SoftBank buys ABB's robotics arm for $5.38bn

The JPY1 trillion issuance will help fund the Japan giant's acquisition of ABB's robotics division.

Robotic firm's stellar listing will test appetite for humanoids, and whether the A-share market can expand its investor base; Alibaba's $10.2bn equity raise will fuel its AI ambitions.

The aim of the stock purchase is to help boost advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the US; Intel has been under the spotlight of the US administration in recent weeks.

SoftBank has said it will spend $3bn annually to deploy customised AI across its group of companies; the JV, known as SB OpenAI Japan, will sell to Japanese firms.

The banking group has large back-office centres in India, China, Malaysia and Poland; over 7,800 such roles could be impacted. The bank has also increased its profit targets for 2030 and confirmed group CFO and COO appointments.

Following an agreement in San Francisco, the Korean and US firms will collaborate across memory and foundry technologies, supporting the next generation of AI infrastructure as the semiconductor ecosystem becomes more sophisticated.