# China Blocks SoftBank's Purchase of ABB's Robotics Business Over Data and AI Concerns

*2026-11-11 03:00 UTC · Business · 1 min read*

> China's NDRC prohibited SoftBank's acquisition of ABB's robotics division after a security review focused on robot data that could train AI models.

China's National Development and Reform Commission has blocked Japanese group SoftBank from buying the robotics division of Swiss-Swedish engineering firm ABB. ABB said the authorities prohibited the deal, announced last October, after it had cleared a Chinese competition review but was still under a foreign investment security review.

According to the Financial Times, the review centered on robotics data leaving China, where it could be used to train AI models, including those of OpenAI, in which SoftBank is a major investor. Regulators also reportedly considered keeping some ABB robotics intellectual property in China, which could have forced parts of the business into Chinese ownership.

China is the largest market for ABB Robotics, which employs about 12,700 people in the country and runs a $150 million factory in Pudong. Earlier this year the NDRC also forced Meta to unwind its $2 billion purchase of AI startup Manus, making the ABB decision another setback for SoftBank's "physical intelligence" ambitions.

## Sources

- [silicon.co.uk](https://www.silicon.co.uk/e-regulation/china-abb-softbank-632204)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2670-china-blocks-softbank-s-purchase-of-abb-s-robotics-business-over-data-and-ai
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2744-cina-zablokovala-nakup-roboticke-divize-abb-spolecnosti-softbank-kvuli-obavam-o