SoftBank Group has agreed to purchase digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge for approximately $4 billion, marking one of the largest AI-related deals of 2025. The transaction, expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals, will expand SoftBank’s global footprint in data centers, connectivity and power systems essential for large-scale AI deployments. Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO, emphasized that the deal supports the company’s strategy to control more of the physical infrastructure that underpins emerging AI services, forecasting a doubling of compute capacity within three years.

In November, SoftBank divested nearly $6 billion of Nvidia shares—a move CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said was unrelated to Nvidia’s performance but intended to free capital for its AI bets. The company plans to complete the final $30 billion investment tranche in OpenAI by year-end, reinforcing its partnership with the leading AI research lab. This shift of resources underscores SoftBank’s effort to balance software and infrastructure investments, ensuring it remains a pivotal backer of both AI development and the underlying hardware.

With the DigitalBridge acquisition, SoftBank is doubling down on what it terms “physical AI”—the integration of AI into real-world systems such as automated logistics, smart cities and industrial robotics. By owning and operating a separately managed platform led by CEO Marc Ganzi, the conglomerate aims to accelerate deployment of edge computing facilities and power networks in key markets across North America, Europe and Asia. Analysts note that control over these assets could give SoftBank a competitive edge as demand for low-latency AI applications intensifies globally.