SoftBank Offers OpenAI Cybersecurity Tech to Defend Japan’s Critical Infrastructure

SoftBank Group has launched an artificial intelligence-powered cybersecurity solution that it will offer to companies in Japan that support the country’s critical infrastructure.

The new Patching as a Service solution includes cybersecurity vulnerability assessments, remediation planning and implementation support, and it will be offered in Japan through SB OAI Japan GK, the company said in a Tuesday (June 16) press release.

SB OAI Japan is a joint venture of SoftBank and OpenAI that was launched in November 2025 to offer a combination of AI tools and localized implementation and support to enterprises in Japan.

“Attempted cyberattacks powered by advanced AI will become widespread,” SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in the Tuesday press release. “We’re determined to defend against them by using state-of-the-art AI.”

Patching as a Service is powered by OpenAI’s technology and SoftBank’s operational capabilities, according to the release.

When SoftBank used OpenAI’s cybersecurity technologies to assess its own internal systems, it saw promising results and gained operational experience that will be applied to the rollout of Patching as a Service, per the release.

“Leveraging the practical expertise we’ve acquired through our use of OpenAI’s cybersecurity technologies, we’ll confront the increasingly sophisticated cyber threats targeting Japan’s critical infrastructure,” SoftBank President and CEO Junichi Miyakawa said in the release.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the release that AI is transforming cybersecurity and that OpenAI aims to use the technology to support defenders.

“We’re excited to work with SoftBank to deliver the transformational benefits of our cyber models to more organizations in Japan and strengthen the systems all of us rely on,” Altman said.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Embedding Security: Designing Fraud Risk Out of Business Transactions” found that 24% of banking CEOs said that enhanced cybersecurity is the top benefit of using AI.

Son told CNBC on June 1 that the AI revolution is probably 50 times bigger than the dot-com one, and that it is “the biggest revolution of technology and realization that mankind ever experienced.”

PYMNTS reported in May that SoftBank has invested more than $30 billion in OpenAI and that it recorded a cumulative $45 billion increase on that stake last year.