ChainCatcher news, market news: SoftBank's $100 billion joint venture project with OpenAI faces funding obstacles, and SoftBank has not yet begun detailed negotiations regarding the "Stargate" debt financing.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Rice Robotics will jointly launch the Floki-branded AI companion robot Minibot M1 with the dog-themed blockchain project Floki, which operates on the RICE AI platform. Floki will support the company's advancement of blockchain technology, gradually realizing the tokenization of its brand and AI data market through TokenFi (a sister project of Floki focused on the tokenization of real-world assets) with the support of the Floki community.RICE AI is a robotics brand with well-known clients such as Nvidia, SoftBank, Dubai Future Foundation, Mitsui Fudosan, Japan's NTT, and 7-Eleven. Earlier this year, the company raised over $7 million in a Pre-Series A funding round, with investors including Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Soul Capital, and Audacy Ventures.

ChainCatcher news, according to FT, three insiders revealed that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick's son Brandon Lutnick is collaborating with SoftBank, Tether, and Bitfinex to create a multi-billion dollar Bitcoin acquisition platform. The platform raised $200 million in January and will use these funds to establish a new company called 21 Capital, which will acquire $3 billion worth of Bitcoin from other investors and companies. Tether will invest $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, while SoftBank and Bitfinex will contribute $900 million and $600 million, respectively.

ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, artificial intelligence company OpenAI announced the completion of a $40 billion financing round, setting a record for the largest financing ever for a private tech company. This round of financing values OpenAI at $300 billion (including the new capital).SoftBank led the investment with $30 billion, with other investors including core investor Microsoft as well as Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive. OpenAI plans to allocate about $18 billion for the Stargate project in collaboration with SoftBank and Oracle. Notably, if OpenAI fails to transition to a profit-making entity by December 31, 2025, the financing amount may be reduced by $10 billion. Currently, ChatGPT has reached 500 million weekly active users, and OpenAI expects revenue to grow to $12.7 billion by the end of 2025.

ChainCatcher news, according to market news, OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion financing led by SoftBank.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10, quantum computing company QuEra Computing announced the completion of a financing round exceeding $230 million, with new investors including Google's quantum artificial intelligence division, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Valor Equity Partners.

ChainCatcher news, SoftBank's revenue for the third quarter of 2024 is 235.97 billion yen, while the market expectation is 234.83 billion yen. It still expects a net income of 510 billion yen for the fiscal year, while the market expectation is 525.06 billion yen.

ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, SoftBank is set to invest $40 billion in OpenAI, valuing it at $260 billion.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, SoftBank Group announced a partnership with OpenAI to jointly develop and sell an advanced enterprise artificial intelligence named "Cristal intelligence." SoftBank will invest $3 billion annually to deploy OpenAI's solutions across its group companies.SoftBank and OpenAI also announced the establishment of a new joint venture called "SB OpenAI Japan," which will specifically promote OpenAI's enterprise technology to large companies in Japan, with both parties holding a 50% stake.SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son stated that he believes general artificial intelligence (AGI) will become a reality in less than 10 years and that "AGI can first be realized in large enterprise businesses." To achieve this goal, "a considerable amount of funding is needed," and this funding "is currently only available to large enterprises."

ChainCatcher news, according to Globenewswire, Bitcoin mining company Cipher Mining announced that it has secured a $50 million PIPE investment from SoftBank. It is reported that SoftBank intends to purchase approximately 10.4 million shares of the company's common stock for $50 million. The new funds will support its HPC data center development business.PIPE investment (Private Investment in Public Equity) is a type of private equity investment focused on publicly traded companies, investing in them through a non-public method.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Financial Times of the UK, SoftBank is in talks with OpenAI for a direct investment of $15 billion to $25 billion, having previously committed to invest over $15 billion in the "Interstellar Gateway" project.

ChainCatcher news, OpenAI has reached an agreement with Japan's SoftBank Group, where approximately 400 current and former employees will cash out millions of dollars by selling shares to SoftBank. According to sources, SoftBank will acquire OpenAI shares at a price of $210 per share, with a total amount potentially reaching $1.6 billion. Employees can cash out part of their equity through this transaction, provided they received restricted stock units over two years ago.OpenAI's current valuation is $157 billion, and eligible employees must decide whether to sell their shares by December 24. Current employees can cash out up to $10 million each, while former employees have a maximum limit of $2 million.The total expected amount for this transaction is $2 billion, of which SoftBank has agreed to purchase $1.6 billion in shares, with the remaining $400 million in shares potentially going unsold.

ChainCatcher News, U.S. House Speaker Johnson stated that the "Trump effect" has already emerged. SoftBank will invest $100 billion over the next four years to create 100,000 new jobs in the U.S., marking another positive signal. Looking forward to Trump's second term and the upcoming good news. (Jin Ten)

ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son will visit President-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and announce a $100 billion investment in the United States over the next four years.Sources revealed that Masayoshi Son will also commit to creating 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and related infrastructure, with the funds to be deployed before Trump's term ends. It is reported that this funding may come from various sources controlled by SoftBank, including the Vision Fund, capital projects, or chip manufacturer Arm Holdings (ARM.US).

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Trump's press secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed that Trump will meet with the CEO of SoftBank today.