DigitalBridge Sale to SoftBank for $4B Highlights AI Infrastructure Investment Rush

The sale of DigitalBridge Group to SoftBank Group for $4 billion highlights the intense competition among investors to control artificial intelligence infrastructure assets. The transaction announcement underscores founder Masayoshi Son’s determination to position SoftBank at the center of the AI infrastructure ecosystem.
Through this acquisition, SoftBank gains significant new exposure to digital infrastructure, which encompasses the physical and network assets that enable AI systems to operate at scale. Son has been systematically directing SoftBank’s capital toward artificial intelligence, recognizing the once-in-a-generation opportunity created by the technology. The massive growth in demand for computing resources to train and run AI applications has made infrastructure investments highly attractive, which DigitalBridge’s portfolio captures.
DigitalBridge focuses its investments on essential digital infrastructure sectors including datacenters, cell towers, fiber networks, small-cell systems, and edge infrastructure. The company’s portfolio features industry-leading businesses such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. Founded in 1991 as Colony Capital with a traditional real estate investment focus, the firm underwent a complete strategic transformation led by CEO Marc Ganzi, divesting legacy property holdings and rebranding as DigitalBridge in 2021.
Following the acquisition, Ganzi will remain at the helm as CEO, with DigitalBridge continuing to function as a separately managed platform. The magnitude of what SoftBank is acquiring is substantial: DigitalBridge oversaw roughly $108 billion in assets as of the end of September, ranking it among the largest dedicated investors in digital infrastructure globally. This gives SoftBank immediate scale and credibility in a rapidly growing sector.
SoftBank’s commitment to AI infrastructure extends across multiple fronts. The company is a principal partner in the Stargate project, collaborating with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, a technology investor headquartered in Abu Dhabi. This ambitious initiative involves deploying billions of dollars to build large-scale computing infrastructure purpose-built for advanced AI development. Current plans include five computing centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio designed for approximately 7 gigawatts of combined power capacity.