IT innovation, research and development

Innovating for the arts at Royal Ballet and Opera

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how virtual reality and other tech innovations are helping Royal Ballet and Opera to stage world-class performances. After a spate of banking IT outages, we examine why further bank crashes are inevitable. And our new buyer’s guide looks at how to get started with small language models for AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Danish supercomputer to drive innovation

Supercomputer project will add a competitive edge to drive innovation and growth among Denmark’s enterprises and research organisations Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Virtual reality enterprise journey a marathon, not a sprint

IT supplier is using virtual reality in not-for-profit projects that demonstrate its wider potential Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UKtech50 2025 – help us find the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year's list Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: Tomer Cohen, chief product officer, LinkedIn

The professional social network’s product chief is leading the introduction of artificial intelligence for the firm’s in-house development processes and to enhance services for users Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

StarHub trials first 5G cloud RAN network in Southeast Asia

Singapore telco trials cloud-based radio access network, unlocking new enterprise services and laying the groundwork for advanced 5G and 6G capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Gmail ‘bubble’ encryption may be an S/MIME killer, says Google

Marking the 21st anniversary of Gmail, Google is preparing to roll out an end-to-end encryption standard for its email service in hopes of democratising encryption and leaving old standards in the dust Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Singapore researchers are using AI to fight Parkinson’s disease

Singapore researchers are using Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold to understand the intricate protein interactions at play in Parkinson's disease, paving the way for potential diagnostics and treatments Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Reassessing UK law enforcement data adequacy

Computer Weekly takes stock of proposed changes to the UK’s law enforcement data protection rules and how it could affect data adequacy with the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK law enforcement data adequacy at risk

The UK government says reforms to police data protection rules will help to simplify law enforcement data processing, but critics argue the changes will lower protection to the point where the UK risks losing its European data adequacy Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Government sends data scientists to AI school

Public sector data scientists will learn how to become artificial intelligence (AI) engineers as part of government scheme to upskill civil servants Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK public expresses strong support for AI regulation

Most of the UK public have experienced an AI-related harm and say they want laws introduced to regulate the technology, according to national survey by the Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing Institutes Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What happened when a tech journalist experimented with AI on a PC?

Google Gemma, Meta Llama, Mistral and DeepSeek can all be downloaded free of charge for use on a personal machine without paying for online services or exposing your data to the cloud. But what are the results? Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT

Research team demonstrates certified quantum randomness

A 56-qubit trapped ion quantum computer from Quantinuum has demonstrated quantum supremacy as a random number generator Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Selangor teams up with Google Cloud on AI

The Teraju AI Selangor initiative will provide state agencies with access to Google Cloud’s AI tools and training to build AI applications in areas such as education and healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use AI to catch wealthy tax dodgers

HMRC’s use of artificial intelligence is one of many initiatives outlined in Chancellor’s Spring Statement Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Deutsches Forschungsnetz accelerates research with green IP network

IP network upgrade designed to give German national research and education network enhanced access to critical resources and more efficient collaboration with interface speeds up to 800 Gbps, increased capacity and 75% reduced power consumption Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Military AI caught in tension between speed and control

The use of artificial intelligence in military contexts can unlock a range of benefits for defence organisations, but also highlights a clear tension between speed and control baked into the technology Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Gartner on agentic AI: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to Gartner’s Anushree Verma about the route from robotic process automation to agentic AI in corporate IT Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government needs to fix tech staff hiring process, says Whitehall’s AI boss

Giving evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, tech experts highlighted the lack of clarity on data exchange, the need for the new Government Digital Service to execute, and a lack of actual tech experts Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

ETSI launches first post-quantum encryption standard

European telco standards body launches its first post-quantum cryptography cyber standard, covering the security of critical data and communications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Sean Green, Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck University interim CIO got a taste for the ‘exciting’ and ‘challenging’ role of a tech leader in higher education while in his previous role at the University of East Anglia Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The Netherlands bets on brain-inspired computing for a greener future

