知情人士透露，软银集团正处于从私募股权投资方手中收购联合安保的初期谈判阶段。如果成功，这将成为这家日本科技巨头在职场广泛应用人工智能和机器人领域的最新押注。
SoftBank Group is in early-stage talks to acquire Allied Universal from its private-equity backers, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be the Japanese technology conglomerate’s latest bet on widespread adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the workplace.A deal is far from certain, but if completed, it could value Allied at as much as $18 billion, excluding the security company’s debt, one of the people said.
其中一位知情人士表示，达成交易远未成定局，但如果完成，不算这家保安公司的债务在内，联合安保的估值最高可能达到180亿美元。该公司的背后支持者为总部位于美国的收购公司华平投资和加拿大养老基金魁北克储蓄投资集团。彭博社早些时候报道了这起交易谈判。
The company is backed by U.S.-based buyout firm Warburg Pincus and Canadian pension fund La Caisse. Bloomberg earlier reported the deal talks.
近年来，软银已从此前押注一系列初创企业的策略转向全力押注人工智能。这包括对OpenAI投资64亿美元、建设数据中心集群的计划、其芯片公司Arm以及机器人业务。
In recent years, SoftBank has pivoted from its earlier strategy of betting on a mix of startups to going all in on AI. That includes a $64 billion investment in OpenAI, plans for a fleet of data centers, its chip company Arm and robotics.
去年，由日本亿万富翁孙正义掌舵的软银斥资54亿美元收购了瑞士工程巨头ABB旗下专注于工业机器人的业务，旨在将人工智能的潜力与机器人结合起来。
Last year, SoftBank, which is headed by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, struck a $5.4 billion deal for the industrial robotics-focused business of Swiss engineering giant ABB in a bid to combine the potential of AI with robots.
联合安保是全球最大的私人保安公司之一。其业务跨越100多个国家和地区，在各行各业提供武装和非武装保安以及各类安保技术。根据其网站显示，这家总部位于美国的公司的年营收约为230亿美元。
Allied is one of the world’s largest private-security firms. Its operations span more than 100 countries and territories, providing both armed and unarmed security guards as well as different types of security technology across industries. The U.S.-based company generates about $23 billion in annual revenue, according to its websiteSoftBank’s current focus on AI doesn’t make its interest in a private-security company immediately obvious.
软银当前对人工智能的关注，使得它对一家私人保安公司的兴趣并非显而易见。然而，联合安保正将人工智能相关技术作为其产品和服务的重要组成部分。
However, Allied is making AI-related technology a key part of its offering.
联合安保的一款人工智能驱动工具可为用户提供实时数据收集，以及事件和全球定位系统追踪，该公司称这可以提高客户的安全性并减少法律责任风险。
One of Allied’s AI-powered tools offers users real-time data collection, as well as incident and GPS tracking that the company claims increases safety and reduces liability exposure for customers.
管理着超过1100亿美元资产的华平投资于2015年首次投资了联合安保的前身公司美国环球服务公司。次年，该公司与另一家美国竞争对手联合巴顿保安服务公司合并。2019年，魁北克储蓄投资集团收购了新成立的公司联合安保的未披露具体比例的股份。那笔交易对该业务的估值超过7亿美元。
Warburg, which oversees more than $110 billion in assets, first invested in a predecessor company of Allied called Universal Services of America in 2015. The next year, it merged with another U.S. rival, AlliedBarton Security Services. In 2019, La Caisse acquired an undisclosed stake in the newly created company, Allied Universal. That deal valued the business at more than $7 billion.
随后，联合安保于2021年以约38亿英镑（相当于按今天的汇率计算的约51亿美元）收购了英国的G4S，从而实现了国际扩张。
Allied Universal then expanded internationally in 2021 by acquiring the U.K.’s G4S for about £3.8 billion, equivalent to about $5.1 billion in today’s dollars.
这表明，如果以180亿美元的价格将该业务出售给软银，联合安保的两大主要支持者将获得巨额收益。
That suggests that Allied’s two key backers stand to generate a substantial gain if the business is sold to SoftBank at $18 billion.
给本·杜米特写信，邮箱地址为ben.dummett@wsj.com
Write to Ben Dummett at ben.dummett@wsj.com