SoftBank’s shares surged by up to 13% on Thursday following the announcement of its $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics division, a key move to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence, particularly in Physical AI.
The deal, expected to close by mid to late 2026 pending regulatory approval, ends ABB’s plan to spin off the robotics business as a standalone company.
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s founder, said, “SoftBank’s next frontier is Physical AI. Together with ABB Robotics, we will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision to fuse Artificial Super Intelligence and robotics—driving a groundbreaking evolution that will propel humanity forward.” Son’s vision of ASI refers to AI that is 10,000 times smarter than humans.
ABB Robotics, employing around 7,000 staff and generating $2.3 billion revenue in 2024, has faced declining sales recently. SoftBank aims to revitalise this business by leveraging its AI investments, including stakes in chip designer Arm, OpenAI, and robotics companies like AutoStore and Berkshire Grey.
Meanwhile, SoftBank-owned British semiconductor firm Graphcore plans to invest £1 billion in India, including establishing a research centre in Bengaluru, aligned with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ongoing visit to India with a business delegation.
On the markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.11%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank shares jumped nearly 30% after HSBC proposed a privatisation plan valuing the bank at more than HK$290 billion. HSBC owns about 63% of Hang Seng Bank and offered HK$155 per share in the buyout proposal.
Conversely, HSBC’s own stock fell over 6%, with the Hang Seng Index and Hang Seng Tech Index sliding close to 1% each. China’s CSI 300 index rose 0.4%. Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 climbed 0.44%, while South Korea’s markets were closed for a holiday.
U.S. futures were relatively flat after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hit record highs on Wednesday. The S&P 500 closed up 0.58% at 6,753.72, led by gains in the technology, utilities, and industrial sectors, while the Nasdaq advanced 1.12% to surpass 23,000 points for the first time. The Dow Jones ended slightly down by 1.20 points to 46,601.78.