Japan bets on "open source" to revive its status as a major robotics nation

SelfStaking · 2026-04-01T13:09:17+00:00

The integration of data and artificial intelligence in manufacturing sites is driving a competitive surge in robot development. SoftBank's acquisition of ABB's robotics business has prompted collaboration between Yaskawa Electric and Fanuc, helping Japanese companies revive their robotics industry. Masayoshi Son stated that integrating AI with robotics technology will achieve a revolutionary evolution.

SelfStaking

2026-04-01 13:09:17

Abstract generation in progress

The prospects for combining dormant data from manufacturing sites with artificial intelligence (AI) are driving the robot R&D competition to keep heating up. Taking SoftBank Group’s acquisition of the robotics business of Swiss industrial giant ABB as an opportunity, Yaskawa Electric and Fanuc have both announced initiatives to collaborate and open up control-related software, among other measures. Japan’s companies, which have already fallen behind the U.S. and China in the “physical AI” field where machines achieve autonomous operation, are now hoping to restore their position as a “robotics superpower” through this.

“Achieve epoch-making evolution by integrating (superintelligent beyond human intelligence) super AI (ASI) with robotics technology,” said Masayoshi Son, chairman and president of SoftBank Group. In October 2025, SoftBank Group announced that it would acquire ABB Robotics, the robotics business subsidiary of ABB, for $5.375 billion. Alongside Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, and the German KUKA (KUKA) under China’s Midea Group, the company ranks among the global “top four” industrial robot makers.

“SoftBank Shock”

BB’s cumulative shipments exceed 500,000 units, including industrial robots, automated material-handling robots, and collaborative robots that assist human work. SoftBank’s “cross-industry” acquisition has shocked the industry. The reason is that SoftBank is expected to stand out among the “top four” in the physical AI arena by fusing its own AI technology with robotics.

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