SoftBank has taken the step that the sector has been anticipating for weeks: the Japanese company has reached an agreement to acquire DigitalBridge for around $4 billion. This deal positions one of the world’s largest investors in digital infrastructure under the umbrella of the group led by Masayoshi Son. The transaction involves acquiring all outstanding common shares of DigitalBridge at $16 per share, and it already has board approval. If everything proceeds as scheduled, the closing is expected to occur in the second half of 2026.
Beyond the headline, the move fits almost like a surgical piece into the narrative Son has been pushing for months: building a “platform” capable of supporting the next wave of AI-based services, where the bottleneck is no longer just the chip but the whole package: energy, connectivity, data centers, and scalable deployment capacity. In the statement reported by specialized media, Son summarized the argument with a simple idea: if AI is going to transform industries, there will be a need for “more computing, connectivity, electrical power, and scalable infrastructure.”
What SoftBank is actually buying (and why it matters)
DigitalBridge isn’t a typical “data center operator,” but rather a investor and asset manager specializing in digital infrastructure: data centers, towers, fiber, and platforms tied to the connectivity ecosystem. According to corporate data, the firm managed $108 billion in assets (AUM) as of September 30, 2025.
This portfolio includes stakes in names that command respect in the data center market: Vantage Data Centers, Switch, Yondr, DataBank, AtlasEdge, among others. And it’s not just a list of logos: the company has 5.4 GW of data center capacity in operation or in development, placing it into the global conversation about the boom in capacity for AI workloads.
Additionally, SoftBank has decided to maintain DigitalBridge with a certain operational autonomy: the company will continue functioning as a managed platform operated independently, under the leadership of its current CEO, Marc Ganzi.
Premium, timeline, and the market message
The $16 per share price not only establishes the transaction’s value but also serves as a signal. According to the disclosed breakdown, it represents a premium of 15% over the stock price before the official announcement, and a significant jump compared to levels prior to the rumors’ start.
The fact that the closing is so far out — H2 2026 — also says something: such transactions often involve layers of regulatory approvals, complex financial structures, and, in this case, a strategic fit within the global race for computing capacity.
The context: the war over the “ground” of AI
The deal comes at a time when the industry has accepted something uncomfortable: training and operating advanced models no longer depend solely on buying GPUs. It depends on having energy campuses, interconnection, access to backbone networks, and long-term agreements with suppliers and utilities. And here, DigitalBridge has an advantage, because its business is designed precisely to finance, scale, and operate digital infrastructure.
Moreover, a significant part of the public narrative links the deal to Stargate, SoftBank’s initiative to promote large-scale AI infrastructure. The coverage of the agreement mentions capacity in the U.S., and within DigitalBridge’s perimeter, assets like Vantage appear connected to massive deployments to meet computing demand.
SoftBank returns to “Vision Fund mode,” but with a twist
For years, SoftBank was synonymous with massive checks to software companies and consumer platforms. This time, the focus is more tangible: infrastructure. It’s no coincidence: in the AI world, the return is no longer just about application but about who controls the execution capacity.
The ecosystem itself is pushing towards this direction: more “AI data center” projects, more long-term energy agreements, greater need for locations with connectivity and permits, and a supply chain that remains fragile. On this map, buying DigitalBridge translates into acquiring a scale lever.