SoftBank Vision Funds swing to annual loss as investment gains slow by 40%

Softbank's Vision Fund business on Tuesday posted a loss in the fiscal year ended March as it booked slowing gains at its massive tech investment arm.

The Vision Funds are a key focus for investors who are looking for signs of improvement at SoftBank's huge investment arm, after it swung to a surprise loss in the company's fiscal third quarter.

SoftBank's stock is down about 17% this year as volatility in financial markets and concerns about the macroeconomic environment continues to weigh on the company.

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has sought to position company as a key player in artificial intelligence through various investments and acquisitions. The firm owns the majority of semiconductor designer Arm and announced plans this year to acquire server chip designer Ampere Computing for $6.5 billion. Ampere's semiconductors are designed to run AI applications.

One of SoftBank's biggest AI bets has been on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. SoftBank invested $30 billion in OpenAI as part of a broader $40 billion financing round in March that valued the startup at $300 billion.

Softbank is also involved in Stargate, a joint venture that was unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump in January, calling for hundreds of billions of dollars of investment into AI infrastructure.

This is a breaking news story. Please refresh for updates.