DigitalBridge Group’s infrastructure platform is moving to SoftBank Group in a $4 billion transaction that expands the Japanese conglomerate’s presence in artificial intelligence infrastructure. The deal, announced jointly, is part of founder Masayoshi Son’s broader strategy to establish SoftBank as a dominant player in AI infrastructure investment.
The acquisition provides SoftBank with substantially increased exposure to digital infrastructure, which forms the physical foundation for AI technology deployment at scale. Son has been systematically redirecting SoftBank’s investment portfolio toward artificial intelligence, recognizing the unprecedented value creation opportunity. The massive growth in demand for computing capacity to support AI applications has made infrastructure assets highly valuable, which DigitalBridge’s portfolio comprehensively addresses.
DigitalBridge specializes in investing across digital infrastructure sectors including datacenter properties, telecommunications towers, fiber optic networks, small-cell wireless systems, and edge computing facilities. The company’s holdings include prominent businesses like Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. Beginning as Colony Capital in 1991 as a traditional real estate investor, the firm transformed completely under CEO Marc Ganzi’s direction, exiting legacy property investments and adopting the DigitalBridge name in 2021.
Marc Ganzi will continue leading DigitalBridge as CEO following the acquisition, with the platform maintaining its operational independence. The magnitude of the business is considerable: DigitalBridge oversaw roughly $108 billion in assets at the end of September, ranking it among the largest investors focused exclusively on digital infrastructure worldwide. This gives SoftBank immediate access to substantial assets and deep industry relationships.
SoftBank’s AI infrastructure strategy encompasses additional major projects. The company is a core partner in the Stargate project, collaborating with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based technology investor. This ambitious initiative involves billions of dollars in investments to construct large-scale computing infrastructure purpose-built for advanced AI development. The project includes plans for five computing facilities in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio designed for approximately 7 gigawatts of total power capacity.