SoftBank Acquires 10% Stake in AI Firm JDSC for JPY 1.49B

Tokyo, Japan - SoftBank Corp will acquire 1.6 million newly issued shares in artificial intelligence solutions provider JDSC for JPY 1.49 billion (US$9.9 million) through a third-party allocation, JDSC said in a regulatory filing on Monday.

The transaction will give SoftBank a 10.24 percent voting stake in the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market-listed company.

Payment is scheduled for November 7, according to the filing.

JDSC will issue the shares at JPY 931 per share, representing the closing price on October 17.

The price is 0.2 percent above JDSC's one-month average closing price of JPY 929 and 10.0 percent below its three-month average of JPY 1,034, the filing stated.

After deducting issuance costs of JPY 6.0 million (US$39,867), JDSC will receive net proceeds of JPY 1.48 billion (US$9.8 million).

The company stated it will allocate JPY 1.26 billion (US$8.4 million) to personnel costs for talent acquisition and JPY 223 million (US$1.5 million) to operational infrastructure expenditures between November 2025 and October 2030.

The share allocation will result in an 11.56 percent dilution based on JDSC's shares outstanding as of June 30, 2025, including 584,000 shares issued to AZ-COM Maruwa Holdings in July 2025.

On a voting rights basis, the dilution rate is 11.40 percent, according to the filing.

Following the transaction, JDSC's shareholder structure will change. Founder Satoshi Kato will hold 25.19 percent, down from 29.28 percent.SMBC Trust Bank will hold 11.19 percent, down from 13.01 percent.

SoftBank will become the third-largest shareholder with 10.24 percent based on voting rights as of the transaction date.

The companies stated they will collaborate on the development of AI agents for corporate clients.

JDSC operates through teams combining business development, data science, and engineering functions. 

The two companies previously worked together on AI solution projects involving Gen-AX, a SoftBank subsidiary, according to the announcement.

JDSC reported consolidated revenue of JPY 23.1 billion (US$153.5 million) for the fiscal year ended June 2025, compared with JPY 16.5 billion in fiscal 2024.

Operating profit was JPY 581 million (US$3.9 million) versus JPY 50 million a year earlier.

The company recorded a net profit of JPY 345 million (US$2.3 million), reversing a JPY 278 million loss in the prior year.

(US$1 = JPY 150.5)