AI in the industrial world (Guest blog by AVEVA)

Aveva's Théo Farineau argues that industrial AI could underpin the Prime Minister’s ambition to “re-industrialise” the UK, but only if infrastructure and innovation clusters can share data as a connected system. He calls on government to work with industry on common standards, accountability and pilot funding to unlock trusted data sharing at scale.

Elis Thomas, from techUK, argues that AI convergence with other frontier technologies happens on the chip, which makes semiconductors central to the UK’s AI ambitions. He sets out the UK’s strengths and the short window to use them, and calls for a joined-up convergence strategy from government.

Welcome to the latest edition of Dispatch from Brussels, techUK's bi-monthly update on the European policy developments shaping the operating environment for UK technology companies.

Dr Shameena Bonomally of Page White Farrer explores how quantum, photonic and neuromorphic computing are emerging alongside silicon, each suited to different AI workloads. She argues that the UK should plan for how these technologies integrate from the outset, putting it in a position to lead on hybrid systems for AI.

Jérôme Toublanc of Synopsys argues that, as AI drives up demand for energy, the defining challenge is no longer just building more compute but turning finite power into useful compute. He explains how multi-die architectures, multiphysics-aware engineering and agentic AI are reshaping semiconductor design, and why the UK should invest in the skills and collaboration needed to lead.

Dr Kostas Katsaros of Digital Catapult explains how AI is turning telecoms networks into autonomous systems that can predict faults, optimise performance and manage growing demand and cyber threats. He sets out why AI-native networks will define the next decade of UK connectivity, and how Digital Catapult is helping make sure they’re deployed safely and sustainably.