Key points
- Acquisition strengthens SoftBank’s push into AI infrastructure
- DigitalBridge manages $108 billion in global infrastructure assets
- Deal aligns with Son’s Artificial Super Intelligence vision
Tokyo, Japan: Japan’s SoftBank said it is buying US data centre investor DigitalBridge in a deal worth around $4 billion, the latest acquisition in founder Masayoshi Son’s push to become a major player in AI.
The past year has seen colossal investments in infrastructure needed to provide the computing power for artificial intelligence (AI), while share prices in the sector – including SoftBank’s – have ballooned, reports AFP.
“SoftBank Group’s mission is to realise Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) for the advancement of humanity,” SoftBank and DigitalBridge said in a statement late Monday announcing the deal.
“Achieving that vision requires breakthroughs not only in AI models, but also in the platform infrastructure needed to train, deploy, and serve them at a global scale,” the joint statement said.
DigitalBridge
Florida-based DigitalBridge manages around $108 billion worth of infrastructure assets, including cell phone towers and data centres. The deal price includes debt.
Son, 68, a long-time ally of US President Donald Trump, made his name with spectacularly successful bets in firms like Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba in the 1990s.
After suffering massive losses, Son is now seeking to pivot into AI and SoftBank recently raised $5.8 billion for new investments by selling its stake in US chip titan Nvidia.
SoftBank is a major investor in ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and with Oracle, the two are leading the $500-billion Stargate project to build AI infrastructure announced by Trump in January.
