SoftBank Group’s $4 billion purchase of DigitalBridge Group reinforces its push for leadership in artificial intelligence infrastructure investment, both companies announced. The deal reflects founder Masayoshi Son’s strategic vision of controlling the infrastructure assets that enable AI technology deployment.
Through this purchase, SoftBank obtains substantially expanded exposure to digital infrastructure, which provides the foundational capabilities necessary for AI applications to function. Son has been reshaping SoftBank’s investment strategy around artificial intelligence, characterizing it as the most important technological shift in a generation. The massive growth in demand for computing power to support AI systems has created valuable opportunities in infrastructure, which DigitalBridge’s specialized portfolio captures.
DigitalBridge’s investment activities cover critical digital infrastructure including datacenter facilities, telecommunications tower networks, fiber optic systems, small-cell infrastructure, and edge computing platforms. The company’s holdings include industry leaders like Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. The firm’s journey from its 1991 origins as Colony Capital, a traditional real estate investor, to its current incarnation occurred under CEO Marc Ganzi, who orchestrated the comprehensive exit from property investments and the 2021 rebrand.
Under the purchase agreement, Ganzi will continue as CEO with DigitalBridge operating as an independently managed platform within SoftBank’s structure. The magnitude is noteworthy: DigitalBridge had approximately $108 billion in assets under management as of the end of September, establishing it as among the world’s largest dedicated investors in digital infrastructure. This gives SoftBank immediate access to substantial assets and specialized expertise.
SoftBank’s involvement in AI infrastructure extends to multiple high-profile initiatives. The company is a key participant in the Stargate project, collaborating with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, a technology investor based in Abu Dhabi. This ambitious venture involves billions of dollars in investments to build large-scale computing infrastructure purpose-built for advanced AI development. Plans include five computing facilities in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio with a total power capacity of approximately 7 gigawatts.