power generation equipment for its AI data center projects in the U.S. amid concerns over potential shortages and long procurement lead times. Power is increasingly becoming a key constraint for the AI data center buildout as power grids become overwhelmed with applications from large energy users like data centers.

Cumulative payments for power-generation equipment for U.S. AI data center projects, like the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, totaled $9.48 billion as of the end of September.

"We made bridge investments in advance to secure power generation equipment in anticipation of shortage," a SoftBank executive said during the company's earnings call.

Here's how SoftBank fared in the fiscal second quarter:

Net loss of 1.12 trillion yen in the quarter compared with a net profit of 2.5 trillion yen a year earlier.

Revenue stood at 2.22 trillion yen in the quarter, compared with LSEG estimates of 2.02 trillion yen.

Revenue rose 13.3% in the six months ended Sept. 30, supported by growth in telecommunications and AI computing businesses. The company said its SoftBank segment recorded higher sales across all businesses, while revenue at its AI computing segment increased.

The company's Vision Fund segment swung to a loss of 81.58 billion yen in the fiscal second quarter, compared with a profit of 2.38 trillion yen a year earlier. Vision Fund 1 recorded an investment loss of $20 million in the quarter, despite a $1.3 billion gain on ByteDance, as shares of publicly traded portfolio companies, including Coupang and Grab, declined.

The Vision Funds segment recorded investment gains of 85.45 billion yen, down sharply from 2.81 trillion yen in the year-earlier period. Vision Fund 2 posted investment gains of 89.26 billion yen, while Vision Fund 1 recorded a loss of 3.86 billion yen on its investments.

As of the end of September, SoftBank's cumulative investment in OpenAI stood at $54.6 billion, with a fair value of $99.6 billion and a cumulative investment gain of $45 billion, according to the company.

SoftBank said a potential increase in OpenAI's valuation following a new funding round had not yet been reflected in its results, pending an official announcement. The updated valuation could be reflected in the fiscal third quarter, potentially boosting its net asset value and improving its loan-to-value ratio, the company said.

"ChatGPT has been continuously a weapon of OpenAI, especially for consumers," the SoftBank esecutive said during the company's earnings call, highlighting the chatbot's growing user base.