SoftBank Group is expanding its artificial intelligence portfolio through a $4 billion deal to acquire infrastructure specialist DigitalBridge Group, the companies jointly announced. The transaction represents founder Masayoshi Son’s ongoing effort to assemble a comprehensive collection of assets supporting AI development.
The acquisition provides SoftBank with substantially increased exposure to digital infrastructure, which forms the physical foundation for AI technology deployment. Son has been systematically directing SoftBank’s capital toward artificial intelligence, viewing it as a once-in-a-generation technological opportunity. The surging demand for computing capacity to power AI applications has created significant value in infrastructure sectors, which DigitalBridge’s portfolio directly captures.
DigitalBridge specializes in digital infrastructure investments encompassing datacenters, cell towers, fiber networks, small-cell systems, and edge infrastructure. The portfolio features prominent businesses such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. Beginning as Colony Capital in 1991 as a traditional real estate investor, the company transformed completely under CEO Marc Ganzi’s leadership, exiting legacy property investments and adopting the DigitalBridge name in 2021.
Under the deal terms, Ganzi will continue as CEO with DigitalBridge operating as an independently managed platform. The financial scope is noteworthy: DigitalBridge oversaw roughly $108 billion in assets at the end of September, positioning it among the world’s premier institutional investors focused exclusively on digital infrastructure. This provides SoftBank with immediate scale and credibility in a rapidly growing sector.
SoftBank’s AI infrastructure commitment is demonstrated across multiple investments. The company is a principal backer of the Stargate project alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, a technology investment firm based in Abu Dhabi. This collaborative initiative 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.