ABB Robotics Sale to SoftBank

Quick summary
• Deal: SoftBank to acquire ABB’s robotics unit for $5.4B, closing expected mid–late 2026.
• Scale: Unit made $2.3B revenue (≈7% of ABB) in 2024; ~7,000 staff.
• Welding angle: Welding is a key robot application; industry data puts welding/soldering at ~21% of robot use.

ABB agreed to sell its robotics business to SoftBank for $5.4 billion, shifting ABB’s focus back to electrification and automation while SoftBank pushes its “physical AI” strategy. The unit includes industrial and collaborative robots used in welding, painting, handling and assembly. ABB earlier explored a spin-off but opted for a sale; the company says the unit had limited synergy with its core portfolio.

SoftBank is a Japanese conglomerate investing in tech, especially AI, robotics, and telecom. It manages large funds and backs startups globally. (SoftBank invested in OpenAI, becoming a major backer to accelerate AI development and commercial growth.)

For welding customers, ABB’s portfolio remains relevant: arc and spot welding cells, cobot welding packages, and software for path/program optimization are central to automotive and metal fabrication. The division produced $2.3B revenue in 2024 (about 7% of ABB Group). Post-sale, ABB plans to invest proceeds in its core lines and potential acquisitions, while SoftBank aims to combine robotics with AI for faster programming, vision, and quality control.

#robotics #ai | Marc Segura | 104 comments

I am exceedingly excited to share that ABB announced today our #Robotics business is being acquired by SoftBank Group Corp. Press release: https://lnkd.in/eR2YknHj SoftBank Group will be an excellent home for Robotics, placing us amongst the leading technology players globally. SoftBank’s mission is to realize artificial super intelligence (ASI) for the advancement of humanity. As part of this mission, it is actively investing and expanding its businesses in #AI robots. This acquisition is part of their strategy and a great fit for our business. ABB Robotics’ offering will benefit from the combination of its leading technology with SoftBank’s state-of-the-art capabilities in AI, robotics and next-generation computing. This will allow us to strengthen and expand our position as a technology leader and even better serve our customers. As we look forward, we have an exciting journey ahead – always with our customers at the forefront of our mission – but today, we take time to celebrate and to thank our customers and our employees, who’ve all played a vital role in shaping our business. And to our future SoftBank Group colleagues, we look forward to working with you to continue building the Greatest Robotics Company! Photo: Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., Morten Wierod, CEO ABB and myself. | 104 comments on LinkedIn

LinkedInMarc Segura

Industry bodies report 542,000 robot installations in 2024 worldwide, with welding/soldering a major application. If ABB’s application mix is similar to the global picture, welding could account for a sizable slice of the unit’s revenue—as outlined below.

ABB Group press release

Source: Reuter