Digital technology in Atlantic France: a dynamic and attractive sector

Do you want to boost the performance of your business with digital technology? Are you looking to integrate a rich tech ecosystem to develop your digital solutions? Atlantic France is definitely the place to be!

Private companies, startups, collaborative networks, research centres or higher education establishments… Atlantic France brings together an ecosystem of innovative and efficient players who contribute to the influence of the digital sector.

The city of Nantes is labelled as the “French Tech capital”, and as well as this, the 5 departments of Atlantic France received a “French Tech Community” label. The region, therefore, affirms its ambition and stands out as a Tech & Fab territory; the objective is for digital technology to service the industry.

The 3 key digital sectors of Atlantic France 

Whether they are mature or still emerging, these 3 digital sectors have one thing in common: they are industry-oriented. A proudly chosen and differentiating positioning which characterises Atlantic France, the top French industrial region in terms of jobs!

 1/ Immersive technologies

The choice was made more than 20 years ago to invest in the sector of virtual and augmented reality. In Atlantic France (and particularly in Mayenne and in Laval) skills in VR/AR were developed and significant investments were made in the immersive technologies market.

Since 1996, companies have benefited from the Technological resource centre Clarté, a France-based, unique hub of expertise in deploying VR/AR to serve, in particular, the innovation of industrial processes. With the Laval Virtual Centre, the region can even boast of hosting the first international hub for virtual and augmented reality. This event and other innovation hubs, such as the Technocampus Smart Factory, are the pillars to the richness that the Atlantic France region offers, in order to accelerate the digital transformation of companies.

I am interested in the immersive technologies market

2/ Data & Artificial intelligence

DIVA (Digital Innovation Value Accelerator) is the Digital innovation hub of Atlantic France. This service is positioned as a one-stop shop which supports companies from Atlantic France with deploying artificial intelligence within their organisation. Ameliorating data exploitation to improve performance, increasing productivity, optimising flows, automating smartly or making the right decisions… Artificial intelligence is today a lever for growth and innovation for many business sectors.

Led by Atlanpole, Atlantic France’s territorial innovation hub, and EMC2, the manufacturing technology competitiveness cluster, DIVA brings together the main regional players in the digital transformation sector. It has also been pre-selected by the French State to apply for the European call EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub).

I am interested in the Data market and artificial intelligence

3/ Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a major issue and the Atlantic France regional council is fiercely passionate about this subject. An action plan is also being written because the territory wishes to become a leader in data protection. The integrity of businesses in Atlantic France is also a priority and the responses to be provided for businesses are numerous. Raising awareness, educating, support, but also implementing efficient solutions to counter intrusions; regional private players, such as Digitemis or Almond, are already very active in this market.

The Atlantic France regional authority is also a shareholder in the new ​​Campus Cyber in Paris – La Défense. A project to create a regional branch of this showcase place of cybersecurity in France is even being explored…

Atlantic France is committed to responsible digital technology

Today, digital technology makes it possible to achieve remarkable progress in the scientific, ecological or societal fields. More than ever, it is useful for people and for society. In Atlantic France, many initiatives are moving in this direction.

ADN Ouest, which is the largest network of digital professionals in Western France and brings together more than 600 players, is committed to responsible development. The association leads a community dedicated to this subject and raises everyone’s awareness of a more sober use of digital technology on a daily basis.

The region is also recognised for its expertise in eco-design. Many companies from Atlantic France aim to integrate environmental aspects into the design and development of their products. The Nantes-based company Greenspector offers unique solutions dedicated to the sobriety and performance of digital services. As for the Green Code Lab community, it works towards more sustainable and responsible software development.

The reconditioning of devices and the reusing of equipment also present a challenge for the future and Atlantic France intends to play a role in this growing market. Opportunities are being explored to offer Atlantic France businesses a real range of services.

Count on Atlantic France for digital technology!

As you will have understood, whether you are a digital player or a company that relies on digital technology to accelerate its development, all the conditions are met in Atlantic France to make your implementation project a success.

It is not for nothing that Atlantic France hosts promising companies like Akeneo and iAdvize, two startups that recently joined Next40/120, (a programme that supports the most promising French Tech companies).

Did you also know that the companies Doctolib and Alan recently chose Atlantic France as the location for their first regional establishment?