Japan’s SoftBank said it has agreed to acquire data center investment firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion as part of its artificial intelligence strategy (29/12).

The deal reflects growing global investment in infrastructure that supports AI applications.

Deal Terms and Expected Timeline

The acquisition has been unanimously approved by a special committee of DigitalBridge’s board of directors.

SoftBank will buy all outstanding common shares of DigitalBridge for $16 per share in cash.

The offer represents a 15% premium to DigitalBridge’s closing share price on Dec. 26.

SoftBank said the transaction is expected to close in the second half of next year.

Masayoshi Son Highlights AI Infrastructure Focus

SoftBank CEO and Chairman Masayoshi Son said the acquisition “will strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers.”

He said the deal will help advance SoftBank’s goal of becoming a leading “Artificial Super Intelligence” platform provider.

“As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure,” Son said in a statement.

Market Response to the Acquisition Announcement

Shares of DigitalBridge rose about 10% following the announcement.

The stock had previously surged as much as 50% after Bloomberg reported that a deal could be imminent.

The agreement comes as investment increases globally in infrastructure that underpins artificial intelligence technologies.

DigitalBridge Business Profile and Recent SoftBank Moves

“The buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation,” DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi said in a statement.

He said SoftBank’s “vision, capital strength, and global network will allow us to accelerate our mission with greater flexibility.”

SoftBank recently sold its entire stake in U.S. chipmaker Nvidia for $5.83 billion to make room for its investment in OpenAI.

DigitalBridge said it had about $108 billion in assets under management as of the end of September.

PHOTO: REUTERS

This article was created with AI assistance.