SoftBank Group has announced plans to acquire digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge Group in a deal valued at $4 billion, marking a major step in its push to expand its artificial intelligence focused portfolio.
The move signals a deeper shift by the Japanese investment firm towards digital infrastructure as it aligns its long term strategy with the growing demand for AI driven computing capacity. Following the announcement, DigitalBridge shares rose nearly 10% to $15.27 in premarket trading, after already gaining 45% earlier this month when acquisition talks were first reported by a global news agency.
Under the agreement, SoftBank has offered $16 per share, a 15% premium over DigitalBridge’s closing price on Friday. The offer values the company at $2.92 billion, with the transaction expected to close in the second half of next year.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has been actively positioning the group to benefit from rising global demand for infrastructure that supports artificial intelligence. DigitalBridge’s portfolio includes investments across data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, small cell systems and edge infrastructure. Its holdings include companies such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch and AtlasEdge.
DigitalBridge was founded in 1991 as Colony Capital with a focus on real estate. Under chief executive Marc Ganzi, the firm shifted towards digital infrastructure and rebranded as DigitalBridge in 2021 after exiting most legacy property assets. Ganzi will continue to lead DigitalBridge as a separately managed platform after the acquisition.
As of September 30, DigitalBridge managed around $108 billion in assets, making it one of the largest dedicated investors in the global digital ecosystem.
SoftBank has been ramping up AI investments as it aims to sit at the center of what Masayoshi Son has described as a “once-in-a-generation technological shift.” Along with OpenAI, Oracle and Abu Dhabi based tech investor MGX, SoftBank is investing billions of dollars in the Stargate project, a large scale computing and infrastructure initiative to support advanced AI development.
In September, OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank announced plans to build 5 new computing sites across Texas, New Mexico and Ohio, with a combined power capacity of about 7 gigawatts once operational.
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