SoftBank Group to Acquire ABB Robotics
Earlier this year, Automation World interviewed Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics and we asked him about the news that ABB was planning to spin off ABB Robotics as a stand-alone business. He said, “We believe this is a great opportunity to create a lot of value for ABB and for ABB Robotics, because we are a strong robotics company — one of the few that sustainably delivers double-digit profitability. Another reason for the spin-off is that our synergies with the rest of the ABB group were limited. We operate with different customers, and the pace with which we need to interact with new technologies and startups and the need to invest in R&D is diverging more and more. This move allows us to be a pure play investment for robotics.”
On October 8, 2025, ABB announced that it had signed an agreement to divest its robotics division to SoftBank Group Corp. for $5.375 billion and not pursue its earlier intention to spin-off the business as a separately listed company.
Speaking to ABB’s change of plans to sell rather than spin off its robotics business, Peter Voser, chairman of ABB, said, “SoftBank’s offer has been carefully evaluated by the ABB board and executive committee and compared with our original intention for a spin-off. Our ambitions for ABB are unchanged, and we will continue to focus on our long-term strategy, building on our positions in electrification and automation.”
Weighing in on the acquisition of ABB Robotics by SoftBank, Samantha Mou, a senior analyst for industrial robotics at market intelligence firm Interact Analysis, said. “Considering the intensive competition in traditional robotics, established manufacturers like ABB Robotics will need to lead the charge in AI-driven robotics to protect their margins. However, achieving this will require significant investment. The substantial long-term R&D costs may be a key factor behind ABB’s decision to sell its robotics business.”
Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said: “SoftBank’s next frontier is physical AI. Together with ABB Robotics, we will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision to fuse artificial super intelligence and robotics.” Mou noted that “SoftBank has yet to establish a successful track record in robotics investments. This deal marks its first acquisition in the industrial robotics area, and it remains to be seen whether its IT-industry culture can effectively integrate with the industrial engineering tradition at ABB Robotics.”
Morten Wierod, ABB CEO, added: “ABB and SoftBank share the same perspective that the world is entering a new era of AI-based robotics and believe that the division and SoftBank’s robotics offering can best shape this era together. ABB Robotics will benefit from the combination of its leading technology and deep industry expertise with SoftBank’s state-of-the-art capabilities in AI, robotics and next-generation computing.”
“This move may push ABB's competitors to accelerate collaborations with AI and software companies or bring in investors, ensuring they have the resources to stay competitive in the AI-driven robotics space,” said Mou.
At the time of this announcement, ABB Robotics had a workforce of approximately 7,000. With 2024 revenues of $2.3 billion, it represented about 7% of ABB Group revenues.
As a result of this agreement with SoftBank, the Machine Automation division, which together with ABB Robotics currently forms the Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, will become a part of the Process Automation business area in the fourth quarter 2025.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and further customary closing conditions and is expected to close in mid-to-late 2026.