The Netherlands is building a neuromorphic computing ecosystem, harnessing brain-inspired tech for unprecedented energy efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

How Jetstar is tapping data analytics

Low-cost carrier Jetstar is using the Snowflake data platform to optimise the number of meals to carry onboard and to generate flight schedules, among other data analytics initiatives to improve its operations Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

NCSC proposes three-step plan to move to quantum-safe encryption

The NCSC urges service providers, large organisations and critical sectors to start thinking today about how they will migrate to post-quantum cryptography over the next decade Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Snowflake founders reveal ‘cuckoo cloud’ vision that disrupted big data

Benoit Dageville and Thierry Cruanes reveal the journey that led to their data platform, their bet against Hadoop and why they still code on weekends to stay connected to their creation Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

Air New Zealand takes off with digital transformation deal

The airline aims to become a digital leader with TCS’s help to improve fleet management, crew scheduling and ground services through the use of artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Cinema is given a new lease of life by Danes and data

Those who think that cinema is dying out are failing to see the full picture and move with the times, according to Danish entertainment company Nordisk Film Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

DeepMind founder warns of compounding AI agent errors

Artificial general intelligence may be years away, but in the meantime, organisations are being urged to adopt agent technology Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Novel encryption technology tests add value to Finland’s quantum computer project

Tests carried out at Telia will support the building of a secure quantum network Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

UK tech growth is vibrant - now scale it to the world

The UK has proved its credentials for creating innovative tech startups - but has more to do when it comes to supporting those companies in scaling up their business to global success Continue Reading

By

• Russ Shaw, Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates

AI Action Summit review: Differing views cast doubt on AI’s ability to benefit whole of society

Governments, companies and civil society groups gathered at the third global AI summit to discuss how the technology can work for the benefit of everyone in society, but experts say competing imperatives mean there is no guarantee these visions will win out Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Will Whitehall withstand Starmer’s AI revolution?

As the prime minister sets out plans for the use of artificial intelligence to take over civil service tasks, Computer Weekly looks at potential challenges and concerns around the decision Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Starmer to send AI tech teams into government departments

In his plans to reform the state, the prime minister is pushing for artificial intelligence to take on tasks for civil servants and calling time on NHS England Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government announces inevitable end to Payments Services Regulator

The government has abolished the Payments Services Regulator and will move responsibilities to Financial Conduct Authority Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digitally mapping the world

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how digital twins are mapping our planet to guide strategic decisions such as environmental policies. Liverpool City Council explains how a digital overhaul will transform customer experience. And we find out what it takes to become a cyber security entrepreneur. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

David Willetts to chair Regulatory Innovation Office

The former science minister will lead the Regulatory Innovation Office, which aims to remove barriers and outdated regulations to speed up the road to market for innovative products and services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Going beyond search: Elastic’s observability and security play

Elastic’s chief product officer Ken Exner talks up the company’s expansion into observability and security and how it balances innovation with community contributions and monetisation Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Few UK organisations ready to seize agentic AI opportunity

Agentic AI promises to automate manually intensive tasks intelligently, yet few business leaders feel their organisation is ready to deploy it Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cutting the costs of AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we analyse how the emergence of the DeepSeek AI model shows how the cost of deploying artificial intelligence is coming down. Samsung put a UK tech startup at the heart of its latest flagship smartphone launch – we talk to its founder. And we look at a transport industry project looking to optimise road haulage to reduce carbon emissions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

What the UK is getting right (and wrong) about AI adoption

The government's promotion of AI is necessary, but risks missing the vital importance of enabling and encouraging businesses to adopt AI in pursuit of greater productivity Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Poole, Here East

Digital Disruption, the Future of Work, and the Evolving Role of Print

Digital disruption continues to reshape the business landscape, impacting how we work and the tools we use. Quocirca's "In the Spotlight Special Edition" series, featuring interviews with leading ... Continue Reading

