Good morning, it’s Nina Lindholm here with the Europe Wire from the London newsroom.

With the rise of artificial intelligence and hyperconnectivity, semiconductors are now a vital part of digitization of the economy. To kick things off today, we have a deep dive into Ardian Semiconductor’s acquisition of semiconductor equipment and services company Ion Beam Services, freshly announced this morning.

We then have an add-on by The Riverside Company-backed Montel Group, as the energy and electricity market information business has picked up a Nordic provider of analysis and advisory services for the power and renewables markets.

Next, we explore what yesterday's UK budget announcement means for PE dealmakers. We hear from Parabellum Investments founder and CEO Rami Cassis, as well as from Oliver Walker, partner in the London tax practice of the law firm Weil.

To finish, we delve into listed private equity valuations with the help of a report by Invest Europe.

Interesting valuation

Ardian Semiconductor has acquired semiconductor equipment and services company Ion Beam Services (IBS)in a deal announced this morning. The investor saw off competition from strategic buyers offering “significantly higher prices” in a sector that offers private markets the “opportunity of the decade,” Silian Partners managing director and co-founder Thomas Pebay-Peyroula told PE Hub’s Craig McGlashan.

I highly recommend reading Craig’s full article, as it covers how Ardian Semiconductor gained an advantage against strategic buyers, how the firm plans to grow IBS and an outlook for the European semiconductor market. You can find the piece here.

Premium subscribers of the Wire can also read more here.

Wider access

Switching over to data and analytics. The Riverside Company-backed Montel has agreed to acquire the assets of SKM Market Predictor, an analysis and advisory services provider for the Nordic power and renewables markets.

For more on the deal, check out the full Wire coverage here.

Competitive position

With chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing the UK budget yesterday, the ramifications have been dominating headlines. What does it mean for private equity dealmaking?

For commentary from Parabellum Investments founder and CEO Rami Cassis, as well as from Oliver Walker, partner in the London tax practice of the law firm Weil, you can read the full Wire coverage here.

Significant uplifts

Let’s return to our opening topic of valuations for a moment. Invest Europe, an association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors has published Listed Private Equity Insights: Validating Valuations, a report setting out to substantiate asset valuation levels typically set by listed private equity managers.

For my takeaways from the report, take a look at the premium Wire here.

That’s all from me this morning. Michael Schoeck will be with you later with the US edition of the Wire, which will include the exciting announcement for PE Hub’s Deal of the Year Awards. Irien Joseph will be with you tomorrow with the Europe edition.

Cheers,

Nina

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...