SoftBank Bets $4B on AI’s Physical Future with DigitalBridge Acquisition

TOKYO & BOCA RATON, Fla. – December 29, 2025 – In a landmark deal that underscores the critical importance of physical infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence, SoftBank Group Corp. today announced its definitive agreement to acquire DigitalBridge Group, Inc. for an enterprise value of approximately $4.0 billion. The acquisition positions the Japanese technology conglomerate to control a vast portfolio of the foundational assets—data centers, fiber networks, and cell towers—required to power its ambitious vision for Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI).

SoftBank, known for its high-profile technology investments through its Vision Funds, is making a decisive pivot from primarily funding software and services to owning the underlying hardware and real estate of the digital world. The all-cash transaction, valued at $16.00 per share, marks one of the most significant strategic moves to secure the picks and shovels of the AI gold rush, signaling that the next phase of AI competition will be fought over concrete, power, and connectivity.

A Grand Vision Built on Concrete and Fiber

For years, SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son has articulated a mission to realize Artificial Super Intelligence for the betterment of humanity. This acquisition provides a tangible roadmap for that vision. While the world has been captivated by the rapid advancements in AI models, Son and SoftBank are looking at the next, more formidable bottleneck: the physical infrastructure needed to train, deploy, and scale these power-hungry systems globally.

“As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure,” said Masayoshi Son in the official announcement. “DigitalBridge is a leader in digital infrastructure, and this acquisition will strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers, advance our vision to become a leading ASI platform provider, and help unlock breakthroughs that move humanity forward.”

This move complements SoftBank's majority stake in Arm, the company designing the chips that are the brains of countless devices and increasingly, AI systems. By acquiring DigitalBridge, SoftBank is assembling a vertically-integrated AI stack that extends from the silicon architecture designed by Arm to the physical data centers and networks managed by DigitalBridge. This strategy aims to create a powerful ecosystem that can support the entire lifecycle of AI development, from chip design to global service delivery, giving SoftBank an unparalleled strategic advantage.

DigitalBridge: The Missing Infrastructure Piece

DigitalBridge is not just any asset manager; it is a global powerhouse in the digital infrastructure space, managing a staggering $108 billion in assets. Its portfolio represents the essential plumbing of the internet and, by extension, the future of AI. The company’s holdings include the very data centers where AI models are trained, the vast fiber networks that transmit data at light speed, the cell towers that connect billions of devices, and the emerging edge infrastructure that brings computation closer to the end-user.

For SoftBank, acquiring this expertise and portfolio is a critical shortcut to securing the capacity needed for its AI ambitions. Building such a global infrastructure footprint from scratch would take decades and tens of billions of dollars. With this single transaction, SoftBank gains immediate access to a seasoned team and a diversified, global portfolio of mission-critical assets.

Marc Ganzi, CEO of DigitalBridge, will continue to lead the platform as a separately managed entity within SoftBank, ensuring continuity and retaining the deep sector expertise that made DigitalBridge a market leader. “The buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation,” Ganzi stated. “SoftBank shares our DNA as builders and long-term investors committed to scaling transformational digital infrastructure. Their vision, capital strength, and global network will allow us to accelerate our mission with greater flexibility.”

Unpacking the $4 Billion Deal

The financial terms of the deal reveal SoftBank’s conviction and urgency. The offer of $16.00 per share represents a 15% premium to DigitalBridge's closing price on December 26, 2025. More tellingly, it represents a 50% premium to the company's unaffected 52-week average closing price as of early December. This significant premium suggests SoftBank was determined to secure the asset and preempt any potential competing offers, viewing DigitalBridge as a unique and indispensable component of its long-term strategy.

The transaction received the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of DigitalBridge’s Board of Directors, composed entirely of independent directors, before being unanimously approved by the full board. This strong internal endorsement smooths the path for shareholder approval.

However, the deal is not yet final. It remains subject to customary closing conditions, including shareholder approval and, most significantly, a gauntlet of regulatory reviews across the globe. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, a timeline that reflects the complexity of gaining clearance for an acquisition involving critical infrastructure assets in multiple jurisdictions. This period will be closely watched for any geopolitical or antitrust concerns that may arise.

The New Battleground for AI Supremacy

SoftBank’s acquisition of DigitalBridge is a clear indicator that the global AI race has entered a new, more tangible phase. For years, the focus was on talent, algorithms, and proprietary data sets. Now, the primary battleground is shifting to securing the immense physical resources required to run these advanced systems. The energy consumption of AI training clusters is soaring, leading to a global scramble for power grid capacity and locations suitable for large-scale data center development.

By purchasing DigitalBridge, SoftBank is not just buying real estate and fiber optic cables; it is buying access to power, cooling, and physical security at a global scale. This strategic move to control the AI supply chain from the ground up places SoftBank in a powerful position, insulating it from the fierce competition for data center capacity that is already squeezing other technology companies.

As the world’s leading technology firms, from Amazon Web Services to Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, invest hundreds of billions to expand their own infrastructure, SoftBank's move to acquire a premier independent owner and operator of these assets is a bold counter-stroke. It transforms SoftBank from a financier of AI companies into a foundational landlord for the entire AI economy, positioning it to profit regardless of which specific AI models ultimately win the market.