ABB today announced it has signed an agreement to divest its Robotics division to SoftBank Group Corp. for an enterprise value of $5.375 billion and not pursue its earlier intention to spin-off the business as a separately listed company.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and further customary closing conditions and is expected to close in mid-to-late 2026, a release by ABB said.
Peter Voser, Chairman of ABB, said: “SoftBank’s offer has been carefully evaluated by the Board and Executive Committee and compared with our original intention for a spin-off. It reflects the long-term strengths of the division, and the divestment will create immediate value to ABB shareholders. ABB will use the proceeds from the transaction in line with its well-established capital allocation principles. Our ambitions for ABB are unchanged and we will continue to focus on our long-term strategy, building on our leading positions in electrification and automation.”
ABB and SoftBank share the same perspective that the world is entering a new era of AI-based robotics and believe that the division and SoftBank’s robotics offering can best shape this era together, the release said.
ABB Robotics will benefit from the combination of its leading technology and deep industry expertise with SoftBank’s state-of-the-art capabilities in AI, robotics and next-generation computing. This will allow the business to strengthen and expand its position as a technology leader in its field.”
Three business areas
As a result of the signing of the agreement ABB will adjust its reporting structure and move to three business areas. As of the fourth quarter 2025, the Robotics division will be reported as Discontinued operations. At the same time, the Machine Automation division, which together with ABB Robotics currently forms the Robotics & Discrete Automation business area, will become a part of the Process Automation business area. The other two business areas are: Electrification and Motion.
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Featured photograph (source: new.abb.com) is for representation only