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Chinese regulators block SoftBank’s $5.4B acquisition of ABB Robotics

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Chinese regulators block SoftBank’s $5.4B acquisition of ABB Robotics

ABB Robotics has about 7,000 employees, and its U.S. headquarters and factory are in Auburn Hills, Mich. | Source: ABB Robotics

It has been more than a year since ABB announced it singed an agreement to sell its robotics division to the Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group. The $5.375 billion deal is now being blocked by Chinese regulators, ABB confirmed to The Robot Report.

China‘s Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review has prohibited the acquisition in the country. Authorities expressed concerns about robotics data being transferred overseas and used to train AI models, according to The Financial Times, which first reported that the deal was blocked.

You may be wondering why Chinese regulators have so much say in a Japanese company acquiring a Zurich-based industrial automation provider, but China makes up a major portion of ABB’s revenue. For the entire FY 2025, ABB Robotics saw $928,000 in orders from China, an increase from the $662,000 in orders it brought in from China in 2024.

This is a growing region for ABB. In Q3 2026, ABB Robotics saw a 32% increase in business in China alone.

ABB also manufacturers a significant number of robots in its Shanghai factory. About 90% of its machines built for Chinese customers are manufactured locally, employing thousands of people in the country.

Looking ahead, ABB said it and SoftBank are “in close dialogue and are working constructively on the transaction.”

This news comes as global politics becomes increasingly important in the world of robotics.


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