On Tuesday, Japan’s SoftBank Group (SFTBY) announced the launch of a cybersecurity product called “Patch as a Service,” designed to address unknown network vulnerabilities and attacks triggered by artificial intelligence. The product will be officially introduced to the Japanese market through a joint venture established by SoftBank and OpenAI in November of last year. This new product release further deepens the partnership between the two companies, which had previously collaborated to provide AI system integration services for Japanese enterprises. Notably, the product arrives at a time when concerns over the security risks associated with the latest AI technologies are intensifying.
SoftBank founder and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son stated at a presentation for corporate clients in Tokyo that he hopes to build a system capable of defending Japan’s critical infrastructure, emphasizing that it is the company’s responsibility to leverage OpenAI’s technological tools for defense. SoftBank Group is currently one of OpenAI’s largest backers, with cumulative committed investment reaching $64.6 billion by the end of 2026. Junichi Miyakawa, CEO of SoftBank Corp., revealed at the presentation that approximately 50 people are currently handling the product’s promotion, with plans to expand the team to around 1,000 in the future.
Just last week, the U.S. government suspended foreign nationals’ access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models from OpenAI’s competitor Anthropic, citing national security considerations. On the capital markets front, Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SPCX) completed its public listing last week with a market capitalization of $17.5 trillion, setting a record for the largest IPO in stock market history. According to the latest forecasts, Anthropic plans to go public in December 2026, with an expected first-day market valuation of approximately $11 trillion. OpenAI confidentially submitted its S-1 filing earlier this month and is expected to follow suit in early 2027, with a valuation comparable to Anthropic’s. At that time, the combined public market value of SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI is projected to approach $40 trillion.
