China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion ABB Robotics deal
The decision threatens Masayoshi Son's physical-AI push as Beijing scrutinizes robotics data and technology transfers.
China has blocked SoftBank’s planned $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics division. ABB said SoftBank informed it that Chinese regulators had prohibited the acquisition of the ABB Robotics business in China.
That decision puts the wider transaction at risk because China is ABB Robotics’ largest market and most robots sold to Chinese customers are produced locally. SoftBank agreed to buy the unit as a foundation for founder Masayoshi Son’s expansion into physical AI: machines that combine robotics with AI models and real-world data.
The Financial Times reports that the deal had already cleared China’s competition review but was later subjected to a foreign-investment security review. Regulators examined local supply chains, manufacturing capacity and intellectual property. They were also concerned that robotics data could leave China and help train overseas AI systems, including models connected to OpenAI, in which SoftBank is a major investor. ABB’s public statement confirms the prohibition but does not detail the regulator’s reasoning.
SoftBank is now assessing whether it can seek approval again. The case shows that robotics data and industrial know-how are becoming strategic assets in the same way as chips and AI models. For global AI deals, antitrust clearance may no longer be enough when factories, training data and technology transfer cross national borders.
