SoftBank Group reported a net loss of ¥768 billion for the six months through September, its first interim deficit in three years, after it changed plans for AI data centers in the United States.
The loss reverses a ¥2.924 trillion net profit a year earlier, when a sharp rise in the value of its OpenAI shares lifted results. The figures, released on Tuesday, use international accounting standards.
Investment profit came to ¥1.7257 trillion, helped by a gain on its Intel shares. A ¥597.2 billion loss on power-generation equipment for US AI data-center projects, booked after the company changed its procurement plans, pulled the result down.
Derivatives losses tied to the Intel stake also weighed on earnings. So did rising personnel costs at Arm, the British chip designer, as the company added engineers.
Election raises doubts for data centers
Some see the Democratic wins in the US midterm elections strengthening headwinds for the data-center construction that AI development depends on.
Asked about the impact on its US data-center business, Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said the company has understood various views on data-center operations across the US since before the election. "We want to communicate carefully with local communities," he said.