VivaTech is marking its 10th edition this month with a bigger footprint—and a sharper political edge—as France and its European partners push “digital sovereignty” in a tech landscape dominated by U.S. cloud giants and Chinese platforms.
The conference opened on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday before moving to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, where it runs Wednesday, June 18 through Friday, June 20. Organizers say the show now spans 70,000 square meters—about 753,000 square feet—up from 50,000 square meters (about 538,000 square feet) last year.
This year’s official theme is “Artificial intelligence, impact, not illusion,” a signal that VivaTech wants fewer flashy demos and more real-world deployments—from cybersecurity and health care to green tech.
A bigger VivaTech, with 170 countries represented
Co-organized by Groupe Les Echos–Le Parisien, VivaTech 2026 brings together delegations from 170 countries, with 60 national pavilions on site. In 2025, the event drew 180,000 visitors, 14,000 startups, and 3,500 exhibitors from 171 countries.
Germany, not the U.S., takes the spotlight as guest of honor
In a notable shift, VivaTech’s guest of honor this year isn’t American—it’s Germany. The German delegation includes nearly 200 startups spanning fields from AI to greentech.
Germany’s digital minister, Karsten Wilderger, is attending alongside executives from Siemens and SAP. The choice is widely read as a Franco-German bid to carry more weight against U.S. hyperscalers and Chinese tech giants, at a moment when relations with Washington are described as tense.
France’s Caisse des Dépôts—a public financial institution with a long-running mandate to serve the public interest—used VivaTech to put sovereignty at the center of its digital strategy roadmap. “Collective action has more impact than individual efforts: innovation never happens in isolation,” the institution said.
Regional French startups push “sovereign” alternatives
Beyond Paris-based corporate heavyweights, regional players are using VivaTech to argue that Europe’s tech future won’t be built only in capital cities.
One of the most striking examples is Oreus, backed by a consortium described as 100% Marseille-based. The project is positioning itself as a French alternative to global hyperscalers, with an initial investment of €800 million (about $864 million) supported by Emirati capital. Organizers say the platform combines “sovereign” computing power with tools for designing AI agents, and that “AI campuses” are planned in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence to train and incubate local talent.
Another Marseille startup, Vocast, is betting on voice messages as a core feature of customer interfaces—an attempt to make user journeys feel less impersonal by using audio as the channel for redesigned customer relationships.
In Meyreuil, Sharing Worker is pitching an Internet of Things approach to jobsite safety. The company’s sensors are designed to detect collision and fall risks in real time.
France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is also leaning into the moment, bringing a delegation that is 80% renewed compared with the previous edition.
Big companies pitch sovereignty, too—La Poste, GE Vernova, Capgemini
Major corporations are also using VivaTech to frame their strategies around trusted digital services and control over critical infrastructure.
La Poste highlighted industrial innovations aimed at improving employee safety, its “digital trust” services, and an immersive experience focused on environmental challenges. “To innovate at La Poste is to constantly adapt, to continue our transformation so we can remain at the service of everyone, useful to each person,” the group said.
GE Vernova emphasized the link between energy and technology. “Our partnership with VivaTech reflects the growing convergence between energy and technology,” said Philippe Piron, a company representative.
Capgemini, meanwhile, described its approach as pairing startup agility with the company’s ability to deploy at scale. “I see VivaTech as a point of convergence, a place where we all share a passion for technology,” said the group’s Global Innovation Director.
Safia Limousin of Envision captured the tone of the edition this way: “Innovation is no longer about improving components, but about making entire energy systems smarter, more autonomous and adaptive.”
A shift in French Tech: more scientists, deeper tech
A broader change is also running through this year’s show. Les Echos reports that mathematicians, physicists, and chemists are increasingly driving a renewal in “French Tech,” pushing into AI, quantum, and energy—and arguing that Europe can be a hub for foundational innovation, not just consumer-facing applications.
“We are in a phase of innovation that is much more technological than the previous one,” the report summarizes.
Transatlantic pressure adds urgency to Europe’s AI push
The international backdrop is adding urgency to the sovereignty message. Les Echos reports that Donald Trump has barred non-Americans from accessing Anthropic’s advanced AI models—a move that, according to the same report, could benefit Chinese tech giants positioned to fill the gap.
In that context, VivaTech 2026 is being framed as more than a trade show: a test of what Europe can credibly build—and control—at a moment when access to leading AI systems is becoming a geopolitical lever.