By

• Louella Fernandes, Quocirca

Nvidia CEO claims reasoning models will boost GPU demand

The availability of the DeepSeek-R1 model resulted in a big drop in Nvidia’s share price, but CEO Jensen Huang believes this is just a blip Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Alibaba Cloud open sources video foundation models

The Chinese tech giant releases Tongyi Wanxiang 2.1 family of video foundation models as open source, including a smaller version enabling video creation on standard laptops Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Everything, everywhere, all at once: automated decision-making in public services

Despite the UK government's fervent embrace of artificial intelligence, there is still little meaningful transparency around the scope of the technology's deployment throughout public services Continue Reading

By

• Jasleen Chaggar, Big Brother Watch

Lord Holmes warns of increasingly ‘urgent’ need to regulate AI

The real-world negative impacts of artificial intelligence will only get worse if the UK does not move to regulate the technology in a way that centres on accountability, trust and public participation, says Lord Holmes Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Quantum innovation balances on commercial tightrope

While there is plenty of innovation in quantum technology, the industry needs greater collaboration to develop commercially viable systems Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The AI imperative: Why APAC telcos can’t afford to wait

Telcos across Asia-Pacific are placing major bets on AI, recognising it as the key to unlocking future growth and relevance. But for those who hesitate, the cost of inaction could be their very survival Continue Reading

By

• Edwin Lin

Zendesk to acquire Local Measure, boosting AI-powered voice capabilities

The acquisition will strengthen Zendesk’s contact centre offering and integration with Amazon Connect, targeting larger enterprise clients Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

The need for secure data sharing: Lessons learned from public health

Privacy-enhancing technologies can help healthcare organisations build resilience against cyber threats while maintaining patient privacy, security and regulatory compliance. Continue Reading

By

• Ronen Cohen, Duality Technologies

Alibaba bets $53bn on cloud and AI

Chinese tech giant Alibaba unveils massive three-year investment in a move to capitalise on the AI opportunity and position its cloud infrastructure as the backbone for future growth Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Microsoft overcomes quantum barrier with new particle

It has taken 20 years of development, but researchers now have a device that can scale to millions of qubits without errors rising exponentially Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Privacy at a crossroads in the age of AI and quantum

The confluence of artificial intelligence and quantum computing magnifies the risk to privacy, data security and trust, says Gartner's Bart Willemsen Continue Reading

By

• Bart Willemsen, Gartner

CaixaBank outlines artificial intelligence intentions in €5bn plan

Spanish bank announces Cosmos, an investment in its processes and technology that sits within its €5bn strategic plan Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Quantum computing in cyber security: A double-edged sword

Scepticism still abounds, but quantum computing stocks have boomed this year. In the world of cyber, however, quantum brings both unprecedented capabilities and significant threats, demanding careful attention Continue Reading

By

• Isla Sibanda

Balancing act: Managing business needs alongside digital transformation and innovation

How can IT leaders deliver on the challenging balancing act between innovation, cost control, and managing corporate expectations? One startup CTO in a highly established industry shares his experiences Continue Reading

By

• Chris Gray, Inshur

Singapore pledges S$150m to boost enterprise AI capabilities

The Enterprise Compute initiative will provide local enterprises with access to AI tools and expertise in a bid to spur AI adoption Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

AI Action Summit calls for a rethink of regulation

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report from the AI Action Summit in Paris on how easing red tape is overtaking safety as a priority. We examine the AI regulations that IT leaders need to understand. And we talk to the UK government’s AI minister about the country’s artificial intelligence opportunities. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

RAG AI: ‘Do it yourself,’ says NYC data scientist

New York City council data scientist says organisations should get their hands dirty with open source AI as his teams build AI apps to check for duplicates in legislative documents Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

NHS launches breast cancer AI trial

The trial will see 700,000 women taking part in artificial intelligence-based screening for breast cancer, looking at whether use of technology can help identify signs of cancer earlier Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Interview: Why Samsung put a UK startup centre stage

