SoftBank to buy data centre investor DigitalBridge for $4bn

Japan’s SoftBank confirmed on Monday that it has agreed to buy DigitalBridge Group, a private equity firm that invests in assets such as data centres, for $4bn.

Under the terms of the deal, SoftBank will buy all the outstanding common stock of DigitalBridge for $16 per share in cash. This is a 15% premium to DigitalBridge's closing share price on 26 December.

SoftBank said its mission is "to realise Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) for the advancement of humanity".

"Achieving that vision requires breakthroughs not only in AI models, but also in the platform infrastructure needed to train, deploy, and serve them at global scale," the company said.

SoftBank said the acquisition will strengthen its ability to build, scale, and finance the foundational infrastructure needed for next-generation AI services and applications.

Chairman and chief executive Masayoshi Son said: "As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure.

"DigitalBridge is a leader in digital infrastructure, and this acquisition will strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers, advance our vision to become a leading ASI platform provider, and help unlock breakthroughs that move humanity forward."

After the deal completes, DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separately managed platform, led by Marc Ganzi.

At 1400 GMT, DigitalBridge shares were up 10.3% at $15.35 in pre-market trade.

Heaquartered in Florida, DigitalBridge had $108bn in assets under management as at the end of September.