SoftBank Group, under the direction of billionaire founder Masayoshi Son, has agreed to acquire DigitalBridge Group for $4 billion as part of an aggressive strategy to dominate the artificial intelligence infrastructure sector. The acquisition announcement signals SoftBank’s intention to capture a significant share of the value being created by the AI boom.
This transaction substantially expands SoftBank’s holdings in digital infrastructure, which provides the foundational capabilities necessary for AI applications to operate at scale. Son has been explicit about his view that artificial intelligence represents a once-in-a-lifetime technological revolution, and he’s been directing SoftBank’s resources toward positioning the firm at the center of this transformation. The demand for computing power to run AI systems has been growing exponentially, and DigitalBridge’s assets are directly aligned with meeting this demand.
DigitalBridge specializes in investing across multiple digital infrastructure categories including datacenter properties, cell tower networks, fiber optic infrastructure, small-cell wireless systems, and edge computing facilities. The company’s investment portfolio features prominent businesses such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. Beginning as Colony Capital in 1991 with a focus on conventional real estate, the firm underwent a complete strategic reinvention led by CEO Marc Ganzi, divesting traditional property investments and rebranding as DigitalBridge in 2021.
The deal structure maintains DigitalBridge’s operational autonomy, with Ganzi continuing as CEO and the business functioning as a separately managed platform. The scale of the acquisition is noteworthy: as of September 30, DigitalBridge managed around $108 billion in assets, establishing it as among the largest investment firms focused exclusively on digital infrastructure. This gives SoftBank immediate access to a vast network of infrastructure assets and industry relationships.
SoftBank’s AI infrastructure strategy encompasses more than just the DigitalBridge acquisition. The firm is a major participant in the Stargate project alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, a technology investor headquartered in Abu Dhabi. This collaborative initiative involves deploying billions of dollars to construct large-scale computing infrastructure purpose-built for advanced AI development. The project timeline includes five new computing centers across Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio, designed to deliver a total power capacity of about 7 gigawatts.