SoftBank Group has closed its acquisition of DigitalBridge, the digital infrastructure investment firm that manages more than $108 billion in assets, in a deal valued at approximately $3.1 billion. The close, reported this week by Data Center Dynamics, turns DigitalBridge into a controlled SoftBank subsidiary.

Deal Terms and Structure

SoftBank announced the transaction in December 2025. With the close, DigitalBridge delists from the New York Stock Exchange and will be consolidated into SoftBank’s financial statements. Marc Ganzi continues as DigitalBridge’s chief executive. The report does not disclose a per-share price.

For SoftBank, the price is small next to its broader AI infrastructure ambitions. What it buys is a manager with deep relationships and a portfolio already built across the digital infrastructure stack.

A Portfolio Built Around Data Centers

DigitalBridge’s holdings include AIMS, AtlasEdge, DataBank, Switch, Takanock, Vantage Data Centers and Yondr Group, along with telecommunications towers and fiber networks. Vantage and Switch are among the larger U.S. data center operators, and the portfolio spans edge, colocation and hyperscale capacity.

That breadth is the asset. AI workloads need data centers, but they also need fiber to connect them and towers to extend networks. A single parent with stakes across those layers can coordinate capital and customers in ways a standalone data center investor cannot.

From a 1991 Real Estate Firm to AI Infrastructure

The company’s history explains its value. The original entity, Colony Capital, was founded in 1991. Ganzi founded Digital Bridge in 2013, Colony acquired it in 2019 for $325 million, and the combined company was rebranded DigitalBridge in 2021.

From a $325 million acquisition in 2019 to a roughly $3.1 billion sale in 2026, the firm’s trajectory tracks the shift of data centers from niche real estate to core financial assets. Investors who once treated them as a specialty now treat them as infrastructure on par with utilities.

Why Consolidation Matters for Financial Markets

Moving DigitalBridge inside SoftBank puts more than $108 billion of managed assets under the control of a company known for large technology bets. That has consequences for how data center projects are financed. SoftBank can now pair its own balance sheet and relationships with DigitalBridge’s institutional investor base.

It also removes a publicly traded pure play from the market. Investors who wanted listed exposure to digital infrastructure managers have one fewer option, and they will look to other firms or to listed data center operators instead.

What It Means for Rivals

The competition for data center capital is now among very large financial players. BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and Blackstone have both moved aggressively into data centers, and SoftBank is positioning itself alongside them. Owning an asset manager rather than only individual assets gives SoftBank an advantage in sourcing deals and raising outside capital.

For smaller infrastructure funds, the challenge is scale. As the largest managers combine capital, platforms and customer access, the funds that can compete for the biggest AI-era projects will be fewer, and those that cannot will need to specialize or partner.