The launch of the flagship Galaxy S25 smartphone from Samsung showcased AI innovation from a company spun out of Oxford University Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

AI Action Summit: Two major AI initiatives launched

Sustainability and ‘public-interest’ artificial intelligence initiatives have been launched during the AI Action Summit in Paris Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI Action Summit: UK and US refuse to sign inclusive AI statement

The UK and US governments’ decisions not to sign a joint declaration has attracted strong criticism from a range of voices, especially in the context of key political figures calling for AI ‘red tape’ to be cut Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI at Leap 2025: Huge potential but a threat to the fabric of society?

Thought leaders in artificial intelligence gathered at Saudi Arabia’s Leap 2025 tech show to set out the next steps for enterprise AI and agentic AI, but also AI’s potential danger to human society Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Amazon opens Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore

Amazon has launched a 360,000 sq ft Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, housing both Amazon and AWS employees Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Cisco: We will get better on AI power consumption

At Cisco Live EMEA in Amsterdam, Cisco execs shared their thoughts on the developing issues around how artificial intelligence is affecting datacentre power consumption Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI Action Summit: Global leaders decry AI red tape

The focus of previous AI summits on the safety of artificial intelligence systems has been replaced by concerns there is too much regulatory red tape, which politicians and AI developers have argued is holding back innovation Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI Action Summit: European AI investment ramps up

A number of private companies and European governments have announced large-scale investments in artificial intelligence during the two-day AI Action Summit in Paris Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI projects get £85m funding to improve NHS diagnostics and drugs

The funding pot is being distributed between three projects, aiming to establish new ways of researching how artificial intelligence can be used to target hard-to-treat diseases and develop medicines Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Saudi puts $15bn into AI as experts debate next steps

The kingdom’s Leap 2025 tech show is the backdrop for huge investment, plus debate over the future of artificial intelligence as a productivity tool but which can also potentially undermine human society Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Natural England clears clouds with machine learning

Earth observation images from satellites can be blotted by cloud cover, but Natural England has cleared the sky using artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Google drops pledge not to develop AI weapons

Google has dropped an ethical pledge to not develop artificial intelligence systems that can be used in weapon or surveillance systems Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The story behind Alps, Europe’s second largest computer

The director of CSCS and professor of computational physics at ETH, Thomas Schulthess, explains the development of one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, Alps, in Switzerland Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

UAE eyes quantum computing for financial services

Middle East financial firms are investing heavily in quantum computing, with one of the world’s top quantum research centres in Abu Dhabi Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Why the UK must lead on data to unlock AI’s full potential

Unless the data silos in government are addressed, the UK risks falling short of the Action Plan’s ambitious goals to lead in AI adoption Continue Reading

By

• Elena Simperl and Neil Majithia

Government opens up bidding for AI growth zones

As part of its AI opportunities action plan, the government is encouraging local authorities to put in bids for AI growth zones Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC spends £785m a year on running digital tax systems

Beyond £785m spend, HMRC also spent £482m on upgrading legacy systems and introducing new digital systems, as it continues to fall behind its plans to become one of the most digitally advanced tax authorities in the world Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Swedish commission delivers roadmap to drive artificial intelligence reforms

Sweden will invest in artificial intelligence in an effort to catch up with global leaders in the field Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Samsung’s on-device AI: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to the co-founder of Oxford Semantic Technologies, which has developed the AI for the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

MPs to scrutinise use of artificial intelligence in the finance sector

MPs launch inquiry into the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the financial services sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

India Budget: Tech takes centre stage with AI and infrastructure boost

India has earmarked significant investments in artificial intelligence, global capability centres and digital public infrastructure while boosting training and education in its latest budget Continue Reading

By

• Kavitha Srinivasa

Disjointed industrial strategy a barrier to UK scaleup success

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee calls on Labour to join-up piecemeal initiatives and cut bureaucracy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

