Published: January 3, 2024 at 2:15 a.m. ET
Adria Calatayu
Airbus is in advanced talks to buy Atos’ cybersecurity arm BDS, with an indicative proposal valuing the business at up to 1.8 billion euros ($1.97 billion), including debt.
The move comes nearly a year after the European aircraft maker’s takeover bid to acquire a minority stake in its Atos unit, which houses its cybersecurity division, fell through.
…
Adria Calatayu
Airbus is in advanced talks to buy Atos’ cybersecurity arm BDS, with an indicative proposal valuing the business at up to 1.8 billion euros ($1.97 billion), including debt.
The move comes nearly a year after the European aircraft maker’s takeover bid to acquire a minority stake in its Atos unit, which houses its cybersecurity division, fell through.
French IT group Atos announced on Wednesday that it is in preliminary discussions with Airbus about the potential sale of its entire BDS business and will now begin the due diligence phase. Airbus’ indicative proposal values the company between 1.5 billion euros and 1.8 billion euros, Atos said.
Airbus has confirmed that it has submitted a non-binding proposal for the potential acquisition of Atos’ big data and security business. The company said the discussions are still subject to due diligence and there is no certainty that they will result in a deal.
The French aircraft manufacturer said the acquisition of BDS will allow it to strengthen its defense and security portfolio with strong capabilities in cybersecurity, advanced computing and artificial intelligence.
Athos said it had received two letters expressing non-binding interest in BDS, one of which concerned only part of the force’s operations.
The company is considering selling additional assets after changing market conditions forced it to downsize its capital increase plan for Eviden, the unit that includes BDS. A potential agreement could help Atos reduce its debt.
Atos is in talks to sell its tech infrastructure division to EP Equity Investment, an investment firm led by Czech billionaire Daniel Krechinski, but said it was not certain that a deal would be reached.
The company said it does not rule out selling additional assets, especially if the deal with EPEI does not proceed.
Email Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@dowjones.com.