SoftBank Group is considering an acquisition of Allied Universal, the US security services provider, in a deal that could value the company at about $18 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Deliberations are preliminary and no final decisions have been made, including on the potential price, according to the report. SoftBank declined to comment, while Allied Universal did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
AI robots in the security mix
Allied Universal provides security staffing for businesses, venues and major events, and has been building a growing presence in the data-centre industry, supporting both the development and the operation of facilities.
The potential acquisition would complement SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son's increasing focus on artificial intelligence, as he explores the use of AI-powered robots across industries and looks to strengthen the infrastructure needed to support the technology, the report said.
According to one of the people cited by Bloomberg, SoftBank would look to eventually replace some security staff with robots. The application of humanoid-like security workers would likely take more time, another person said.
An AI spending spree
SoftBank is widely known for making large technology investments through its Vision Fund. It was an early investor in Alibaba, owns a majority stake in chip designer Arm, and was a major backer of office-sharing startup WeWork.
In October, SoftBank completed the final phase of its planned $30 billion investment in OpenAI, deepening its commitment to the AI company. The Allied Universal move would mark another step in Son's effort to pair capital-intensive AI bets with the physical infrastructure and services around them.
Sources: Reuters
Deliberations are preliminary and no final decisions have been made, including on the potential price, according to the report. SoftBank declined to comment, while Allied Universal did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
AI robots in the security mix
Allied Universal provides security staffing for businesses, venues and major events, and has been building a growing presence in the data-centre industry, supporting both the development and the operation of facilities.
The potential acquisition would complement SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son's increasing focus on artificial intelligence, as he explores the use of AI-powered robots across industries and looks to strengthen the infrastructure needed to support the technology, the report said.
According to one of the people cited by Bloomberg, SoftBank would look to eventually replace some security staff with robots. The application of humanoid-like security workers would likely take more time, another person said.
An AI spending spree
SoftBank is widely known for making large technology investments through its Vision Fund. It was an early investor in Alibaba, owns a majority stake in chip designer Arm, and was a major backer of office-sharing startup WeWork.
In October, SoftBank completed the final phase of its planned $30 billion investment in OpenAI, deepening its commitment to the AI company. The Allied Universal move would mark another step in Son's effort to pair capital-intensive AI bets with the physical infrastructure and services around them.
Sources: Reuters
