China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion purchase of ABB Robotics

1. 11:25 AM
   The Robot ReportNews

   China blocks SoftBank's $5.4B acquisition of ABB Robotics

   AIChina's Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review has prohibited SoftBank's $5.375 billion acquisition of ABB Robotics in the country, according to ABB, which confirmed the decision to The Robot Report. The Financial Times reports that authorities cited concerns about robotics data being transferred overseas and used to train AI models. ABB says it and SoftBank are "in close dialogue and are working constructively on the transaction."

2. 5:23 AM
   South China Morning Post · TechNews

   China blocks SoftBank's $5.4 billion takeover of ABB's robotics division

   AIChina's state planner has told SoftBank it will not allow its US$5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics division to proceed, ABB said on Thursday. The case is the second major deal China has blocked this year, after Meta was ordered to unwind its US$2 billion-plus acquisition of AI start-up Manus. The decision reflects Beijing's tighter scrutiny of foreign investment in domestic start-ups developing frontier technologies.

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