Acquisition · Digital infrastructure / asset management
SoftBank to buy digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge for $4 billion
- Buyer
- SoftBank Group (Tokyo)
- Target
- DigitalBridge Group, Boca Raton, Florida
- Value
- About $4.0B (enterprise value)
- Status
- Completed September 30, 2026. SoftBank paid about $3.1 billion for the shares.
- Date
- 2025-12-29
SoftBank Group agreed to acquire DigitalBridge, a NYSE-listed asset manager that invests in data centers, cell towers and fiber, for $16 a share in cash. The price was a 15% premium and valued the company at about $4 billion including debt. DigitalBridge continues as a separately managed platform under CEO Marc Ganzi.
Why it matters
The deal gives Masayoshi Son a dedicated vehicle for raising and deploying capital into data centers, power and connectivity, the physical infrastructure behind SoftBank's AI bets such as OpenAI and Stargate.
The deal
SoftBank agreed on December 29, 2025 to pay $16 a share in cash. That was 15% above DigitalBridge's December 26 close and 50% above its 52-week average before reports of the talks, for an enterprise value of about $4 billion. Shareholders and regulators approved, and the deal closed on September 30, 2026, with SoftBank paying about $3.1 billion for the shares.
What DigitalBridge does
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, DigitalBridge manages about $108 billion of investments in data centers, cell towers, fiber networks and small cells for pension funds and other investors. It stays a separately run business under CEO Marc Ganzi, and SoftBank now consolidates its results.
Why SoftBank wanted it
Masayoshi Son said AI needs more computing power, connectivity, electricity and infrastructure. Owning an infrastructure investor helps SoftBank line up data center sites and the money to build them, alongside its Stargate venture with OpenAI and Oracle and its other US AI bets.
Sources
Kakehashi M&A News home
