Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group is making a significant move to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities by acquiring DigitalBridge Group for $4 billion. The acquisition, announced Monday, marks another strategic step in SoftBank’s aggressive push to position itself at the forefront of the global AI revolution. This deal will give the Japanese conglomerate direct access to a vast portfolio of digital infrastructure assets critical to powering AI applications.
DigitalBridge brings to the table an impressive array of digital infrastructure investments spanning datacenters, fiber networks, cell towers, and edge computing facilities. The company’s portfolio includes notable names such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. These assets are increasingly valuable as demand for computing capacity continues to surge alongside the explosive growth of artificial intelligence technologies.
The acquisition represents a significant transformation for DigitalBridge itself, which started life in 1991 as Colony Capital, a real estate-focused investment firm. Under CEO Marc Ganzi’s leadership, the company pivoted dramatically toward digital infrastructure and completed its rebrand in 2021 after divesting most traditional property holdings. Ganzi will remain at the helm of DigitalBridge, which will operate as a separately managed platform within SoftBank’s ecosystem.
With approximately $108 billion in assets under management as of September 30, DigitalBridge ranks among the largest dedicated investors in digital infrastructure globally. This substantial asset base will complement SoftBank’s existing AI-focused investments and provide the foundational infrastructure needed to support next-generation computing applications. The deal aligns perfectly with billionaire founder Masayoshi Son’s vision of capitalizing on what he describes as a once-in-a-generation technological transformation.
SoftBank’s AI ambitions extend well beyond this acquisition. The company has already committed billions to the Stargate project alongside OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX tech investor. This massive initiative aims to build advanced computing infrastructure across the United States, with five new facilities planned for Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio. When operational, these sites will boast a combined power capacity of approximately 7 gigawatts, underscoring the enormous scale of investment required to fuel the AI boom.