After the manufacturer of submarine telecoms cables, ASN, the State will nationalize another strategic activity. The Ministry of the Economy announced, Monday, November 25, “the opening of exclusive discussions with Atos aimed at acquiring its entire Advanced Computing activities”for an enterprise value of 500 million euros, which could potentially be increased to 625 million by including price supplements. After an audit phase which should last one month, a binding transfer contract will be signed between Atos and the State Participation Agency.
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This division manufactures supercomputers (high performance computingHPC), extremely powerful computers which are used for civil applications, such as weather forecasting or scientific research, but also military. Atos HPCs are thus used by the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission to carry out 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, the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry.
Atos' Advanced Computing activity employs more than 2,500 people, mainly in France, notably at the Angers factory where the supercomputers are assembled. The site is currently being expanded. This division achieved 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 divestment process for its cybersecurity product and critical systems activities, whose turnover represents 340 million euros. In April, the first discussions initiated with the industrialist provided 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. 'euros. But the negotiations failed. The separate sale of the two divisions aims to facilitate the operation.
These cybersecurity products and critical systems are also very sensitive, such as C4I (« command, control, communications, computers and intelligence ») which provides the chain of command of the French armies with a map of the battlefield in real time. This activity also developed the Rafale communications security module. His transfer “will be led by Atos (…) on the basis of a list of possible buyers approved by the State »specifies the Ministry of the Economy.
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