French Government Makes Bid for Strategic Divisions of Atos SE

The French government has made an offer to acquire certain divisions of Atos SE, which it considers strategic, for a business value of 500 million euros and potentially up to 625 million euros including earnings. The company stated that the non-binding offer covers the advanced computing activities of its Big Data and Security unit. These activities include high-performance and quantum computing, as well as business intelligence and artificial intelligence activities. Atos, a key supplier to some of France's leading industries, including nuclear facilities and the Olympic Games held in Paris last summer, is working to sell some of its assets and escape a debt burden that threatens its ability to continue operations.