DSIT permanent secretary says more AI transparency needed

The government must improve transparency around the use of artificial intelligence systems throughout the public sector if it is going to gain and retain trust in how the technology is being deployed Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

DeepSeek-R1 more readily generates dangerous content than other large language models

Research scientists at cyber firm Enkrypt AI publish concerning findings from a red team exercise conducted against DeepSeek, the hot new generative AI tool Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

AI jailbreaking techniques prove highly effective against DeepSeek

Researchers at Palo Alto have shown how novel jailbreaking techniques were able to fool breakout GenAI model DeepSeek into helping to create keylogging tools, steal data, and make a Molotov cocktail Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

First international AI safety report published

A global cohort of nearly 100 artificial intelligence experts publish first international AI safety report ahead of the third AI summit, outlining an array of challenges posed by the technology that will be used to inform upcoming discussions Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Transparency on public sector AI use fosters trust, says AI minister Feryal Clark

The government’s decision to publish a batch of algorithmic transparency records signals its latest effort in showing potential opportunities AI and technology could provide Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How government hackers are trying to exploit Google Gemini AI

Google’s threat intel squad has shared information on how nation state threat actors are attempting to exploit its Gemini AI tool for nefarious ends Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Where IT comes from: Behind the scenes at Pure Storage’s European R&D centre

We look inside Pure Storage’s Prague research and development centre, where multi-year projects parallel real lifecycles of deployed hardware and the complexities that arise over time Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Where IT comes from: Pure Storage’s lean Czech assembly

We look behind the scenes at Pure Storage’s Czechia assembly plant, where change is baked into processes to ensure products are built right and always improving Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

EU law could usher in transformative change to digital ecosystems

The EU’s Digital Fairness Act aims to end exploitative practices online and enhance consumer protection, but civil society groups say it must address the power and information asymmetries between users and tech firms Continue Reading

By

• Adele Zeynep Walton

DeepSeek: Welcome to US artificial intelligence’s Sputnik moment

In spite of the US’s financial might, Russia’s Sputnik was the first satellite. Is something similar about to happen thanks to a new Chinese LLM? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Has Pure got the first of its ‘HDD is doomed’ ducks in a row?

Pure Storage predicted the end of spinning disk by 2028. Will its agreements with flash makers Micron and Kioxia, and an unnamed hyperscaler, be the first nails in the coffin for HDD? Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Interview: Feryal Clark, AI and digital government minister, DSIT

Computer Weekly talks to the parliamentary under-secretary about digital identity, the importance of trust and utilising the power of artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Oxford-Cambridge Arc gets government support

Labour aims to capitalise on the growth potential of the cluster of businesses and academic institutes around Oxford, Cambridge and Milton Keynes Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Elon Musk distances himself from Trump’s Stargate AI mission

Just a few days into the Donald Trump presidency and there appears to be a disagreement brewing around funding of OpenAI and the Stargate Project Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How smartphones are transforming global health

Shyam Gollakota, winner of the 2024 Infosys Prize in Engineering and Computer Science, is bringing medical care to underserved communities through with smartphone-based diagnostic tools Continue Reading

By

• Kavitha Srinivasa

Will the UK become an AI powerhouse?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we analyse the UK government’s new AI strategy and ask if the ambitious plans are achievable. The latest EU regulation affecting cyber security, called DORA, will affect digital resilience plans for many businesses – we examine the implications. We also look at the benefits and technologies behind cloud data lakes. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Labour announces plans to overhaul digital government

The Government Digital Service will be expanded along with changes to the way technology is funded, built and delivered across the public sector, as Labour aims for improvements previous administrations struggled to achieve Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Singtel’s 5G network slicing to boost Singapore’s defence and security

Singapore’s defence and security technology agencies will leverage Singtel’s 5G network slicing technology nationwide to combat evolving security threats and enhance national security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget