After the manufacturer of submarine telecommunications cables, ASN, the State will nationalize another strategic activity. The Ministry of Economy announced, on Monday, November 25, “the opening of exclusive conversations with Atos aimed at acquiring all of its Advanced Computing activities”for an enterprise value of 500 million euros, which could potentially increase to 625 million including price supplements. After an audit phase that should last one month, a binding transfer contract will be signed between Atos and the State Participation Agency.
This division manufactures supercomputers (high performance computingHPC), extremely powerful computers used for civil applications, such as weather forecasting or scientific research, but also military. Thus, the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission uses Atos HPCs to perform nuclear simulation calculations. “It is the role of the State to guarantee, as a shareholder when justified, the sustainability and development of the most strategic industrial activities for our sovereignty”declared Antoine Armand, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry.
Atos’ Advanced Computing business employs more than 2,500 people, mainly in France, particularly at the Angers factory where supercomputers are assembled. The site is currently being expanded. This division reached a turnover of around 570 million euros in 2023.
Cybersecurity products about to be sold
The agreement with the State also provides that Atos undertakes to launch a process of divestment of its cybersecurity product and critical systems activities, whose turnover represents 340 million euros. In April, the first conversations started with the industrialist anticipated that the State would also acquire these activities, in addition to the supercomputers, with the support of one or more industrialists, for a total value of between 700 million and one billion dinars. . But the negotiations failed. The separate sale of the two divisions is intended to facilitate the operation.
These cybersecurity products and critical systems are also very sensitive, such as C4I (“Command, control, communications, computing and intelligence”) that provides the chain of command of the French armies with a map of the battlefield in real time. The Rafale communications security module was also developed in this activity. Your transfer “will be led by Atos (…) based on a list of potential buyers approved by the State »specifies the Ministry of Economy.
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