SoftBank Deal Signals Continued Data Center Real Estate Demand

SoftBank Group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DigitalBridge, a digital infrastructure investment manager with exposure to data centers and connectivity assets, for an enterprise value of about $4.0 billion. 

Under the terms described in SoftBank’s announcement, SoftBank will pay $16.00 per share in cash, representing a 15% premium to DigitalBridge’s Dec. 26, 2025, closing price and a 50% premium to the company’s “unaffected” 52-week average closing price as of Dec. 4, 2025. The companies expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals, and DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separately managed platform led by CEO Marc Ganzi, SoftBank said.

Why real estate professionals are paying attention

DigitalBridge’s business is tied to digital infrastructure real estate, particularly data centers, where site selection, entitlements, and utility capacity can be decisive for feasibility and delivery timelines. DigitalBridge has said it manages about $108 billion of infrastructure assets. That figure appears in the company’s third-quarter 2025 results release and is also referenced in SoftBank’s deal release.

For commercial real estate stakeholders, the transaction underscores how AI-driven computing demand is translating into real property requirements, especially power-ready sites and specialized industrial development.

What it says about the current data center market

Recent CRE research continues to point to power availability as a key constraint in core data center hubs, shaping where developers can deliver new supply and how quickly tenants are securing capacity.

In CBRE’s Global Data Center Trends 2025, the firm reports a tightening of global vacancy and notes that power capacity constraints are forcing aggressive preleasing and extending new construction timelines to 2027 and beyond.

JLL similarly points to demand growth alongside supply and power constraints in its 2025 Global Data Center Outlook coverage.

Market reaction: What moved and when

DigitalBridge shares rose following the news, but outsized percentage moves were more closely associated with earlier report-driven volatility than the definitive agreement announcement itself. For example, Barron’s reported that the stock rose nearly 10% after the announcement and had been up as much as 35% earlier before confirmation. Separately, a Reuters report on Bloomberg-reported talks described sharper jumps tied to reports ahead of a definitive deal being announced.

What to watch

For real estate and development stakeholders, the practical implications are less about corporate structure and more about whether a well-capitalized sponsor accelerates acquisitions of powered land, financing for new builds in secondary markets with available utility capacity, and partnerships that shorten energization timelines.