Blackpool Council is preparing to submit a planning permission application for a 6MW environmentally friendly datacentre before the end of the year, as part of its push to create a 40-acre technology campus dubbed Silicon Sands.
The council first went public with its plans for Silicon Sands in late May 2024. The project is designed to capitalise on Blackpool’s close proximity to the North Atlantic Loop undersea fibre cable network.
The local council said at the time that it wanted the site – located in the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone – to attract businesses to the area that require low-latency connections to high-performance computing resources.
It also set its sights on courting datacentre operators interested in building renewably powered server farms on the site that are also capable of contributing their waste heat back to the local community via district heating schemes.
In an update on how its plans for the site are progressing, the council confirmed a report to its executive has been prepared that features “recommendations” for the next steps on the project.
Alongside this is confirmation that a planning permission application for a 6MW datacentre on the site is being prepared and will be submitted before Christmas 2025, as a result of “significant interest” from private sector investors.
The council has also confirmed it has secured £2m in funding from the Lancashire devolution deal to support the growth of Silicon Sands, which has also secured strategic site status in Lancashire Combined County Authorities’ latest growth plan.
Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for the economy and built environment, said the project has the potential to transform the town’s economy in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. “Silicon Sands is a transformational opportunity for Blackpool,” he said. “It can create thousands of well-paid jobs, attract investment, and put us at the forefront of sustainable digital development. That vision is proven by the significant interest we have had from the private sector already.”
However, Smith was quick to state that the project is not just about building datacentres for the sake of it. “Silicon Sands is about so much more than just datacentres, though,” he continued. “We are carefully managing the programme so that we can create datacentres which are carbon friendly, and can even supply waste heat back to local communities.”
The council has also confirmed the local authority is among the hundreds of local authorities to have submitted an application to the government to bid for the opportunity to have the town become an artificial intelligence growth zone (AIGZ).
The government’s unveiled its AIGZ strategy in January 2025, with it forming the cornerstone of its bid to position the UK as an AI superpower.
As described by the government, these zones are designated sites that are well-suited to housing AI-enabled datacentres and their supporting infrastructure.
Ideally, they should have “enhanced access” to power supplies of at least 500MW and sympathetic planning support. This is because datacentres are notoriously power-hungry entities, and siting them in areas where energy is in short supply could slow down the time it takes to bring one of these AI server farms online.
Previously, the government has said it’s looking to build AIGZs in de-industrialised parts of the country that can be readily redeveloped to speed up the time it takes to bring them online.
“I set up a business called Enterprise Lab with two guys I met on Twitter,” says Naomi Timperley, who has been crowned as this year’s Most Influential Woman in UK Tech. “This was when Twitter was good, so many cool things happened.”
Timperley is well known in the technology sector for co-founding the northern arm of Tech London Advocates, but her foundations are in technology recruitment, which gave her the knowledge she needed to pinpoint the challenges of encouraging underrepresented people into the tech sector.
After setting up her own recruitment company and spending four years running the UK arm of a US events business, Timperley and her Twitter comrades started Enterprise Lab in 2011 to span the “gap between education, employment and enterprise” by offering entrepreneurs support and participating in events to assist young people in finding their future careers.
“A lot of it was around entrepreneurial thinking and ideation, and I suppose what you would now call design sprints. Helping people with ideas and creating solutions,” she says.
The business was born from the “common goal” of supporting young entrepreneurs and further understanding how the education system is letting down young people who have a creative entrepreneurial spirit.
While computing and digital are now part of the school curriculum, it’s not uncommon for young people to have no idea what’s actually involved in a tech job, and Timperley accuses some schools of being “exam factories” rather than promoting the creative thinking and soft skills involved in tech roles and entrepreneurship.
Her emphasis has always been on founders, and Enterprise Lab later led Timperley to a number of projects and roles over the years focusing on digital skills, as well as encouraging social enterprises and charities to help enhance digital skills and entrepreneurial thinking for young people to take them into a tech career beyond programming.
“I absolutely love working with very early-stage founders, but then also working with them throughout that journey,” she says.
Buying into the North
When taking on Tech North Advocates in 2016, Global Tech Advocates and Tech London Advocates founder Russ Shaw ran an event in Manchester to look for individuals to run and grow the organisation’s northern arm in the UK.
Timperley recalls sitting next to co-founder Volker Hirsch at the event: “We were sat next to each other and the licence was £1. I said to Volker, ‘Have you got 50p?’. The rest is history.”
Timperley explains that she and Volker have an “ethos” for Tech North Advocates, which includes “joining the dots”, “making introductions”, and “supporting the tech ecosystem”.
