ABB announces the sale of its Robotics division to the Japanese SoftBank Group. The agreement has an enterprise value of 5.375 billion US dollars. An IPO of the division will therefore no longer be pursued. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in mid to late 2026.

Peter Voser, ABB Chief Executive Officer, said: "The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee have carefully considered SoftBank's offer and compared it to the originally planned spin-off. It reflects the long-term strengths of the robotics business and the sale will create immediate value for ABB's shareholders. ABB will use the proceeds from the transaction in accordance with its proven capital allocation principles. Our ambitions for ABB remain unchanged: We will continue to focus on our long-term strategy based on our leading role in electrification and automation."

Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp, said: "For SoftBank, physical AI is the future. Together with ABB Robotics, we are bringing together world-leading technology and talent around a shared vision of artificial superintelligence and robotics - to advance groundbreaking developments and, in turn, humanity."

Reporting structure is adjusted

ABB will adjust its reporting structure with the sale: From the fourth quarter of 2025, the Robotics division will be reported as "Discontinued operations". The previously jointly managed Machine Automation division will become part of the Process Automation division. ABB expects a non-operating pre-tax book gain of around USD 2.4 billion and net cash proceeds after transaction costs of around USD 5.3 billion. The expected separation costs amount to around 200 million US dollars, half of which are already included in the forecast for 2025. In addition, ABB expects tax payments of 400 to 500 million US dollars in connection with the spin-off.

ABB Robotics employs around 7,000 people. In the 2024 financial year, the division generated sales of USD 2.3 billion, which corresponds to around 7 % of Group sales, with an operating EBITA margin of 12.1 %.