Atos to sell Latin American businesses to Brazil’s Semantix

/in /tarafından

French IT services company Atos said on Friday it has signed a binding agreement to sell its Latin American operations to Brazilian technology firm Semantix, as part of a broader restructuring effort following severe financial distress.

The assets being sold employ around 2,800 people across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. Atos did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, but said it expects the deal to close in the coming months.

The divestment marks another step in Atos’ turnaround strategy after the once-prominent French technology group narrowly avoided collapse in 2024. Earlier this year, the company completed a sweeping financial restructuring that significantly reshaped its balance sheet and ownership structure.

As part of that process, Atos reduced its debt burden by approximately 2.1 billion euros, with banks and bondholders emerging as the company’s main shareholders. The restructuring plan places a strong emphasis on asset sales, allowing Atos to streamline operations, generate liquidity and refocus on its core activities.

The sale of the Latin American business underscores the scale of Atos’ transformation as it works to stabilise operations and restore confidence after years of financial and operational challenges.

Britain’s Octopus Energy to spin out Kraken at $8.65 billion valuation

/in /tarafından

Britain’s Octopus Energy said on Monday it will spin off its technology arm, Kraken, as an independent company valued at $8.65 billion, following a funding round led by U.S. investment firm D1 Capital Partners.

Under the deal, new and existing investors will purchase about $1 billion of equity in Kraken. Investors led by Octopus Capital will also inject an additional $320 million into Octopus Energy. Participants in the funding round include Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Fidelity International and Durable Capital Partners.

The transaction clears the way for Kraken’s formal demerger from Octopus Energy, which will retain a 13.7% stake in the newly independent company. The Financial Times reported that the separation could pave the way for a Kraken initial public offering within two years, potentially followed by an eventual listing of the privately held Octopus Energy. Reuters could not independently verify the report, and both companies declined to comment on potential listing plans.

Kraken provides AI-powered energy operating software to major utilities worldwide, including EDF, National Grid US and Tokyo Gas. The platform is contracted to serve more than 70 million customer accounts globally and reported contracted annual revenue exceeding $500 million as of September.

In a separate statement, Origin Energy said it will invest about $140 million in Kraken’s fundraising and retain a 22.7% stake in the platform after the transaction. Origin also agreed to waive exclusivity for Kraken’s services in Australia in exchange for an additional 1.5% equity interest.

Meta to buy Chinese-founded startup Manus to boost advanced AI

/in /tarafından

Meta said on Monday it will acquire Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup Manus, stepping up efforts to integrate more advanced AI capabilities across its platforms. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a source with direct knowledge of the matter said the deal values the Singapore-based firm at between $2 billion and $3 billion.

Manus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The startup drew widespread attention earlier this year after releasing what it described as the world’s first general AI agent—software designed to make decisions and execute tasks autonomously with far less prompting than conventional chatbots such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek. The launch sparked viral discussion on X and led some commentators to label Manus “China’s next DeepSeek,” with praise from Chinese state television.

Months later, Manus moved its headquarters from China to Singapore, joining a broader wave of Chinese-founded tech firms seeking to reduce exposure to rising U.S.-China tensions. The company’s products are not available in China. Manus has claimed its AI agent outperforms OpenAI’s DeepResearch and maintains a strategic partnership with Alibaba to collaborate on AI models.

Meta said it will operate and commercialize the Manus service and integrate it into both consumer and business offerings, including Meta AI. The acquisition reflects intensifying competition among large technology companies racing to secure differentiated AI capabilities through deals and talent hires.

Earlier this year, Meta invested in Scale AI in a transaction valuing the startup at $29 billion and bringing in its CEO, Alexandr Wang. Manus, backed by parent company Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology, raised $75 million this year at a valuation of about $500 million, according to the source, confirming prior media reports. The funding round was led by Benchmark, with investors including HSG, ZhenFund and Tencent Holdings, PitchBook data showed.