SoftBank and ABB explore China carve-out to save $5.4 billion robotics deal

Nov 7, 2026
SoftBank and ABB are looking at a separate entity for the China part of ABB Robotics after Beijing blocked the deal, Bloomberg News reported.

SoftBank Group and ABB are looking at carving out the Chinese part of their $5.4 billion robotics deal, which Beijing blocked earlier this week, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, according to Reuters. A carve-out would mean setting up a separate entity for the China business with different ownership.

ABB is also considering other options, including finding another buyer, and the China business could be valued at $2 billion to $3 billion, the report said. ABB declined to comment, and SoftBank did not respond to requests for comment outside business hours.

China is the biggest market for ABB Robotics and accounts for about 30% of the business. ABB runs about 30 local companies in China with around 15,000 employees in nearly 130 cities. The deal is the second China has blocked this year, after Meta was ordered in April to unwind its acquisition of AI startup Manus, as Beijing tightens scrutiny of foreign investment in frontier technologies.

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