2025-12-29T14:06:09.857Z
SoftBank is acquiring data center investor DigitalBridge for $4 billion.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the deal supports global growth in data centers and connectivity.
The move highlights SoftBank’s strategy to control key infrastructure for AI.
SoftBank said it will acquire digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge for about $4 billion.
The Japanese conglomerate said it is doubling down on building the data centers, connectivity, and power needed to support AI at a global scale.
“As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure,” said Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group.
The deal underscores SoftBank’s push to control more of the physical infrastructure behind AI as competition for computing resources intensifies.
DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separately managed platform following the deal, led by CEO Marc Ganzi.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
The acquisition also comes as SoftBank reshapes its bets on AI.
The company disclosed in November that it had sold nearly $6 billion worth of Nvidia stock. At the time, the company’s CFO, Yoshimitsu Goto, said its decision to divest had “nothing to do with Nvidia itself” but was a way to reallocate its funds toward OpenAI.
Goto said it plans to make the final part of its $30 billion investment in OpenAI by the end of the year.
The DigitalBridge deal also aligns with SoftBank’s growing focus on what it calls “physical AI,” as the company ramps up investments in the real-world infrastructure — from data centers to robotics — needed to integrate AI into everyday life.
