In a seismic shift for the robotics arena, SoftBank Group Corp. announced on October 8, 2025, a definitive agreement to acquire ABB Ltd.’s Robotics division for $5.375 billion, catapulting the Japanese tech titan deeper into the fusion of artificial intelligence and physical automation. This blockbuster deal, valuing the unit at a premium to its planned spin-off, signals SoftBank’s aggressive pivot toward “Physical AI”—CEO Masayoshi Son’s vision of superintelligent machines that could eclipse human cognition by 10,000-fold. As global factories grapple with labor shortages and AI’s rise, the acquisition positions SoftBank to dominate a market exploding at 8% annually, with AI-infused segments surging 20%.
ABB’s Robotics arm, a Zurich-based powerhouse employing 7,000 across 50 countries, raked in $2.3 billion in 2024 sales—7% of the parent’s revenue—supplying precision bots to giants like BMW for tasks from welding to painting. Under the terms, ABB will hive off the division into a new holding company before handing it to SoftBank, retaining a minority stake for synergy in electrification projects. The Swiss firm, which eyed a public listing earlier this year, snapped up the offer to unlock $5.3 billion in cash, earmarked for bolt-on buys in motion tech and grid automation. Closure is slated for mid-2026, pending nods from regulators in the EU, China, and U.S.
For SoftBank, this isn’t mere expansion—it’s a cornerstone of Son’s ASI odyssey. The conglomerate, fresh off stakes in AutoStore, Agile Robots, and Skild AI, folds ABB’s industrial-grade platforms into its nascent Robo HD vehicle, forging a ecosystem for autonomous agents in warehouses, healthcare, and beyond. “This acquisition accelerates our journey toward Physical AI, where intelligence meets the physical world,” Son declared, echoing his 2014 Pepper robot foray but armed with today’s generative models. Analysts hail it as a masterstroke: pairing ABB’s hardware heft with SoftBank’s AI firepower could slash deployment costs by 30%, outpacing rivals like Fanuc and Yaskawa.
Markets roared approval. SoftBank shares rocketed 13% on October 9, propelling the Nikkei 225 to a record 48,580 amid robotics fever—Yaskawa leaped 10.5%. X chatter buzzed with futurism: “Pure physical automation is dead; Physical AI is the frontier,” one analyst posited, while another quipped, “Skynet beginning?” ABB stock dipped 2%, but investors eye its refocus on high-margin electrification amid green energy booms.
Broader ripples? This cements Asia’s robotics lead, with SoftBank eyeing U.S. factory resurgences—”all those new plants will need robots,” Son once prophesied. Yet hurdles persist: integration risks, geopolitical scrutiny, and ethical quandaries over job displacement in a $75 billion sector. As Son chases singularity, SoftBank’s gambit underscores a truth: In the AI arms race, brains in bots will build
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