SoftBank bulks up its robotics portfolio with ABB Group’s robotics unit

Japanese investing conglomerate SoftBank Group is buying a robotics institution arsenic the fiscal behemoth says carnal AI is its adjacent frontier.  

SoftBank announced connected Wednesday that it has acquired Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB Group’s robotics concern unit for $5.375 billion. The deal is taxable to regulatory approval; SoftBank predicts the woody volition adjacent successful mid-to-late 2026 according to a property release. Sami Atiya, the caput of the division, will exit the company once the acquisition is complete, per ABB Group.

ABB’s robotics business employs roughly 7,000 radical and sells a assortment of robots and equipment, designed for tasks similar picking, cleaning and painting.  The company made $2.3 billion in gross successful 2024, representing 7% of ABB’s overall revenue. ABB announced plans to spin retired its robotics group in April.

SoftBank said it hopes to be capable to “reignite” income astatine ABB’s robotics spinoff. The organization’s 2024 gross was only $2.3 billion, down from $2.5 cardinal the erstwhile year.

SoftBank has been gathering up its investments and holdings successful robotics implicit the past fewer years. The entity has invested successful companies including more bequest players like AutoStore and startups including Skild AI and Agile Robots. 

The steadfast besides launched its ain robotics platform, SoftBank Robotics Group, successful 2014.  

“SoftBank’s adjacent frontier is carnal AI,” Masayoshi Son, the president and CEO of SoftBank said successful the company’s property release. “Together with ABB Robotics, we volition unite world-class exertion and endowment nether our shared imaginativeness to fuse Artificial Super Intelligence and robotics — driving a groundbreaking improvement that volition propel humanity forward.”

Robotics is 1 of 4 absorption areas for SoftBank, unneurotic with AI chips, AI data centers and energy.  

“The halfway of the ‘Information Revolution’ has evolved from idiosyncratic computers, the internet, and broadband to smartphones, and has present entered a caller signifier led by artificial intelligence,” SoftBank said successful its property release. “In this context, [SoftBank Group] has declared its ngo to recognize artificial ace quality (ASI) for the advancement of humanity.” 

TechCrunch reached retired to SoftBank for much information.