sale of the highly critical Worldgrid division to Alten, debt is reduced

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– Atos announced this Monday, December 2, the finalization of the sale of its subsidiary Worldgrid.

The French IT group Atos, in the midst of financial restructuring, announced this Monday, December 2, the finalization of the sale of its highly critical subsidiary Worldgrid, which designs the control systems for nuclear power plants in particular for EDF, to its compatriot Alten. This sale announced in June, the subject of a binding agreement at the beginning of November, has been finalized “for a company value of 270 million euros»specifies Atos in a press release.

Thanks to her, “Atos' net debt will be reduced byapproximately 0.2 billion euros»continues the group. Worldgrid employs almost 1,100 employees and generated revenue of around €170 million in 2023, according to Atos. In a separate press release, the Alten group recalls that it is “recognized for its expertise as a provider of technology and engineering solutions”with “3,000 consultants worldwide working in the energy sector, including 1,000 in the nuclear sector”.

In exclusive negotiations with the State

This sale, which is of a strategic nature for the industrial security of the French nuclear fleet, contributes to Atos' debt reduction strategy. Last Monday, the former tech flagship announced that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with the French State with a view to selling it the strategic activities of its “Advanced Computing” branch, which notably include supercomputers used for nuclear deterrent. The planned operation, which also concerns servers participating in artificial intelligence activities, covers the entirety of this branch, for an enterprise value included between 500 and 625 million euros.

The French State's offer provides for discussions to take place until May 31, 2025. Atos, in disarray for several years, received a breath of fresh air at the end of October, with the validation by the commercial court of its accelerated backup plan. This plan, voted on at the beginning of September by creditors and shareholders, provides for debt relief of 3 billion euros, out of a total of nearly 5 billion, a capital increase and dilution. «massive» of shareholders. It is supposed to be implemented by January 2025 at the latest.