As Britain sharpens its ambition to become a global technology superpower, The Times and Sunday Times Tech Summit 2025 will bring together the nation’s most influential voices in technology, business and policy to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Taking place on Tuesday, October 21, this year’s summit will focus on Britain’s pursuit of technological leadership — from artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the critical infrastructure and regulation shaping the next decade of innovation.

Join us for The Times and Sunday Times Tech Summit 2025 and be part of the conversations shaping Britain’s technological future. The event is sponsored by Google Chrome Enterprise, PwC, Sky and VodafoneThree.

Agenda for the event

09.15 – 10.00: Registration and breakfast

Homegrown tech, global ambition
The UK has set its sights on becoming an AI superpower by 2030 — but does it have the investment, infrastructure and regulatory support to match its ambition? Two British firms, Luminance and Graphcore, share their contrasting experiences of scaling on the global stage. They will be joined by the founding director of Downing Street’s data team, who helped bring AI into the heart of government decision-making.
Hosted by Katie Prescott
Speakers: Eleanor Lightbody (Luminance), Nigel Toon (Graphcore), Dr Laura Gilbert (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)

Collage of headshots of a blonde woman, a man, and a brunette woman, all smiling.

Eleanor Lightbody, Nigel Toon, Laura Gilbert

In conversation: Sophia Ahmad, chief consumer officer, Sky
A dive into the customer centric evolution of Sky’s broadband and mobile business, with a focus on game-changing connectivity innovation. Discover the story behind Sky Glass and the bold challenges of launching revolutionary products. Plus, how AI is transforming Sky’s business and unlocking opportunities.
Hosted by Alexis Conran
Speaker: Sophia Ahmad

Ahmad in a circular frame with a purple and blue gradient background.

11.00 – 11.20: Coffee Break

In conversation: Colin Jarvis, global head of forward deployed engineering, Open AI
In this live recording of The Business podcast from The Times, hosts Hannah Prevett and Dominic O’Connell will explore how agentic AI is reshaping the world of work, as businesses face the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution. The session begins with a fireside chat with Colin Jarvis, global head of forward deployed engineering at Open AI, followed by a panel discussion to examine how the largest employers are preparing their workforces for the future.
Hosted by Hannah Prevett and Dominic O’Connell
Speakers: Colin Jarvis (Open AI)

Man wearing a lavalier microphone.

Reshaping Britain’s workforce
Recorded for The Business podcast from The Times in partnership with PwC, this session explores how agentic AI is redefining productivity and preparing the UK workforce for the future.
Hosted by Hannah Prevett and Dominic O’Connell
Speakers: Dr Seth Dobrin (Qantm AI), Umang Paw (PwC UK), Danielle Gilliam-Moore (Salesforce)

Collage of three black and white headshots of Dobrin, Paw, and DGM against colorful backgrounds.

Seth Dobrin, Umang Paw, Danielle Gilliam-Moore

Powering a digital future
Given AI’s soaring energy demands, can the UK’s infrastructure keep pace with its tech ambitions? In the following sessions, we will meet three innovators building a more sustainable future and helping businesses reconcile their digital transformation without losing sight of their net-zero goals.
Speakers: Greg Jackson (Octopus Energy), Sir Stephen Lovegrove (Rolls Royce SMR), Mike Intrator (CoreWeave)

Collage of three black and white headshots of men with colorful backgrounds.

Greg Jackson, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Mike Intrator

Keeping Britain resilient
As hostile states ramp up cyberattacks on national infrastructure and private companies alike, AI is making these threats faster, smarter and harder to stop. Learn how businesses can stay ahead of the threat as ransom demands and recovery costs soar into the millions.
Speakers: Caroline Louveaux (Mastercard), Jill Popelka (Darktrace), Etienne De Burgh (Google Cloud)

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Caroline Louveaux, Jill Popelka, Etienne De Burgh

13.00 – 14.00: Lunch break

In conversation: Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology
With the UK tech sector nearing a trillion-pound valuation, and a £1 billion government investment set to boost national compute capacity by a fifth, the momentum is unmistakable. But in a world rapidly reshaping amid rising geopolitical tension and techno-nationalism, how secure is that trajectory – and what will it take to stay ahead?
Hosted by Lord Hague of Richmond

Collage of two headshots of Hague and Kendall.

Lord Hague and Liz Kendall

AI in copyright
Generative AI’s advances have been fuelled by enormous volumes of high-quality content which power the technology, such as literature, news articles and academic tracts. But disputes have flared between the creative industries and tech companies over the use of copyrighted material, sometimes without consent or payment, leading to a raft of lawsuits and payouts. Robert Thomson, News Corp’s chief executive is at the forefront of these existential discussions, which will decide the future of tech and media. He secured early deals with the AI giants to pay for news content, while taking a hard line against malpractice. His insistence that creators be paid for their work has shaped industry consensus, setting the template for AI–media agreements that aim to balance innovation with fair reward for authors, journalists and musicians.
Hosted By Katie Prescott
Speaker: Robert Thomson (News Corp)

Headshot of a man with glasses and a patterned shirt.

The transport revolution
From self-driving cars to flying taxis, technologies once confined to science fiction are fast approaching reality. Hear from the pioneers bringing them to Britain’s skies — and tackling the big question: is the public ready to take the leap?
Hosted by Danny Fortson
Speakers: Saswat Panigrahi (Waymo), Eric Allison (Joby Aviation), Sarah Gates (Wayve)

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Saswat Panigrahi, Eric Allison, Sarah Gates

Quantum’s commercial leap
The global race for quantum supremacy is one of the most coveted technological prizes on the horizon — and the UK’s world-leading universities have given it a valuable head start. How will it transform industries from banking to big pharma — and, crucially, what risks come with unlocking such immense power?
Hosted by Tom Whipple
Speaker: Ilyas Khan (Quantinuum)

Headshot of Illyas Khan, a bald man wearing glasses, a dark jacket, and a tie, smiling.

Trust in the Digital Age
One of the internet’s most influential pioneers will discuss the themes from his forthcoming book, The Seven Rules of Trust. Drawing on his experience building the world’s largest collaborative knowledge project, Jimmy Wales will explore how trust, transparency and institutions are essential to digital resilience.
Hosted by Katie Prescott and Danny Fortson
Speaker: Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia)

Headshot of Jimmy Wales.

How to save the internet
The former deputy prime minister and ex-president of global affairs at Meta brings a unique perspective after 15 years at the heart of Westminster and Silicon Valley. In this conversation with Josh Glancy, associate editor of The Sunday Times, he will argue that only global co-operation — not competing national silos — can keep the internet open, resilient and trustworthy.
Hosted by Josh Glancy
Speaker: Sir Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg.

Created in collaboration
The Times and Sunday Times Tech Summit programme has been developed by Katie Prescott, technology business editor at The Times, and Edward Roussel, head of digital at The Times and Sunday Times, alongside contributions from Tom Whipple, Ben Spencer, Hannah Prevett and Dominic O’Connell from The Times, The Sunday Times and Times Radio.