SoftBank is pooling its robotics portfolio with ABB Group’s robotics unit

Japanese investment group SoftBank Group is buying a robotics company, as the financial giant says physical AI is its next frontier.

SoftBank announced on Wednesday that it has acquired its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland ABB’s robotics business unit for $5.375 billion. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. SoftBank expects the deal to close in mid-to-late 2026, according to a press release. Sami Attia, Head of Department;Exit the company Once the acquisition is completed, for each ABB group.

ABB Robotics employs approximately 7,000 people and sells a variety of robots and equipment designed for tasks such as picking, cleaning and painting. The company generated revenue of $2.3 billion in 2024, representing 7% of ABB’s total revenue. ABB announced its plans to Take out her robot collection In April.

SoftBank said it hopes to be able to “revive” sales at robotics company ABB. The organization’s 2024 revenue was just $2.3 billion, down from $2.5 billion the previous year.

SoftBank has been building its investments and holdings in robotics over the past few years. The entity has invested in companies including more legacy players such as Auto shop And startups including Skilled AI and Agile robots.

The company also launched its own robotics platform, SoftBank Robotics Group, in 2014.

“SoftBank’s next frontier is physical AI,” Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s chairman and CEO, said in the company’s press release. “Together with ABB Robotics, we will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision of integrating super-AI and robotics – to drive groundbreaking development that will move humanity forward.”

Robotics is one of SoftBank’s four focus areas, along with AI chips, AI data centers and energy.

“The center of the ‘information revolution’ has evolved from personal computers, the Internet and broadband to smartphones, and has now entered a new phase driven by artificial intelligence,” SoftBank said in its press release. “In this context, SoftBank Group announced its mission to achieve artificial superior intelligence (ASI) for the advancement of humanity.”

TechCrunch has reached out to SoftBank for more information.