China Blocks SoftBank's $5.4B ABB Robotics Deal Over AI Data Concerns

Chinese regulatory authorities have blocked SoftBank's proposed $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics division over national security and data sovereignty issues. Officials expressed concern that sensitive robotics data from domestic Chinese operations could be transferred overseas to train foreign AI models. The intervention marks a major setback for SoftBank's plans to scale industrial AI and embodied robotics platforms.