Tech Show London puts business opportunities on the mainstage

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Tech Show London, which badges itself as the UK’s most important technology event for business, kicks off in just a couple of weeks on 8-9 March, 2023. Typically, tech events allow attendees to discover more about key products and services with the latest hardware on show and developers on-hand to answer questions about apps and software. But, judging from this year’s mainstage programming, Tech Show London is taking things a step further by unravelling what it takes to maximize the benefits of applying technology to 21^st century business.

Topics on the agenda include artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of work, as well as related themes such as data diversity, regulatory science and making the most of digital public goods. AI has long been whirring away in the background, making sense of data and helping in areas such as combatting financial crime. But without a doubt, the rise of large language models and advanced chatbots such as ChatGPT have brought AI into the mainstream. And now is perfect timing for business leaders to come together to capitalize on the opportunities that advanced chatbots can bring to industry.

Another disruptive area – and mainstage talking point at Tech Show London – is quantum computing. Experts such as Winfried Hensinger will be on hand to discuss how developments in chip-to-chip communication that allow quantum information to be transmitted with a reliability of 99.999993% at record speeds open the door to practical industrial applications. Quantum computers have already been used to solve supply chain issues in the grocery sector – something that supermarket shoppers may not be aware of. But this is just the tip of the iceberg and businesses have much to gain from the advances in computing power that quantum systems can unlock.

Skills, jobs and space tech

The combination of big data and big computing power has huge potential. And on that theme, IBM’s Jane Muir-Sands will exploring the topic of how ‘data is oxygen’ and can ‘transform enterprises for the greater good’. Companies need to get ahead in their sustainability strategies. And coupling data with technology is one way for firms to take bigger strides in identifying opportunities to reduce their environmental impact.

Thinking ahead also applies to equipping workers with the right skills for future jobs. If forecasts turn out to be accurate, then AI could render some jobs obsolete. Already, AI systems are impacting contact center operations, albeit with some teething troubles and mixed results. But the direction of travel is clear in customer service roles. At the same time, however, other tech sectors could face shortages of workers. The ramp up in electric vehicles (EVs) requires a huge scaling up in battery production and development. And city centers are becoming smarter with greater deployment of IoT infrastructure and e-mobility services.

At this year’s Tech Show London, they’ll be the opportunity to engage with a range of panel discussions and hear from global technology and business experts. And some of the dialogue could get pretty deep with talking points such as journeying into dark matter and space time. They’ll even be commentary from NASA’s Christyl Johnson on harnessing technology to bring sustainable human presence to Mars.

The agenda shows how space tech has crossed over from science into business. Today, the satellite sector is booming. The UK is investing in Spaceport Cornwall to support an ecosystem of up and coming space tech firms such as Exobotics and other CubeSat developers. Satellite data provides more than just photographic imagery and can monitor the growth of crops, identifying the extent of wind damage and the impact of heavy rainfall. Hyperspectral eyes in the sky can also hold companies to account in their environmental commitments. Or, putting a positive spin on things, highlight progress.

Data centers and cloud services

Data center operators can find themselves facing criticism for the power hungry costs of running services in the cloud. But increasingly, the energy consumed directly by servers and the facilities that support them comes from renewable sources. Today, having green credentials can win data center firms business from their competitors as well as providing facilities with energy security that benefits the reliability of cloud services.

Visitors to Tech Show London also gain from a number of co-located events, which includes Cloud Expo Europe and Data Center World. Providing reliable and efficient operations in the cloud would be impossible without data centre infrastructure management (DCIM). And which DCIM products and services come top of the list is sure to be a favourite debate on the show floor.

Tech Show London, with its mainstage and satellite expos, is a rare opportunity to get insight from multiple vendors across different sectors under the same roof. And visitors are encouraged to make use of the show’s online networking, scheduling, and planning platform to get the most out of their attendance.