SoftBank to Acquire ABB’s Robotics Division for $5.4B in Big AI Bet

Swiss industrial giant ABB has agreed to sell its robotics division to SoftBank Group for $5.375–5.4 billion, abandoning prior plans to spin it off publicly. 

The robotics unit employs around 7,000 people and generated $2.3 billion in revenue in 2024, representing about 7% of ABB’s total sales.  Because demand in Asia has weakened and profitability has slipped, ABB concluded the business no longer fits well with its core electrification and automation operations. 

SoftBank plans to fold the division into its broader AI and robotics ecosystem, combining ABB’s industrial robotics with SoftBank’s strengths in AI and next-generation computing.  Under the agreement, ABB will treat the robotics business as a discontinued operation starting Q4 2025. 

The deal is expected to close in mid-to-late 2026, pending regulatory approvals in markets such as the EU, U.S., and China.  ABB expects the transaction to generate a pre-tax book gain of ~$2.4 billion and net proceeds of about $5.3 billion after costs. 

This marks a strategic shift for ABB — rather than spinning off robotics as a separate public company, it sells the unit, freeing capital to reinvest in its core strengths while aligning the robotics business with a company more focused on AI and next-gen tech.