SoftBank shares pared gains to jump 11.43% on Thursday, a day after the Japanese giant announced a deal to buy the robotics division of Swiss engineering firm ABB for $5.4 billion, boosting SoftBank’s AI footprint.
The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval globally, means ABB will no longer seek to spin off its robotics business into a separately listed company.
“SoftBank’s next frontier is physical AI. With ABB Robotics, we will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision to merge artificial super intelligence and robotics, leading to a revolutionary evolution that will propel humanity forward,” Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank, said in a statement.
Artificial super intelligence, or ASI, is Son’s idea of an AI 10,000 times smarter than humans.
Son has sought to position SoftBank at the center of the potential AI boom through investments and acquisitions in different technology areas. SoftBank, for example, owns chip designer Arm and has a major stake in OpenAI.
A waste sorting robot is displayed at the ABB booth on the opening day of the 21st China International Industrial Fair at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China.
VCG | Visual Group China | Getty Images
Graphcore, a British chip designer owned by SoftBank, also plans to invest $1.3 billion in India, including in a new research center, Bloomberg reported Thursday morning.
The plans are expected to be announced during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India this week. He will be accompanied by a delegation of businessmen, the report said, citing sources close to the matter.
The reference of Japan Nikkei 225 The index jumped 1.77% to close at 48,580.44, after hitting a new record high earlier in the session. The Topix index rose 0.68% to close at 3,257.77.
In Hong Kong, the shares of Hang Seng Bank climbed above 26% after HSBC proposed Thursday to privatize it, valuing the bank at more than 290 billion Hong Kong dollars ($37 billion).
HSBC has asked the board of directors of Hang Seng Bank to present a privatization proposal to shareholders through a plan of arrangement under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance.
The Hang Seng Bank shares would be canceled in exchange for HK$155 each. HSBC owns about 63% of Hang Seng Bank, bringing the deal value to HK$106 billion.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong-listed HSBC shares fell more than 6%.
THE Hang Seng Index fell 0.29%, while the Hang Seng Technology Index fell 0.66%.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 index jumped 1.48% to close at 4,709.48, after returning from a bumper holiday period. The materials sector led the index’s gains, with stocks in Tongling of non-ferrous metals up 10.08% and Dongfang electric increasing by 10.01%.
This comes after China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Thursday that it was strengthening export controls on rare earths and related technologies.
Foreign entities must now obtain a license from Beijing to export any product containing more than 0.1% domestically sourced rare earths or made using Chinese mining, refining, magnet-making or recycling technology.
The ministry also banned its citizens from participating in unauthorized mining activities abroad.
Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 advanced 0.25% to close at 8,969.8.
South Korean markets are closed for a public holiday.
U.S. stock futures were little changed in early Asian hours after the S&P500 and the Nasdaq Composite posted new record highs Wednesday in the United States as investors shrugged off the government shutdown in its second week.
Overnight, the broad S&P 500 index climbed 0.58% to close at 6,753.72, marking its eighth winning day in the last nine. The index’s gains were led by the information technology, utilities and industrials sectors, which hit new closing highs.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.12% to end at 23,043.38. This is the first time that the technology-heavy index has closed above the 23,000 mark.
However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.20 points to end the day at 46,601.78.
—Anniek Bao, Lee Ying Shan, Arjun Kharpal, Alex Harring, Sean Conlon and Sarah Min of CNBC contributed to this report.
