Share this @internewscast.com
In a significant move to bolster its foothold in the artificial intelligence sector, Japan’s SoftBank Group has announced its agreement to acquire the data center investment firm DigitalBridge for a substantial $4 billion. This strategic purchase is part of SoftBank’s broader ambition to expand its capabilities in AI.
The transaction, which has received unanimous approval from a special committee within DigitalBridge’s board of directors, involves SoftBank purchasing all outstanding common stock of DigitalBridge at a price of $16 per share, paid in cash. This offer presents a 15% premium over DigitalBridge’s closing share price on December 26.
According to a statement from SoftBank, the acquisition is expected to be finalized in the latter half of next year. This timeline aligns with the company’s strategic objectives to enhance its AI infrastructure.
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s CEO and Chairman, commented on the acquisition, highlighting its importance in reinforcing the foundation for future AI data centers. He emphasized that this move is a critical step toward realizing SoftBank’s vision of establishing itself as a premier “Artificial Super Intelligence” platform provider.
This represents a 15% premium to DigitalBridge’s closing share price on Dec. 26. The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year, according to a SoftBank statement.
SoftBank CEO and Chairman Masayoshi Son said the acquisition “will strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers” and advance the firm’s vision to become 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.
Shares of DigitalBridge last jumped about 10%. The firm’s share price had climbed as much as 50% after Bloomberg reported a deal could be imminent.
The agreement between SoftBank and DigitalBridge comes amid a global boom for the infrastructure that underpins AI applications.
“The buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation,” DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi said in a statement.
SoftBank’s “vision, capital strength, and global network will allow us to accelerate our mission with greater flexibility, invest with a longer-term horizon on behalf of our investors, and better serve the world’s leading technology companies as they scale their AI ambitions,” he added.
SoftBank recently sold its entire stake in U.S. chipmaker Nvidia for $5.83 billion to make room for its investment in OpenAI.
DigitalBridge describes itself as “a unique digital infrastructure business,” and had roughly $108 billion of assets under management as of the end of September, according to its website.