“I love working with very early-stage founders, but then also working with them throughout that journey”
Naomi Timperley, Tech North Advocates
But Timperley highlights that it also runs slightly differently to its London and Global counterparts, involving itself with other organisations’ events in the ecosystem rather than running its own.
With a remit that covers areas such as Greater Manchester and Leeds, Timperley describes the large number of tech initiatives across the North of England and the Midlands – including startup and scaleup community Venture Community in South Yorkshire and Baltic Ventures and Lyva Labs in Liverpool – which are often overshadowed by London’s tech ecosystem.
Timperley claims the North has “so many awesome tech communities and ecosystems [that] are massively supportive, not only in their regional areas but also of other areas”, and it’s this support that has guided her through the challenges she has faced as a result of online stalking.
A valuable support network
For the past four years, Timperley has been stalked across a range of social media platforms, with the perpetrator writing posts, sometimes as long as 20,000 words, containing false “cruel, hideous accusations and comments”.
Timperley is not the only target, and she and another victim went to the police about the harassment, with social media platforms offering no support.
The woman in question has now been sentenced to time in prison, but before her sentencing, she continued harassing Timperley online, not even stopping when she had been initially charged, breaking bail several times.
“It’s not just the messages or the posts, but it’s the emotional, psychological and professional toll that takes on victims. So yeah, it’s been pretty hideous,” says Timperley.
“I know that I wouldn’t have got through this if I didn’t have the support and resilience within the community that I’m part of.”
Setting founders up for success
Next on the horizon is the newly launched End Game, which works with founders to decide their trajectory as they set up their businesses.
Timperley set up the venture company with several other “seasoned” founders who have successfully navigated through fundraising and exits. She describes End Game as “founder-led”, specifically working with founders of all types, whether they are scaleup founders or those who aren’t sure where they’re headed.
Giving back to the community she has spent the past 15 years working with is important to Timperley, who claims that during that time, she has mentored around 600 people, mostly through working with programmes offering support to founders and entrepreneurs.
“It has been brilliant because I’ve learnt loads as well,” she says.
Timperley is asked regularly whether she would change anything about her career. “Absolutely not,” is her answer. “I kind of weirdly believe in fate, and I’m glad that I’ve said ‘yes’ to lots of things. Everything has purely been by accident.”
Role models are everywhere, and while Computer Weekly’s list of the Most Influential Women in UK Tech highlights the women at the top of their game in the technology sector, every woman in a tech or digital role has the potential to inspire someone else into the industry.
People across all levels in the tech sector need to be visible and accessible so people looking in on the industry, hoping for a tech role, can see the next steps they need to take, rather than only seeing those at the top who, although amazing, may make a tech role seem unobtainable to those at the beginning of their career.
With thousands of women leaving the technology sector each year, it’s increasingly important to encourage more women to enter the industry and create an inclusive culture of growth for those already in it.
Each year, alongside its top 50 women in UK tech and Hall of Fame, Computer Weekly showcases several Rising Stars, women the team and judges believe will feature in the top 50 in the future.
Several women, including the 2025 Most Influential Woman in UK Tech, Naomi Timperley, have featured on the Rising Stars list in the past.
Bendik has co-founded two companies this year: Radical Signals, a feminist media platform, and Husk Ventures, which aims to support those developing emerging technologies.
She is an adviser of PennPromise Ventures and, until summer 2025, was director of global network Venture Café.
Amy Low, chief executive, AbilityNet
Low has been chief executive of AbilityNet for a year and a half, a charity aimed at using technology to reduce barriers to inclusion in work, education and life.
She is also a community board member for the Digital Poverty Alliance, as well as an Inclusive Online Services subcommittee member at the Digital Inclusion Action Committee at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Auriol Stevens, global vice president, digital workplace practice, Kyndryl
Stevens has been global vice-president of digital workplace practice at Kyndryl for the past year, having held positions in the firm since 2022.
She is also a non-executive director for England Rugby and the Royal Navy, and is chair of the board of trustees at Tech She Can.
Bianca Walker, software engineer, Rabobank; volunteer, TLA Tech for Disability
Walker is a software engineer and blogger who advocates for mental health, and is currently a software engineer at Rabobank.
She is a volunteer for the Tech London Advocates Tech for Disability arm.
Christina Yan Zhang, CEO, Metaverse Institute
Christina Yan Zhang is a multi-award winner and is currently CEO at The Metaverse Institute.
She is an advisory council member to The Centre for Science Futures at the International Science Council and an Advisory Board Member on AI Economy at Economist Impact.
