SoftBank Group is considering an acquisition of Allied Universal, the US security services provider backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus and Canadian pension investor La Caisse, in a potential transaction that could value the business at close to $30bn including debt, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The proposed deal could give Allied an equity valuation of up to $18bn. The company also has approximately $12bn in publicly traded loans and bonds, according to Bloomberg data. Discussions remain preliminary though, with no final decision on a transaction or its price having been made.
The potential acquisition would give SoftBank exposure to a major security services platform as founder Masayoshi Son seeks to expand the commercial deployment of artificial intelligence and robotics. Allied provides security personnel and specialist services across sectors including data centres, alongside facilities management and maintenance.
SoftBank is exploring ways to use autonomous robots for tasks such as patrols and event security, although replacing human security staff at scale remains a longer-term ambition.
The move would build on SoftBank’s broader investment programme in AI and robotics, including its $5.4bn acquisition of ABB’s industrial robotics business and its investment in construction robotics company Gravis Robotics.
