An ABB robot on a production line at the Sony UK technological center in Pencoed, in the United Kingdom.
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SoftBank Group announced Monday that it had agreed to acquire the robotic division of the Swiss engineering company ABB for $ 5.4 billion, while the Japanese giant seeks to strengthen its activities in terms of artificial intelligence.
The agreement, which is subject to the approval of regulatory authorities on a global scale, means Abb will no longer seek to split its robotics activity as a listed company separately.
“The next softbank border is physical AI. With Abb Robotics, we will unite world -class technology and talents under our common vision to merge artificial super intelligence and robotics, leading to a revolutionary evolution that will propel humanity forward,” said Masayoshi Son, founder of Softbank, in a press release.
Super artificial intelligence, or ASI, is the idea of a 10,000 times more intelligent than humans.
Its sought to position SoftBank at the center of the Potential Boom of AI thanks to investments and acquisitions in different technological fields. Softbank has for example the designer of Arm fleas and has a major participation in Openai.
SoftBank already has investments related to robots, including Autostore Holdings and Agile Robots.
MORTEN WIEROD, who became CEO of ABB in August 2024, considers the split of the company’s robotic unit as a strategic approach.
ABB said in a press release that the sale “will create an immediate value for ABB shareholders”. The company said that it would use the product of the transaction “in accordance with its well -established principles of capital allowance”.
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