Gabi Mendelsohn Lewis, co-founder, Radiela
Mendelsohn Lewis is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Radiela, a firm using artificial intelligence to help scientific discoveries.
She is a mentor for Jumpstart and is a strategic adviser for the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation.
Jade Wilson, senior software engineer, Microsoft
Wilson has been at Microsoft for more than three years, originally joining as a software engineer II before becoming a senior software engineer in 2024.
She recently founded Incrify, a company that helps people learn DevOps.
Joanna Cavan, CEO, UK Telecoms Lab
Cavan began her role as CEO of UK Telecoms Lab in summer 2025 after many years in the civil service.
In the past, she has had roles such as director of strategy, policy, communications and compliance at GCHQ, strategy and delivery director for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and non-executive director of the UK Civil Service.
Marsha Quallo-Wright, Director of Technology Futures, GCHQ
Quallo-Wright has held many positions within government, including head of UKRI private office for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and head of resilience for the Government Office for Science.
Most recently, she became director of technology futures for GCHQ, after a two-year stint at the National Cyber Security Centre.
Molly Johnson-Jones, founder and CEO, Flexa Careers
Johnson-Jones founded data-led careers platform Flexa in 2020, where she is currently CEO. She is also a judge for the RAD Awards.
Naomi McGregor, founder, MoveTru
In 2020, McGregor founded MoveTru to develop wearables that allow real-time performance analysis.
In addition to being MoveTru’s CEO, she holds several roles at the Royal Academy of Engineering, as well as being an ambassador for STEM Ambassadors.
Naomi Timperley, co-founder of Tech North Advocates, has become the 14th person to be named Computer Weekly’s most influential woman in UK technology.
The list was created in 2012 to make the amazing women in the UK’s technology sector more visible and accessible, originally showcasing only 25 women before growing to include 50 women in 2015.
Now, the list receives hundreds of nominations each year – this year’s longlist features more than 770 women.
Alongside the longlist and top 50, Computer Weekly and a collection of expert judges also choose entrants to its Hall of Fame to acknowledge those who have made a lifetime contribution to the tech sector, and a number of Rising Stars expected to continue to do great things over the next few years.
This year’s winner, Naomi Timperley, co-founder of Tech North Advocates, was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2017 and has done invaluable work for the technology sector.
Here is the list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Technology for 2025:
Timperley has been a long-term supporter of founders and entrepreneurs, starting agency Enterprise Lab in 2011 with two people she met on Twitter.
In 2016, she co-founded Tech North Advocates, a private sector-led collection of tech experts who champion the technology sector in the north of England.
More recently, she became innovation director for Oxford Innovation, which helps organisations develop ecosystems for entrepreneurs and innovators, in turn boosting local areas.
She has designed and delivered the Turing Innovation Catalyst’s startup programme, and is working on the organisation’s scaleup programme, the Engine Room.
AI Empower was also born of a project with the Turing Innovation Catalyst, which Timperley helped develop as a pilot supporting businesses from different industries to use artificial intelligence (AI) to solve specific issues their businesses are facing.
In the past, Timperley co-founded Growth Strategy Innovation to advise entrepreneurs with growth and, until 2021, was a board member of FutureEverything.
2. Deborah O’Neill, partner and head of technology innovation UKI and Nordics, Oliver Wyman
O’Neill was appointed head of technology innovation for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics at Oliver Wyman in early 2025.
She is also head of performance transformation for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics at the firm, and before that was head of digital for Europe, where she led digital transformation and new proposition launches at companies all over the world.
Alongside this, she is also a strategic partner at FutureDotNow and a board trustee for Girlguiding.
She was a co-author of the recent Lovelace Report, which detailed reasons women leave the technology sector.
3. Samantha Niblett, founder, Labour Women in Tech
Before her time as an MP, Niblett had a long career in technology, holding roles such as industry sales leader at DXC Technology and head of alliances, channel and ecosystem in EMEA at 1E.
Now, alongside her role as an MP, she’s the founder of the Labour: Women in Tech group, which campaigns to reach equal gender opportunities in the technology industry. She’s also the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on FinTech, chair of the Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies and, until recently, was a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
4. Karen Blake, former co-CEO of Tech Talent Charter; co-author, Lovelace Report
Blake is the head of inclusive workforce strategy and advisory at Powered By Diversity, and until summer 2025 was a senior researcher for the House of Commons, looking into digital inclusion policies.
She is on the strategy steering board of Women Pivoting to Digital at the City of London Corporation.
