DigitalBridge Stock Jumps. SoftBank to Buy the AI Data-Center Investment Firm for $4 Billion.

DigitalBridge, a digital infrastructure investment firm, had $108 billion of assets under management as of the end of September. (Courtesy Oracle)

Key Points

• DigitalBridge shares jump on news of acquisition by SoftBank.
• SoftBank’s deal with DigitalBridge aligns with its artificial-intelligence investment strategy.
• The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, after which DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a ‘separately managed platform,’ says SoftBank.

Shares of DigitalBridge Group , an investment firm specializing in data centers and other digital infrastructure, rose in premarket trading after Japan’s SoftBank Group struck a $4 billion deal to acquire it.

SoftBank announced Monday that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the investment firm for a total enterprise value of roughly $4 billion. The company will indirectly acquire all of DigitalBridge’s outstanding common stock for $16 a share in cash, which represents a 15% premium to Friday’s closing price.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, after which DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a “separately managed platform,” SoftBank said.

DigitalBridge stock climbed 9.7% to $15.28 following the announcement. Shares had spiked as much as 35% before the deal was confirmed. The benchmark S&P 500 index and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite were down 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.

The acquisition is in line with SoftBank’s broader artificial-intelligence investment strategy. The company disclosed last month that it had shed its $5.8 billion stake in Nvidia to make room for an even larger investment in OpenAI.

In addition to being one of OpenAI’s most prominent backers, SoftBank also is partnering with the ChatGPT maker and other players like Oracle on the Stargate project, a $500 billion initiative aimed at establishing U.S. dominance in AI.

DigitalBridge, headquartered in Florida, had roughly $108 billion worth of assets under management as of Sept. 30. The stock had gained over 23% this year through Friday’s close. Counting the latest gains, shares have risen 35% in 2025.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni at mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com