Softcat has extended its footprint on the other side of the Atlantic with a $1bn move to acquire US-based artificial intelligence (AI), networking and cyber player GDT Topco.

Texas-headquarted GDT has been valued at $1.05bn (£785m), and Softcat is covering that deal with an equity issue that should bring in around £350m, tapping into fresh debt facilities and using its own cash reserves.

After spending most of its existence eschewing M&A as a strategy, the move for GDT is the second deal the firm has done in the past 18 months, after buying Leeds-based data and AI consultancy Oakland back in April 2025.

Softcat’s senior management have made no secret of the willingness to acquire if the target added to the business and delivered growth opportunities.

GDT provides a fulfilment route for US customers, and services expertise around a number of technology areas, including AI infrastructure, networking and security.

GDT comes with an established leadership team with a firm grip on the dynamics of the US market, with the addition of a business operations team in Bengaluru, India, which will expand Softcat’s ability to provide customers with 24/7 support.

Strong relationships

Graham Charlton, Softcat CEO, said the GDT business had established strong vendor and customer relationships and cultivated a team that could provide high levels of technical support.

“The acquisition, which we’re executing from a position of strength, significantly accelerates our capability in the US and enhances the support we can offer to large and complex customers with multinational needs, particularly across networking, datacentre, AI infrastructure and cyber security solutions,” he said.

“Softcat continues to trade well, reflecting the strength and depth of our customer proposition, the commitment of our people and our ability to gain share in a large and growing market,” said Charlton. “We are very excited by the momentum the GDT team has developed, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Softcat family.”

That reference to a position of strength was underlined by the firm issuing a trading update covering its fourth quarter. As a result of strong trading, the board has revised its expectations upwards, now expecting high-teens growth in full-year underlying operating profit, rather than the mid-teens it had been forecasting.

The firm is due to release detailed figures next month, but indicated that the UK and Ireland market continued to be a source of market share growth – and with the addition of GDT, the expectation for 2027 was of high single-digit underlying operating profi

Softcat makes $1bn move for GDT

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