SoftBank Group is investing $4 billion in DigitalBridge Group as part of building an artificial intelligence infrastructure empire, the companies confirmed. The acquisition reflects billionaire Masayoshi Son’s grand vision of creating the world’s largest portfolio of infrastructure assets supporting AI technologies.
Through this investment, SoftBank gains significantly expanded exposure to digital infrastructure, which provides the foundational capabilities necessary for AI applications to operate at scale. Son has been directing SoftBank’s strategy toward artificial intelligence, recognizing the unprecedented empire-building opportunity. The explosive growth in demand for computing resources to power AI systems has created substantial value in infrastructure sectors, which DigitalBridge’s portfolio captures.
DigitalBridge’s investment focus covers critical digital infrastructure categories including datacenter properties, telecommunications towers, fiber optic networks, small-cell wireless systems, and edge computing facilities. The company’s holdings include industry leaders such as Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch, and AtlasEdge. The firm’s transformation from its 1991 origins as Colony Capital, a real estate investment company, to its current form occurred under CEO Marc Ganzi, who orchestrated the comprehensive divestiture of traditional property assets and the 2021 rebrand.
Marc Ganzi will continue leading DigitalBridge as CEO following the investment, with the platform maintaining operational independence as part of SoftBank’s growing empire. The scale of empire-building is impressive: DigitalBridge oversaw approximately $108 billion in assets as of September 30, making it one of the largest dedicated investors in digital infrastructure globally. This substantially adds to SoftBank’s infrastructure empire.
SoftBank’s empire-building strategy in AI infrastructure extends beyond DigitalBridge. The company is a founding member of the Stargate project, working with OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX, an investment firm based in Abu Dhabi. Stargate represents a multi-billion-dollar commitment to building large-scale computing infrastructure optimized for advanced AI development. Current plans include five new computing facilities in Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio designed for approximately 7 gigawatts of combined power capacity.