December 30, 2025 – SoftBank Group Corp. has unveiled a major move in the digital infrastructure sector, announcing a deal to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a prominent data center investment firm, for an enterprise value of approximately $4 billion, including debt. This strategic acquisition is part of SoftBank’s broader push to capitalize on the booming artificial intelligence (AI) market, which is driving a surge in demand for computing power and related infrastructure.
Under the terms of the agreement, SoftBank will take DigitalBridge private, offering $16 per share in cash. This move aligns with SoftBank’s investment thesis, which has increasingly focused on the AI-driven infrastructure space. Over the past year, the sector has witnessed several multi-billion-dollar deals as companies race to secure the computing resources needed to power AI applications.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has been vocal about his ambition to expand the company’s footprint in this high-growth area. Recent high-profile transactions, such as BlackRock’s 40billionacquisitionofAlignedDataCentersandOracle′spartnershipwithOpenAItoprovideupto4.5gigawattsofcomputingcapacityinadealpotentiallyworth300 billion, underscore the intensity of competition in the space.
DigitalBridge, led by CEO Marc Ganzi, is a key player in the digital infrastructure landscape, managing around $108 billion in assets as of the end of September. The acquisition price represents a 15% premium over DigitalBridge’s closing share price on December 26. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
News of the potential acquisition initially sent DigitalBridge’s shares soaring. Based on the latest figures, the company has a market capitalization of roughly 2.5billionandanenterprisevalue,includingdebt,ofabout3.8 billion.
For SoftBank, the acquisition not only brings a portfolio of high-quality assets but also provides access to a network of investors deeply involved in the data center industry. DigitalBridge’s holdings include stakes in multiple data center and digital infrastructure operators, further bolstering SoftBank’s position in the sector.
In a broader context, SoftBank is also a participant in the ambitious “Stargate” project, a $500 billion initiative aimed at building next-generation data centers in the United States. However, progress on the project has been slower than initially anticipated, with key issues such as site selection still under negotiation.
To fund its latest AI-focused investments, SoftBank has been reallocating capital. Masayoshi Son recently revealed that the company sold $5.8 billion worth of Nvidia shares to free up funds for other AI-related expenditures, a decision he described as emotionally difficult.
