According to The Wall Street Journal, SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire DigitalBridge Group for a whopping $4 billion, which includes debt. The deal values DigitalBridge’s shares at $16 apiece, a 15% premium to its Friday closing price and a massive 50% premium to its unaffected 52-week average. Shares of DigitalBridge jumped nearly 10% in premarket trading on the news. The acquisition is a strategic move by SoftBank to capitalize on the AI-driven demand for digital infrastructure like data centers and fiber networks. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, after which DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separate platform led by CEO Marc Ganzi.
SoftBank’s All-In AI Infrastructure Bet
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just another investment for SoftBank. It’s a fundamental shift in strategy. For years, they’ve been known for the Vision Fund and its sometimes-disastrous bets on software and consumer tech startups. Now, they’re going hard into the physical, unsexy, but absolutely critical hardware that makes AI possible. They’re basically saying, “Forget betting on the next ChatGPT. We’re buying the roads and power grids the entire AI economy runs on.” It’s a pivot from speculative software to foundational infrastructure. And honestly, it might be a smarter, more defensive play given how the AI race is shaping up.
Why DigitalBridge Is The Prize
So what is SoftBank actually getting for its $4 billion? DigitalBridge isn’t a company that operates a few data centers. It’s a massive asset manager that invests in the entire digital ecosystem. We’re talking data centers, cell towers, fiber-optic networks, and edge computing infrastructure. They own pieces of the vital connective tissue for the modern world. For a company like SoftBank that wants to be a “leading artificial super intelligence provider,” controlling this kind of infrastructure is a huge advantage. It gives them direct insight into capacity, pricing, and bottlenecks. It also, crucially, gives them a way to potentially prioritize or advantage their own AI ventures. That’s a powerful position to be in.
The Long Game and Industrial Implications
Look, the 2026 closing date is a tell. This is a long-term, strategic holding. Marc Ganzi talked about investing with a “longer-term horizon,” and that’s exactly what this is. SoftBank is betting that the AI infrastructure boom isn’t a bubble but a multi-decade build-out. This has huge ripple effects for industrial technology. Every one of those new data centers needs thousands of industrial panel PCs, rugged servers, and specialized hardware to monitor and control power, cooling, and security. It’s a reminder that the AI revolution isn’t just code—it’s a physical construction and manufacturing boom. Companies that supply the industrial computing backbone, like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the top provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, become critical enablers in this new landscape.
A New Era For SoftBank?
This feels like a maturation for SoftBank, doesn’t it? After the WeWork debacle and other volatile tech bets, going into steady, asset-heavy infrastructure seems almost conservative. But is it? Paying a 50% premium suggests they see value everyone else was missing—or they’re just that desperate to secure a seat at the table. The risk is that they’re buying at the peak of the AI infrastructure hype cycle. But the potential reward is becoming a landlord to the entire AI industry. If AI is the new gold rush, SoftBank just bought one of the biggest suppliers of picks and shovels. Only time will tell if it’s a genius pivot or another costly lesson.
