As of 9:29 AM (Bangkok time) on Thursday, the share price of SoftBank Group Corp. rose by 12.47% or JPY 2,570 to JPY 23,180 per share.
Shares of the Japanese conglomerate surged by up to 13% on Thursday following news that it had reached an agreement to acquire the robotics arm of Swiss engineering firm ABB for $5.4 billion, a move that further strengthens SoftBank’s position in the AI sector.
SoftBank Group announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the robotics division of Swiss engineering company ABB for $5.4 billion, marking another major step in its strategy to expand its artificial intelligence portfolio. The transaction is still subject to global regulatory approvals.
Following the deal, ABB will abandon its plan to spin off the robotics unit as a separately listed company. SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son, described the move as part of the company’s vision to merge advanced AI capabilities with robotics, aiming to push forward what he calls “Physical AI.” His broader ambition involves the concept of Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), an idea he has championed as a future form of AI far surpassing human intelligence.
Son has been aggressively positioning SoftBank at the center of the global AI boom, making significant investments and acquisitions across the tech landscape. The company owns chip designer Arm and holds a major stake in OpenAI. It also has investments in robotics companies such as AutoStore Holdings and Agile Robots.
