With the rapid adoption of AI and Machine Learning, the implications and challenges for its supporting digital infrastructure in the UK are becoming more apparent. Needless to say, this uptake will change the face of the digital infrastructure sector and cloud providers, which will need to upgrade to transition into accelerated computing and generative AI.
Some of the challenges that have surfaced include reports identifying this growth to be resource intensive, from energy to water, with a simultaneous push for further sustainability and to meet ambitious net zero targets. Furthermore, earlier this year techUK published its AI Adoption in the UK report which highlighted insufficient compute infrastructure as being one of the most significant barriers to AI adoption.
Join techUK for a Chatham House Rules in-person roundtable hosted by Shoosmiths, where AI companies will have the opportunity to forecast what future demand for compute from data centres may look like within their organisations, to ensure that data centres and the digital infrastructure sector have the provisions in place to meet the growing demand from the sector.
Against the backdrop of an upcoming general election, the roundtable will provide a forum to gather industry insights and put forward recommendations to government in order to realise the UK's AI potential.
Indicative agenda
- 15:00 - Arrival
- 15:30 - Welcome by Liam Phillips - Partner at Shoosmiths
- 15:45 - Presentation by Chris Woodward - UK Public Sector, Defence and Security Director at Nvidia
- 16:00 - Presentation by Spencer Lamb - CCO at Kao Data
- 16:15 - Break
- 16:30 - Panel Discussion:
- Chair: Katherine Holden - Head of Data Analytics, AI and Digital ID at techUK
- Alex Kirkhope - Partner at Shoosmiths
- Spencer Lamb - CCO at Kao Data
- Mark Turner - CCO at Pulsant
- Rob Cooper - Head of Data Centre Advisory & Transaction Services at CBRE
- Dr Martin O'Reilly - Director of Research Engineering at the Alan Turing Institute
- Chris Woodward - UK Public Sector, Defence and Security Director at Nvidia
- 17:00 - Q&A
- 17.30 - Networking
Speakers:
Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for its ability to focus on what matters.
From offices across the UK and Brussels, the firm supports some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact.
Shoosmiths empowers its people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The firm has won prestigious industry awards, such as ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the Legal Business Awards 2022, ‘Legal Team of the Year’ at the Estates Gazette Awards 2022 and has been recognised for being the most active law firm advising on corporate transactions across the UK (Experian, 2022). The firm has also been ranked by the Financial Times as one of the most innovative law firms in Europe (FT Innovative Lawyers Report, 2023). Shoosmiths’ innovative approach is also embodied in its non-legal solutions for clients, which complement its technical legal expertise.
The firm also believes in supporting the communities in which it operates, and it is firmly on its ESG journey, with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validating near-term science-based emissions reduction targets, and launching grant-making body ‘The Shoosmiths Foundation’. To find out more about Shoosmiths and the positive impact the firm is making across its clients, people, and ESG and innovations, please visit: Impact report 2023 (shoosmiths.com).
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