ABB ROBOTICS BUSINESS acquired by SOFTBANK

SoftBank Group Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement with Swiss industrial group ABB Ltd to acquire 100% of its robotics division via a comprehensive carve-out transaction, superseding the parent company's initial plan to pursue an independent public spin-off. Scheduled to close in mid-to-late 2026 subject to customary regulatory approvals in the European Union, the United States, and China, the transaction integrates a tier-one industrial hardware manufacturer into the acquirer's physical artificial intelligence portfolio. Operating metrics at the time of the agreement show the standalone robotics business employing approximately 7,000 people and generating $2.3 billion in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, representing roughly 7% of ABB's consolidated group sales, with an EBITDA of $313M and an operational EBITDA margin of 13.7%. Estimated transaction-related separation costs stand at approximately $200 million, alongside projected tax-related cash outflows between $400 million and $500 million for the carve-out of local operating subsidiaries. The business will be transferred to a newly established Zurich-based holding company led by Marc Segura, while Sami Atiya will step down from ABB's executive committee by the end of 2026. For ABB, the divestment generates an estimated pre-tax non-operational book gain of $2.4 billion, reclassifying the unit as discontinued operations from the fourth quarter of 2025 and allowing the seller to redeploy capital into core electrification and process automation businesses. For the acquirer, the acquisition provides critical manufacturing channels and hardware engineering capabilities intended to complement SoftBank's existing investments in AutoStore, Berkshire Grey, Agile Robots, and Skild AI to accelerate physical artificial intelligence development.