SoftBank has agreed to acquire DigitalBridge for $4 billion in cash, adding one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure investors to its growing AI portfolio. The $16 per share offer represents a 15% premium over DigitalBridge’s most recent closing price.
The agreement follows a wave of investor speculation earlier in December and has now been confirmed by both companies.
DigitalBridge will continue operating independently under CEO Marc Ganzi. The firm manages $108 billion in assets, including data centers, fiber networks, towers, and edge computing systems.
This acquisition is expected to support SoftBank’s growing focus on physical infrastructure for AI, including new projects with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX.
Why It Matters: The growth of AI is driving increased pressure on infrastructure, including power, data storage, and high-speed connectivity. Through this deal, SoftBank gains direct access to the physical systems required to support the computing demands of advanced AI models and large deployment environments.
- $4 Billion Acquisition with Full Ownership: SoftBank will acquire all outstanding shares of DigitalBridge for $16 each, a price that has been approved by a special board committee. The deal values the company at just under $3 billion in equity and rises to $4 billion when including other financial components. It is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory review. The purchase provides SoftBank with a direct line to infrastructure assets that are becoming more central to AI development and deployment.
- Stock Reaction Follows Market Expectations: DigitalBridge shares climbed nearly 10% after the announcement, continuing a sharp rise earlier in December after initial reports of acquisition talks. At one point this month, the stock had gained more than 45%. The final offer confirmed growing interest in infrastructure as a vital part of the AI investment landscape, and investors appear to be pricing in long-term demand for data capacity and compute delivery.
- DigitalBridge’s Focus on Infrastructure Growth: Once known as Colony Capital, the company rebranded and redirected its investments under Marc Ganzi’s leadership. It now holds equity in firms like Zayo, Switch, AtlasEdge, and Vantage Data Centers. These assets are directly tied to data transport, storage, and processing. DigitalBridge no longer holds legacy real estate investments, having restructured its entire model to support digital services and enterprise computing needs.
- Continued Management and Structure: Marc Ganzi will remain CEO and continue to lead the company, which will operate independently within the SoftBank portfolio. The structure allows DigitalBridge to maintain its investment strategies while gaining access to SoftBank’s financial and global resources. According to Ganzi, Softbank’s “vision, capital strength, and global network will allow us to accelerate our mission with greater flexibility, invest with a longer-term horizon on behalf of our investors, and better serve the world’s leading technology companies as they scale their AI ambitions.”
- Connected to Major AI Buildout Projects: DigitalBridge is already a key investor in the Stargate project, a partnership that includes Oracle, OpenAI, MGX, and SoftBank. Stargate plans to build five advanced computing campuses in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio. These sites are expected to deliver up to seven gigawatts of power and will serve as the backbone for large-scale AI training and inference. With this acquisition, SoftBank strengthens its connection to these physical buildouts and expands its control over the systems AI now depends on.
Softbank to buy data center firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion in AI push – CNBC
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