OpenAI and SoftBank Group Partner to Develop and Market Advanced Enterprise AI

OpenAI and the SoftBank Group today announced a partnership to develop and market Advanced Enterprise AI called “Cristal intelligence.” Cristal intelligence will securely integrate the systems and data of individual enterprises in a way that is customized specifically for each company. SoftBank Group Corp. will spend $3 billion US annually to deploy OpenAI’s solutions across its group companies, making it the first company in the world to integrate Cristal intelligence at scale, as well as deploying existing tools like ChatGPT Enterprise to employees across the entire group.

Furthermore, to accelerate the deployment of Cristal intelligence customized for Japan-based companies, OpenAI and the SoftBank Group agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) company called "SB OpenAI Japan." This JV will market Cristal intelligence exclusively to major companies in Japan.

In 2024, OpenAI launched their o1-series, AI models capable of reasoning. In 2025, these models will evolve into agents, AIs capable of doing work for you independently – you give it a task and it will execute it.

AI agents for knowledge work will automate everyday tasks – such as generating financial reports, drafting documents, and managing customer inquiries – to empower professionals to focus on creativity and strategic decision-making.

OpenAI, SoftBank Group Corp., Arm and SoftBank Corp. share a vision to enable AI agents to help make every knowledge worker more effective and solve even more complex problems. With Cristal intelligence, these AI agents will lay the groundwork for even more advanced systems that can learn and adapt to any enterprise’s needs.

By deploying Cristal intelligence across the entire SoftBank Group, we will accelerate the development and adoption of AI agents and more advanced systems. As part of its agreement with OpenAI, SoftBank Group companies, including Arm and SoftBank Corp., will be granted priority access in Japan to the latest and most-advanced models developed by OpenAI.

Arm and SoftBank Corp. will use these technologies to transform their management and operational practices.

Specifically:

SB OpenAI Japan, which will be 50:50 owned by OpenAI and a company established by SoftBank Group Corp. and SoftBank Corp., will be consolidated to SoftBank Corp. The JV will serve as a springboard for introducing AI agents tailored to the unique needs of Japanese enterprises while setting a model for global adoption.

To fully maximize the benefits of AI, it is essential for enterprises to be able to conduct additional training and fine-tuning in their own IT environments. This JV will market Cristal intelligence exclusively to major companies in Japan to meet this need, and enable clients to securely train their own data in a secure environment and build AI agents that are fully integrated with their own IT systems. By automating and autonomizing all of their tasks and workflows, clients will be able to transform their businesses and services, creating new value.

OpenAI will provide its advanced AI research, technology, and engineering support to SB OpenAI Japan, while SoftBank Corp. will second its sales staff and engineers to contribute its extensive Japan-based network, operational expertise, and business insights to scale these solutions effectively.

Arm’s compute platform will provide the performance, efficiency, and scalability required to support the increasing computational demands of AI agents, from the cloud to the edge.

The learnings gained through this collaboration in Japan will create a repeatable model for AI-driven transformation worldwide.

Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said: “We are thrilled to bring Cristal intelligence, Advanced Enterprise AI that is customized specifically for each company, to the market in a big way. This initiative will not only transform the way SoftBank Group operates but also revolutionize the way companies work in Japan and around the globe. SoftBank Group is fully committed to leveraging the new products across our entire organization and utilize our great partnership with OpenAI to drive the AI Revolution forward."

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said: "This partnership with SoftBank will accelerate our vision for bringing transformative AI to some of the world’s most influential companies—starting with Japan."

Rene Haas, CEO of Arm, said: "Arm is partnering with OpenAI and SoftBank to drive unprecedented productivity across the global technology ecosystem, setting new benchmarks and building a future in which AI agents span from edge to cloud on Arm. We are at the forefront of the AI revolution, and our high-performance, energy-efficient compute is going to be critical to advancing the Cristal intelligence.”

Junichi Miyakawa, President & CEO of SoftBank Corp., said: “We’re extremely pleased to be partnering with OpenAI. To realize our long-term vision of building next-generation social infrastructure with the aim of implementing AI into society, SoftBank Corp. has been promoting various initiatives, including the buildout of distributed AI data centers and Japan top-level AI computing platforms. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing how we can transform Japan’s businesses through our partnership with OpenAI. By supporting the implementation and utilization of Cristal intelligence, we’ll transform the management and operational practices of our clients.”