SoftBank Group Corp. is negotiating to acquire DigitalBridge Group Inc., seeking to bolster its exposure to the data center boom fueling artificial intelligence development.
The Japanese conglomerate aims to take the New York-listed infrastructure investor private, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal could materialize by year-end, though discussions remain fluid with no guarantee of completion. Both companies declined to comment.
DigitalBridge shares jumped as much as 35% on Friday, reaching their highest level in over a month. The stock had declined nearly 14% this year before the news broke, leaving the Boca Raton-based firm with a market capitalization of roughly $1.8 billion.
The target company, led by Chief Executive Marc Ganzi, oversees $108 billion in assets spanning data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, and edge infrastructure. Its holdings include Vantage Data Centers, Switch, Zayo, and AtlasEdge.
For SoftBank, the acquisition would complement its involvement in Stargate, the $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative launched earlier this year alongside OpenAI and Oracle. The company has been seeking ways to capitalize on surging demand for computing power, though its heavily leveraged balance sheet has constrained its ambitions.
JPMorgan analysts estimated the deal could value DigitalBridge at $25 to $35 per share, applying multiples similar to BlackRock’s 2024 acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners.
