ABB Group to sell ABB Robotics to SoftBank for $5.375B - The Robot Report

ABB Group has announced the sale of its ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation division to SoftBank Group Corp. for $5.375 billion. The Zurich-based industrial automation giant had previously planned to spin off the unit due to declining orders and revenues from 2023 through early 2025. ABB Robotics generated $2.3 billion in revenue in 2024, accounting for about 7% of ABB’s total revenue, with an operational EBITDA margin of 12.1%. The division employs roughly 7,000 people and includes a product portfolio featuring the OmniCore controller, industrial automation solutions, robot arms, and autonomous mobile robots acquired through ASTI Mobile Robotics. ABB intends to use the proceeds from the sale according to its capital allocation principles while maintaining focus on its core electrification and automation strategies. SoftBank, which has a history of investments and ownership in robotics companies with mixed outcomes, views this acquisition as a strategic move to advance its vision of “physical AI” by combining ABB Robotics’