
November 5, 2026 · Source: Reuters
China Prohibits SoftBank Acquisition of ABB Robotics Business in China
ABB said on Thursday that SoftBank had informed it that the Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review in China has prohibited the acquisition of the ABB Robotics business in China, a transaction agreed in October 2025 at an enterprise value of $5.375 billion. The Financial Times reported concern that robotics data could move overseas and be used to train AI models, a reasoning no Chinese authority has published. ABB and SoftBank remain in close dialogue and are working constructively on the transaction, and SoftBank declined to comment.
The AnaConnectsYou read:Data location now sits inside deal approval for robotics and AI, and a signed agreement can still stop at that border.








