SoftBank to buy ABB robotics unit for $5.4B, ABB ends spin-off plan

SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire ABB’s industrial robotics division for about $5.4 billion, the two companies said on Wednesday, a deal that abandons ABB’s earlier plan to spin off the unit and is expected to close in mid to late 2026 subject to regulatory approvals. ABB said the transaction will generate roughly $5.3 billion in cash proceeds net of transaction costs and will be used in line with its capital allocation priorities, including organic investment, acquisitions and returns to shareholders.

The robotics business employs about 7,000 people and reported roughly $2.3 billion in revenue in 2024, or about 7 percent of ABB’s group sales. ABB said the division recorded an operational EBITA margin of 12.1 percent in 2024 and reported EBITDA of $313 million on the $2.3 billion revenue base, down from $385 million on $2.5 billion of revenue in 2023. ABB expects the divestment to produce a nonoperational pretax book gain of approximately $2.4 billion upon closing and will report the robotics unit as discontinued operations from the fourth quarter of 2025.

ABB framed the move as a step to concentrate on its core businesses, particularly electrification and process automation,...