Japanese SoftBank acquires robotics arm of ABB to create super AI

The Swiss M&A market reached record levels in 2025. Swissinfo looks at some of those deals and why they matter. M&A transactions volumes in Switzerland exceeded $166 billion (CHF132 billion) last year, mostly driven by outbound investment of pharma and the technology, media and telecom industries. That compares with $115 billion in 2024. In October last year, the Japanese multimedia investment company SoftBank acquired the robotics section of ABB for $5.4 billion (CHF4.2 billion), the fifth largest M&A deal in Switzerland in 2025. SoftBank aims to integrate ABB Robotics into its "Physical AI" strategy, combining industrial automation with AI, robotics, and computing. The acquisition represents a massive strategic push by SoftBank to combine robotics with artificial intelligence. ABB said it plans to reinvest the proceeds into high-growth areas. Edited by Virginie Mangin/rg