SoftBank's AI funding plans to face reckoning at earnings

TOKYO, Aug 4 : Technology investor SoftBank Group reports first-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts focused on how it will fund its ongoing investment in OpenAI and the impact of rising leverage on its balance sheet.SoftBank has become one of the biggest ⁠backers of OpenAI and its ability to keep funding its ambitions in artificial intelligence has become a key test for the broader AI investment boom. The finances of AI firms are facing heightened investor scrutiny as financing needs grow and the use of debt increases.SoftBank announced record net profit in the year ended March 2026, but its share price has dropped by almost half since the start of June, and the cost to insure its debt against default has soared.SoftBank is expected to post net profit of 148.4 billion yen ($941.2 m