Inside the sprawling halls of VivaTech, one of Europe’s largest technology shows, BBC presenter Shiona McCallum weaves through crowds to try on the latest wearable tech — devices that may soon be as common in UK homes as they are on the exhibition floor in Paris. The 2026 edition of the event, recorded for the BBC World Service programme Tech Life, showcases a future where smart clothing and augmented-reality glasses are no longer prototypes but products ready for the workplace.
But beneath the buzz of innovation lies a quieter, more contentious story. McCallum also speaks to the head of a major global data centre company about the challenges facing an industry that powers the very devices on display. Data centres, the unseen backbone of modern digital life, are central to how we stream, work and connect. Yet their enormous energy consumption and environmental footprint have made them a target for critics.
“Shiona McCallum visits VivaTech in Paris, testing wearable tech and interviewing a data centre boss about industry challenges.”
In the conversation — part of a 26-minute episode aired on 23 June 2026 — the executive outlines the pressures facing his sector: rising demand for cloud storage, the push for net-zero operations and local opposition to new facilities. The interview, produced by Tom Quinn, offers a rare glimpse into the tensions between technological progress and its physical infrastructure.
As McCallum moves from hands-on demos to hard questions, VivaTech itself becomes a stage for the central paradox of the digital age: the same industry promising revolutionary tools must also defend the vast, energy-hungry systems that make them possible. For UK listeners, the implications are immediate — from the data centres being built on the outskirts of British towns to the wearable devices that may soon monitor their health.