European Union: EU Commission approved creation of OpenAI OpCo and SoftBank Group Corp. joint venture

On 4 May 2026, the European Commission approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a full-function joint venture by OpenAI OpCo, LLC and SoftBank Group Corp., namely SB OAI Japan GK. The transaction, notified on 7 April 2026 pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004, related primarily to artificial intelligence applications and middleware. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the limited impact on the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.