ABB Orders Jump 40% to Record as Data-Centre Demand Surges

ABB reported record quarterly orders on 20 October as spending on data centres lifted demand for its electrification equipment. Orders rose 40% from a year earlier to $12.06 billion, with data-centre orders more than doubling.

The results show how the AI investment boom is reaching suppliers beyond chipmakers. ABB provides equipment used to distribute power and support cooling at these facilities, Reuters reported.

Third-quarter revenue increased 14% to $9.70 billion. Operational EBITA, an adjusted earnings measure, rose 24% to $2.03 billion. Net income attributable to ABB, however, fell 2% to $1.18 billion.

ABB now expects full-year comparable revenue growth in the low teens, narrowing its earlier forecast. That remains company guidance, not a confirmed result.

The group also announced a roughly $495 million agreement covering a 51% stake in a new joint venture with Mitsubishi Electric's low-voltage power distribution business and full ownership of related sales operations outside Japan.

Chief executive Morten Wierod said the deal would strengthen ABB's position in Japan and open opportunities across Asia-Pacific.

Sources: Reuters via RTÉ — ABB quarterly results, 20 October 2026; ABB Q3 2026 results — issuer announcement via EQS, 20 October 2026.

Archival photo: ABB industrial site in Baden, Switzerland, 2010. Roland Zumbuehl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9 by Morval Universal; cropped image shared under the same licence.