A $4 billion acquisition of DigitalBridge Group is giving SoftBank Group a competitive edge in the artificial intelligence infrastructure race, the companies jointly announced. The transaction reflects billionaire Masayoshi Son’s aggressive approach to outpacing competitors in controlling infrastructure supporting AI technologies.
The deal provides SoftBank with significantly increased exposure to digital infrastructure assets, which deliver the essential capabilities for AI systems to operate at scale. Son has been orchestrating a strategic transformation of SoftBank’s investment focus toward artificial intelligence, viewing it as the defining technological shift of this generation. The extraordinary demand for computing capacity to power AI applications has made infrastructure investments highly strategic, which DigitalBridge’s specialized portfolio addresses.
DigitalBridge specializes in digital infrastructure investments spanning datacenters, cell towers, fiber networks, small-cell systems, and edge infrastructure. Portfolio companies include industry leaders like Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. Beginning as Colony Capital in 1991 as a real estate investment firm, the company underwent a complete strategic transformation led by CEO Marc Ganzi, divesting traditional property holdings and rebranding as DigitalBridge in 2021.
Under the acquisition terms, Ganzi will continue as CEO with DigitalBridge operating as an independently managed platform. The scale of what gives SoftBank its competitive edge is substantial: DigitalBridge managed around $108 billion in assets as of September 30, ranking it among the largest institutional investors focused exclusively on digital infrastructure. This established platform provides SoftBank with immediate advantages over competitors in the AI infrastructure space.
SoftBank’s commitment to winning the AI infrastructure race extends beyond DigitalBridge. The company is a principal partner in the Stargate project alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, a technology investment firm headquartered in Abu Dhabi. This collaborative effort involves multi-billion-dollar investments in large-scale computing infrastructure designed specifically for advanced AI development. The roadmap includes five computing centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio with approximately 7 gigawatts of combined power capacity.