SoftBank Group to Acquire Swiss Firm’s Robotics Division for $5.38 Billion

SoftBank Group Corp. said it will acquire the robotics business of Swiss industrial automation company ABB Ltd. for $5.38 billion by 2026, as part of its push to expand in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), Kyodo News reported.

Softbank has recently ramped up its investment in AI. (Photo: ABB) 

SoftBank has increasingly focused its investments on AI-driven industries across semiconductors, robotics, data centers, and energy infrastructure.

“We will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision to fuse Artificial Super Intelligence and robotics — driving a groundbreaking evolution that will propel humanity forward,” Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in a statement, Mainichi Japan also reported.

Earlier this year, SoftBank consolidated its robotics operations, including SoftBank Robotics Group Corp. — known for creating the humanoid “Pepper” robot — into a newly established company.

The firm has recently ramped up its investment in AI.

In April, it announced plans to invest up to an additional $40 billion in OpenAI, developer of the ChatGPT platform, on top of the $2.2 billion it had already invested, in pursuit of its goal of realizing artificial superintelligence.