Until it was disbanded, she was co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, where she led the organisation’s growth and headed up the implementation of some of the tools it offered, such as its benchmarking platform and annual benchmarking reports.
She was a co-author of the recent Lovelace Report, which detailed reasons women leave the technology sector.
5. Janet Collyer, chair, Quantum Dice; non-executive director, Mach42 and Aerospace Technology Institute; member of the UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Collyer wears several hats across the emerging technologies arena, including as chair of quantum developer Quantum Dice, a member of the UK’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel, and as a non-executive director for the Aerospace Technology Institute. In 2022, she IPO’d fabless semiconductor company EnSilica, where she was the senior independent director and chair of the Remuneration Committee until 2025.
She recently became a non-executive director and advisor for simulation acceleration company Mach42.
She started her career in semiconductor technology in 1982 at Fairchild (now part of ON Semiconductor), before rising through the ranks at electronic design and computational software firm Cadence Design Systems for 30 years, until leaving in 2020 to begin her current endeavours.
She appeared on Computer Weekly’s list of Rising Stars in 2023.
6. Arfah Farooq, scout, Ada Ventures; founder, Muslamic Makers; founder, Muslim Tech Fest
An expert in diversity, inclusion and community building, Farooq co-founded Muslamic Makers in 2016 as a networking group for Muslims in tech, design and development.
As well as being a freelance diversity and inclusion consultant, Farooq is a scout for Ada Ventures, with special interest in edtech, healthtech and fintech, and until March 2024 was a community manager for Big Society Capital.
In 2022, she founded Muslim Tech Fest, a large community gathering of “Muslim techies” in Europe.
She has an extensive background in digital and artificial intelligence (AI) in the private and public sectors.
7. Emma Wright, director, Institute of AI; partner, Crowell & Moring
With a background in law surrounding telecoms, the internet and media, Wright now uses her expertise as director of not-for-profit Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies, as well as partner at Crowell & Moring, where she is focused on AI, cyber and defence.
She has worked in the tech sector for over 20 years, and in her previous role at Harbottle & Lewis, her team comprised 66% female and 66% ethnic minority members.
In 2023, she worked with the OECD, WEF and the ITU to build a reputation in relation to the regulation of AI. She is also working with the Ditchley Foundation, considering whether the collaborative approach in relation to telecoms can work for AI regulation.
8. Charlene Hunter, CEO and founder, Coding Black Females
Hunter founded Coding Black Females in 2017 to help black female software developers meet each other and network. Alongside her work at Coding Black Females, Hunter is a software developer.
She is an advisory board industry representative in the University of Essex Online’s computing department, technical director at SAM Software Solutions, and technical director at full-stack and front-end training organisation Black CodHer Bootcamp.
Previously, Hunter was lead software engineer at Made Tech, and has held roles such as senior software developer, lead Java developer, app developer and technical consultant at various firms. She was named a Computer Weekly Women in UK Tech Rising Star in 2020.
9. Anne Keast-Butler, director, GCHQ
The first female to head up GCHQ, Keast-Butler moved into the director role last year after serving as deputy director general of MI5. With a long career in security and defence, her previous roles have included overseeing the upkeep of functions that support MI5’s operational activities and the launch of the UK’s National Cyber Security Programme.
10. Lila Ibrahim, chief operating officer, Google DeepMind
Ibrahim has been in the tech sector for more than 30 years, and became Google DeepMind’s first chief operating officer (COO) in 2018, looking after teams in disciplines such as engineering, virtual environments, programme management and operations.
Before this role, she was COO of online skills platform Coursera, and has also acted as general manager for emerging markets platforms in China for Intel.
11. Anna Brailsford, CEO, Code First Girls
An entrepreneur and co-founder, Brailsford joined Code First Girls as CEO in 2019, where she works to encourage more women into the tech sector by providing software development skills and education.
Prior to her work at Code First Girls, Brailsford co-founded and was CEO of performance management firm Frisbee, which was part of venture capital fund Founders Factory, and until summer 2024, was a board member for the Institute of Coding, where she focused specifically on diversity and inclusion. She is a self-employed commercial and strategy consultant.
12. Avril Chester, founder, Cancer Central; CTO, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Award-winning entrepreneur Avril Chester is currently the chief technology officer (CTO) of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, her most recent in a series of roles heading up technology in organisations. In 2018, she founded technology charity platform Cancer Central to help support people with cancer.
Taylor has founded and co-founded six companies, the most recent being Empower, an organisation aimed at creating events that cater to making a safe and collaborative space for women.
