PARIS, October 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
- Bull Agrees to Acquire science + computing ag, a Leading HPC Solutions
and Services Company in Germany, the Largest HPC Market in Europe
Bull - expert in open, flexible and secure information systems, solutions
and services and one of Europe's leading players in the IT industry -
announces that it is making a major investment in one of its flagship core
businesses - High-Performance Computing (HPC) - with the agreement to acquire
science + computing ag (s+c), a German company with significant expertise in
HPC solutions and services, particularly for major clients in the automotive
and aeronautical and related industries. This acquisition is subject to
customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, and is expected to be
completed in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Didier Lamouche, Chairman and CEO of Bull declared: 'The acquisition of
s+c is one of the most important investments the company has made since 2005
supporting its strategic repositioning. The combination of Bull and s+c will
create a powerhouse in the European HPC landscape. s+c will bring its
experience in HPC solutions and services for customers in the manufacturing
sector, and will contribute to expand Bull's offering towards infrastructure
services. Coming on the back of our recent selection as prime contractor for
the 200-Teraflop supercomputer for the Julich research centre, this
acquisition also provides the Group with a significant foothold in the key
German market.'
Didier Lamouche added: 'Together with the divestment we are announcing
today, this acquisition demonstrates our determination to accelerate further
the transformation of the Group.'
Bull will provide s+c with the resources it needs to enhance its own
technological and commercial development. Based in the Stuttgart area with
offices in Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf, s+c currently employs over 200
experts in HPC and technical computing. s+c is responsible for a large number
of critical engineering infrastructure projects in the automotive market, and
will benefit from gaining access to Bull's offerings and expertise in very
large-scale IT architectures. The company will maintain its operational
independence, as well as its own management team, while at the same time
benefiting from financial and industrial synergies with Bull.
According to Dr.
