Atos open for French state to take minority stake in strategic business unit BDS

File photo: A French national flag flies near a logo of French IT consulting firm Atos, at the entrance of a company's building, in Angers, France, March 20, 2024. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File photo

PARIS (Reuters) - Struggling IT firm Atos is open to 'any solution' which would allow to financially rescue the group while preserving France's national security interests, Chairman Jean-Pierre Mustier said on Wednesday, adding the government could decide to acquire a minority stake.

Mustier told senators in a parliamentary hearing the group has safeguard mechanisms in place to ensure the government's control of strategic assets like super-calculators and cybersecurity services used by the military and nuclear plants.