VivaTech 2026

VivaTech 2026 is the 10th edition of Europe's largest technology and startup conference, held at the Porte de Versailles in Paris from June 17 to 20, 2026. This year's edition focuses on AI, sovereignty, defense, cybersecurity, and energy, a more geopolitical agenda than previous consumer-focused editions. Germany is Country of the Year.

VivaTech 2026 runs from June 17 to June 20, 2026, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced commitments to build more than 20 AI factories across Europe, delivering over 3,000 exaflops of Blackwell compute for sovereign AI. Key deals: Mistral AI (France) deploying 18,000 Grace Blackwell systems; Germany getting the world's first industrial AI cloud with 10,000 Blackwell GPUs; UK adding 14,000 Blackwell GPUs via Nebius and Nscale. Huang declared: 'AI is the essential infrastructure of our time.'

European AI sovereignty refers to Europe's push to build independent AI infrastructure, data centers, compute, models, and cloud platforms, so the continent is not wholly dependent on US or Chinese technology giants. At VivaTech 2026, the French and German ministers issued a joint call to action, arguing Europe must act now or become a bystander in the decade's defining technological shift. Nvidia's AI factory commitments are a concrete step toward that goal.

On June 17, the French and German economy and digital ministers made a joint declaration calling for urgent action on European AI sovereignty. They cited the risk that 'rules can change overnight' (referencing US AI export controls) and argued Europe must build domestic compute, open models, and independent cloud infrastructure. Germany is also developing a national data center strategy targeting a quadrupling of AI capacity by 2030.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered the high-profile keynote at VivaTech 2026, announcing Europe's AI factory buildout and calling AI 'the essential infrastructure of our time.' The conference also featured senior French and German government ministers on stage to announce their bilateral AI sovereignty push.

Mistral AI, the French AI startup, is deploying 18,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell systems in the first phase of France's sovereign AI infrastructure buildout, announced at VivaTech 2026. This is one of the largest European AI compute commitments to date and positions Mistral as a central player in France's AI strategy.

VivaTech 2026 has a mix of ticket options. The conference runs June 17-20 in Paris; professional/business passes require purchase. Public days (typically the last day) may be available at reduced cost or free. Check vivatech.com for the latest ticketing details.

Germany is VivaTech's Country of the Year 2026, with the largest German delegation in the conference's history: 800 square metres of floor space, 200 startups, 14 German states (Länder) represented, and 12 governmental entities. Germany is also the site of the world's first industrial AI cloud for European manufacturers, powered by 10,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs.