SoftBank Group agreed to acquire DigitalBridge Group for $4 billion on Monday, accelerating its push into AI infrastructure with a significant data center deal.
The Japanese conglomerate will pay $16 per share in cash for New York-listed DigitalBridge, representing a 15% premium over the December 26 closing price. The transaction values DigitalBridge at approximately $2.9 billion in equity with $4 billion including debt, according to company statements.
DigitalBridge shares jumped 9.7% to $15.27 following the announcement, extending a 45% surge earlier this month when Bloomberg first reported acquisition talks. The deal received unanimous approval from a special committee of DigitalBridge's board and is expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son positioned the acquisition as foundational for AI development. "As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure," Son said in a statement. He described the move as strengthening SoftBank's foundation for next-generation AI data centers and advancing its vision to become a leading artificial superintelligence platform provider.
DigitalBridge manages approximately $108 billion in assets under management, making it one of the largest dedicated digital infrastructure investors. Its portfolio includes stakes in data center operators AIMS, AtlasEdge, DataBank, Switch, Vantage Data Centers, and Yondr Group, along with fiber networks and cell tower assets.
CEO Marc Ganzi will continue leading DigitalBridge as a separately managed platform after the acquisition closes. "The buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation," Ganzi said. "SoftBank shares our DNA as builders and long-term investors committed to scaling transformational digital infrastructure."
The acquisition follows SoftBank's recent $5.8 billion sale of its entire Nvidia stake to fund AI investments. The Japanese firm has been aggressively reallocating capital toward large-scale AI projects, including the $500 billion Stargate initiative with OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi's MGX announced in January.
Digital infrastructure has become a strategic battleground as AI workloads demand unprecedented computing capacity. The past year has seen multibillion-dollar deals including BlackRock's $40 billion purchase of Aligned Data Centers and Oracle's agreement to supply OpenAI with approximately 4.5 gigawatts of computing power worth up to $300 billion.
SoftBank's move also aligns with its broader strategy to control a full stack of AI-enabling assets, from hardware and network infrastructure to software and cloud platforms. The company has separately discussed acquiring Switch, a data center operator within DigitalBridge's portfolio that could command a $50 billion valuation including debt.
The global data center market is projected to exceed $400 billion by 2028, facing acute power and supply constraints as AI development accelerates. SoftBank's acquisition provides immediate access to operational expertise and infrastructure that would otherwise take years to build from scratch.
DigitalBridge's portfolio includes 5.4 gigawatts of data center capacity in development or operation as of August, with facilities optimized for AI workloads including liquid cooling for Nvidia's Blackwell chips. The company's Vantage Data Centers unit is already involved in SoftBank's Stargate project, developing a near-gigawatt facility in Wisconsin.
SoftBank's aggressive AI push comes with significant financial commitments. The company reportedly plans to raise $10 billion from Mizuho and other lenders to support its initial OpenAI commitment, followed by another $30 billion in early 2026. Separate disclosures suggest SoftBank is seeking up to $16.5 billion in new loans for U.S. AI initiatives.
The DigitalBridge acquisition marks SoftBank's return to asset management after its 2017 purchase of Fortress Investment Group for more than $3 billion. The Japanese firm exited that investment in 2024 through a consortium that included Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co.
Market analysts view the deal as validation of digital infrastructure's strategic importance in the AI era. Shares of data center peers including Equinix and Digital Realty dipped slightly on concerns about increased competition, while the broader sector continues attracting institutional capital seeking exposure to AI's physical backbone.
The transaction underscores the convergence of finance, technology, and infrastructure as investors increasingly target assets that are both strategically significant and financially sustainable. With AI development requiring massive capital investments in computing capacity, control over digital infrastructure has become a critical competitive advantage.
SoftBank's acquisition positions the company against Microsoft-backed assets and Brookfield's infrastructure bids, reshaping who controls the physical layer of AI development. The deal also diversifies SoftBank's geographic footprint beyond Japan, with DigitalBridge's international operations spanning Australia, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
As regulatory scrutiny looms over cross-border technology acquisitions, antitrust hurdles appear low in the fragmented digital infrastructure sector. The deal's 2026 closing timeline allows for comprehensive regulatory review while maintaining momentum in SoftBank's AI expansion plans.
