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The 2025 edition of London Tech Week kicked off with so much excitement and fanfare. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took the center stage, delivering a resounding speech revealing his tech-driven ambition for the UK. The event’s opening keynote wasn’t just speeches. It also came packed with serious funding announcements and partnerships designed to cement the UK’s role as a global AI powerhouse.
Big Money, Big Plans: The UK’s AI Push
Prime Minister Starmer didn’t hold back. He unveiled a £1 billion public investment to boost the country’s computing capacity, aiming to increase it by 20 folds. His message was clear: Britain shouldn’t just be a consumer of AI but a creator. “We must be an AI maker, not an AI taker,” he declared, framing the investment as essential for homegrown innovation.
But the UK government isn’t going to do it alone. Starmer also highlighted a £1.5 million commitment from fintech giant Liquidity, which is setting up its European HQ in London. He described the fintech‘s move as a “vote of confidence in Britain,” and tied it to the government’s AI Opportunity Action Plan, a roadmap for tech dominance rolled out earlier this year.
Skills, Inclusion, and the Future Workforce
Beyond hardware and funding, the goal of the UK government is ensuring AI benefits everyone, not just tech elites. Starmer announced a public-private skills initiative involving 11 major companies to train 7.5 million UK workers in AI by 2030.
Tech giant and chipmaker Nvidia will partner with the UK government to ramp up homegrown talent development. Nvidia has also vowed to significantly raise its investment in the UK. Meanwhile, a new ‘tech-first’ program will equip 1 million young people with digital skills, backed by £187 million for AI in education. That cash will fund:
- AI integration into secondary school curricula.
- University research scholarships
- Support for small businesses hiring tech talent.
“We should be able to look every parent in the eye, in every region, and say: This is what technology can do for you,” Starmer said, emphasising nationwide opportunity.
Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO Joins the Stage
The keynote address took a different turn when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang entered the stage. In his speech, he compared AI to electricity in the 19th century and the internet in the 21st century. “AI is more than just tech. It is infrastructure,” he stated. “It’s going to reshape every industry, so we must treat it that way.”
Huang doubled down on Starmer’s inclusivity message, calling AI “the great equaliser.” Thanks to generative tools, he explained, coding isn’t just for experts anymore. Natural language is the new programming language…almost anybody can carry out computer programming using natural language. That’s the revolution.”
Credit: City AM
Huang also gave the UK a mix of praise and a reality check, calling it home to “the world’s largest AI ecosystem without its own infrastructure, making the £1 billion investment a game-changer.
Starmer wrapped up by stressing public-private teamwork: “Our AI future won’t be built by government or business alone but by both together.”
Notable Figures at London Tech Week 2025
The event isn’t just about policy. It’s a convergence of prominent tech giants, innovators, and thinkers. Alongside UK’s Prime Minister Starmer and Nvidia’s CEO, Huang, this year’s speakers include:
- Arthur Mensch (CEO, Mistral AI)
- Dame Melanie Dawes (Head of Ofcom)
- Peter Kyle MP (UK Science & Tech Secretary)
- Professor Brian Cox (Physicist & Science Communicator)
- Darren Hardman (Microsoft UK CEO)
- Sir Tim Berners-Lee (Web Inventor, CTO & Co-Founder, Inrupt)
- Jean Innes (CEO, Alan Turing Institute)
- Markus Villig (Founder & CEO, Bolt)
- Tanuja Randery (Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Middle East & Africa EMEA, AWS).
With discussions spanning AI ethics, regulation, and breakthrough tech, London Tech Week 2025 is shaping up to be a defining moment for the UK’s digital future.
The opening day of the London Tech Week 2025 indicates that the UK isn’t just playing catch-up in AI. It is in the race to lead. And with billions on the table and big names backing the UK’s tech ambition, the stakes have never been higher.
