In the midst of financial restructuring, the IT group Atos announced on Monday that it was in exclusive negotiations with the French State around its strategic activities in its Advanced Computing branch, which notably include supercomputers used for nuclear deterrence.
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The operation under discussion, according to the firm, concerns supercomputers used for nuclear deterrence but also strategic activities around artificial intelligence. And according to a press release, it covers the entirety of this branch, for a company value of between 500 and 625 million euros.
The French State’s offer provides for discussions to take place until May 31, 2025 at the latest for Advanced Computing, which brings together some 2,500 employees and generated a turnover of 570 million euros in 2023. The opening of exclusive discussions between the State and Atos constitutes a crucial first step, not only for the recovery and restructuring of the group but also for securing the strategic activity of supercomputers. », Reacted the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, in a separate press release.
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If the negotiations are successful, the French IT flagship will receive a first payment of 150 million euros and a process of “ organized transfer » must be organized for the Cybersecurity Products and Mission Critical Systems activities. The latter, which represent a turnover of around 340 million in 2023, are notably responsible for the command of Scorpio (Army modernization program), navigation tools for the naval forces and the merchant navy, or real-time mapping for the military.
A first offer was put on the table last June. It concerned a broader offer relating to the Advanced Computing activities as well as Mission Critical Systems and Cybersecurity Products brought together in the “Big data and security” (BDS) division. This offer expired on October 4 without the two parties reaching an agreement.