SoftBank bets $4 billion on DigitalBridge to fuel its Artificial Super Intelligence obsession
Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank is acquiring DigitalBridge for $4 billion. The deal marks a pivot to physical "ASI" infrastructure, offering a 50% premium on the stock's average.
Masayoshi Son just dropped $4 billion to prove he’s done playing with apps and is now buying the internet’s plumbing. In a definitive agreement announced Monday, SoftBank Group confirmed it will acquire digital infrastructure giant DigitalBridge (DBRG) for $16.00 per share in cash, a move that explicitly pivots the Japanese conglomerate from "visionary investor" to hard-asset owner in the race for Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI).
The Deal: Premium for Pipes
SoftBank isn't just buying a company; it's buying capacity. The $16-per-share offer represents a massive 50% premium over DigitalBridge’s unaffected 52-week average, signaling that Son believes the market has vastly undervalued the physical data centers, fiber networks, and cell towers required to run next-gen AI models.
Following the announcement, DigitalBridge shares jumped nearly 10% in pre-market trading, hovering just under the offer price at $15.34.
The ASI "Obsession"
For years, Masayoshi Son has preached the coming of ASI, AI that is 10,000 times smarter than humans. This deal is the operational backbone of that thesis. DigitalBridge manages over $108 billion in assets, including stakes in heavy hitters like Vantage Data Centers and Switch. By taking the firm private, SoftBank secures direct control over the power and cooling infrastructure that companies like OpenAI and Nvidia desperately need.
"This acquisition will strengthen the foundation for next-generation AI data centers, advance our vision to become a leading ASI platform provider, and help unlock breakthroughs that move humanity forward," Masayoshi Son said in a statement.
The "AI Gold Rush" has moved from the software layer (ChatGPT, Gemini) to the shovel-sellers (Nvidia), and now finally to the land-owners. SoftBank’s aggressive entry into physical infrastructure suggests that 2026 will be defined by a brutal war for power capacity and rack space. Expect regulators to scrutinize this deal closely, but if it closes in the second half of 2026, SoftBank will effectively own the toll roads of the AI future.
