Chinese regulators block SoftBank's $5.4B acquisition of ABB Robotics

China's foreign investment security review office prohibited SoftBank's $5.375 billion acquisition of ABB Robotics, citing concerns that robot data would be transferred overseas and used to train AI models. ABB Robotics' orders from China were $928,000 in fiscal 2025, up from $662,000 in 2024, and its China business grew 32% in the third quarter of 2026; about 90% of the robots its Shanghai factory produces for local customers are made locally. ABB said it remains in close communication with SoftBank and is continuing to advance the deal.