techUK conference: Is the UK ready for the future of compute?

Is the UK ready for the future of compute?

22 June 2022 – 14:00 – 16:30

Please note that due to the impact of the national rail strikes on transport in and around London in the week of 20-26 June this event will now be online only. 

Join techUK and leading industry stakeholders for a half-day conference exploring the convergence of cloud services with high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies. 

Cloud services offer a significant route to market for capital-intensive capabilities like machine learning and supercomputing, making it easier for organisations across the UK to unlock the power of data and solve the toughest challenges of the years ahead.

The convergence of cloud computing with HPC, AI and quantum is also democratising access to deep tech and empowering a broader range of organisations with powerful data-driven insights and problem-solving capabilities.

At this exciting juncture, where these technologies could accelerate digital transformation and be a catalyst for research and innovation, identifying new areas of commercial opportunity could make the UK a significant world leader in next generation computing.

But what does this mean for our innovation ecosystem, and are UK businesses and workers ready to harness the power of these technologies?

Agenda

14:00 - Sue Daley, Director of Tech and Innovation at techUK

14:05 - Chris Philp MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Opening remarks 

14:15 - Dr Ilana Wisby, Founder & CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits

The transformative potential of quantum computing and quantum-as-a-service (QaaS) as a route to commercialisation.

14:35 - Michael Gleaves, Deputy Director at the Hartree Centre

Accelerating adoption of HPC, AI and quantum computing by UK industry

15:00 - Panel Session – Is the UK ready for the future of compute? 

Adrian Lovell, CTO for HPE UK, Brett StClair, Co-Founder of Teraflow.ai, David Snelling, Program Director of  Artificial Intelligence at Fujitsu UK, Professor Tom Rodden, Chief Scientific Advisor at DCMS, and Sue Daley, Director of Tech & Innovation at techUK

• Where are HPC, quantum, AI, and cloud converging to develop new use cases and how can industry and government work together to further develop this market?
• What is the role of cloud in our innovation ecosystem and how can the UK harness the potential of cloud to be a catalyst for R&D?
• How can we ensure this broader and more accessible innovation ecosystem is underpinned by sound ethical principles and trusted, secure, and portable data?
• How do we ensure the UK workforce has the skills and knowledge to identify opportunities to leverage these technologies and add value to their organisations?
• Is the UK’s data policy supportive of R&D conducted in the cloud?

16:00 - Adrian Bradley, Head of Cloud Transformation at KPMG

Closing remarks

This conference builds on the ongoing work of techUK’s cloud computing programme and quantum commercialisation campaign and looks ahead to the “future of compute” review announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement.

Rory Daniels

Senior Programme Manager, Emerging Technologies

Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.

During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.

Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.

Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.

This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.

Email:

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/

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Laura Foster

Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK

Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.

She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology

Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.

Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.

Email:

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalicefoster

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Elis Thomas

Programme Manager, Tech and Innovation, techUK

Elis joined techUK in December 2023 as a Programme Manager for Tech and Innovation, focusing on Semiconductors and Digital ID.

He previously worked at an advocacy group for tech startups, with a regional focus on Wales. This involved policy research on innovation, skills and access to finance.

Elis has a Degree in History, and a Masters in Politics and International Relations from the University of Winchester, with a focus on the digitalisation and gamification of armed conflicts.

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.techuk.org/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elis-thomas-49a1aa1a1/

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