Tokyo, Japan - 29 December 2025 - SoftBank Group is in advanced talks to acquire DigitalBridge Group, a US-listed investment firm focused on data centres and digital infrastructure, in a potential deal that would significantly expand the Japanese conglomerate’s exposure to the physical backbone underpinning global AI and cloud growth, according to people familiar with the matter.
The discussions, first reported by Bloomberg News, could result in an agreement being announced as early as this week, although the timing and structure of the transaction have not been finalised and talks could still fall through. Neither SoftBank nor DigitalBridge has commented publicly on the reported negotiations.
DigitalBridge is one of the world’s largest dedicated digital infrastructure investors, managing about USD 108 billion in assets, with a portfolio spanning data centres, fibre networks and wireless infrastructure. Its holdings include stakes in major data centre platforms such as Vantage Data Centers, Switch, and AtlasEdge, giving it a substantial footprint across North America and Europe.
Market reports estimate DigitalBridge’s equity value at around USD 2.5 billion, with an enterprise value closer to USD 3.8 billion when debt is included, although no official valuation or offer price has been disclosed. Shares in DigitalBridge rose sharply following news of the potential deal, reflecting investor expectations of consolidation in the data centre investment space.
For SoftBank, the move would align closely with founder Masayoshi Son’s renewed focus on artificial intelligence and the infrastructure required to support it. Data centres have become a strategic bottleneck for AI deployment, with soaring demand for power-dense, high-availability facilities driving record capital requirements globally. Acquiring DigitalBridge would give SoftBank indirect exposure to operating platforms without having to build large-scale facilities from scratch.
The talks also underscore a broader trend of capital concentration in digital infrastructure, as rising interest rates and construction costs push smaller players to seek scale or strategic buyers. Analysts note that ownership of data centre platforms and long-term contracted assets is increasingly attractive to large investors seeking predictable cash flows tied to cloud and AI growth.
While the potential acquisition is still at an early stage, it could mark one of SoftBank’s most consequential infrastructure bets since its investments in telecommunications and technology platforms over the past decade. Any transaction would also be closely watched by regulators and industry participants, given DigitalBridge’s role as a major capital provider to data centre operators across multiple regions.
If completed, the deal would further cement data centres as a core asset class for global technology investors, reflecting their central role in supporting hyperscale cloud services, enterprise computing and the next wave of AI-driven workloads.