She is working on a documentary, Breaking the sound barrier – voices unleashed, showing the journey of several women in tech as they take part in Taylor’s speaker platform, Voices in Tech, and prepare to take on public speaking for the first time.
Alongside this, Taylor is also regional lead of the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce for the City of London Corporation, and co-founder of community WIT North.
She also co-founded The Confidence Community, which aims to provide resources, training information and events to give people more career confidence, and is co-founder of ReframeWIT.
In 2017, Taylor co-founded TechReturners to give skilled individuals who have had a career break the opportunity to connect with firms and help them back into mid-level to senior-level tech roles.
14. Melanie Dawes, chief executive, Ofcom
Dawes has headed up Ofcom since 2020, following her previous role as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as many other roles across the civil service.
She has previously been a trustee at Patchwork Foundation, which aims to encourage underrepresented young people to participate in democracy, and a non-executive director of consumer group Which?.
15. Beverly Clarke, founder and CEO, Technology Books for Children; member and advisor, Digital, AI and Technology Task and Finish Group, Department for Education
Beverly Clarke is a technology expert who consults on technology education. She is the founder and CEO of Technology Books for Children, which aims to encourage children to read about technology topics.
She is currently advising the Department for Education’s Digital, AI and Technology Task and Finish Group on how the education system can be adapted to better provide digital skills to children.
She has previously been a professional development leader for the National Centre for Computing Education, and a national community manager for the BCS.
She received an MBE for her work in 2024.
16. Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance
Hirt joined Innovate Finance in 2015 as the industry body’s head of community, before eventually becoming its CEO six years later. She now heads up the organisation, aiming to drive innovation and transformation in the fintech sector to make it more inclusive.
She has worked around the world in a variety of roles, including as head of corporate relations for Chatham House in the UK, head of membership for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, and head new hire trainer for an English language training programme in Japan.
17. Tania Duarte, co-founder, We and AI
Heavily focused on the use of AI, Duarte co-founded non-profit We and AI in 2020 to ensure AI is developed with everyone in mind, creating communities to ensure diverse teams of people are involved in the technology’s future development.
She is also the lead of Better Images of AI, a not-for-profit that offers a free library of images that better represent AI to reduce the use of stereotypical representations of AI, such as “humanoid robots, glowing brains, outstretched robot hands, blue backgrounds and the Terminator”.
In 2020, she also became the founding editorial board member of the AI and Ethics Journal, published by Springer Nature.
She was named one of Computer Weekly’s Rising Stars in 2024.
18. Zoe Kleinman, technology editor, BBC
Kleinman has been with the BBC since 2003, originally joining as a features editor of staff newspaper Ariel. She then became a web producer for Working Lunch on BBC Two, and was a senior technology reporter for the BBC, before becoming a radio presenter on technology and business-themed shows such as the BBC Tech Tent.
Now, she’s the technology editor for BBC News, covering technology news across BBC radio, TV and digital.
19. Mary McKenna, co-founder, AwakenHub and AwakenAngels
McKenna is a huge supporter of entrepreneurship and startups, holding several roles as an adviser and investor. Her social enterprise, AwakenHub, where she is co-founder, is focused on building a community of female founders in Ireland.
As well as being an expert adviser for the European Commission, she is an entrepreneurship expert with the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, among many other board memberships and non-executive directorships.
20. Claire Thorne, co-CEO, Tech She Can
Thorne is co-CEO of Tech She Can, a charity aimed at increasing the number of women in the technology sector, as well as a venture partner at Deep Science Ventures, a council member at The Foundation for Science and Technology, and an industry advisory board member for TechSkills (part of TechUK).
She has a background in the education sector, previously holding roles as director of innovation strategy for the University of Surrey and executive officer to the vice-president (innovation) at Imperial College London.
She has also been a diversity and inclusion advisory board member for the Institute of Coding and sat on the principal partner board at Tech Talent Charter.
21. Amanda Brock, CEO, OpenUK
Brock’s role at OpenUK sees her leading the sustainable and ethical development of open technologies in the UK, including technology such as open source software, hardware and data.
She also sits on the boards of the Mojaloop Foundation and US cyber security firm Mimoto, as well as acting as an advisory board member for Scarf, The Stack and FerretDB.
She recently became an Expert Network of the Digital Innovation Board member for the International Telecommunication Union.
Past experience saw her as a board member of the Cabinet Office Open Standards Board, and an advisory board member for Tech All Stars.
22. Francesca Carlesi, CEO, Revolut UK
Carlesi’s background is in finance, having spent 15 years in the industry. She is currently CEO of fintech firm Revolut, where she’s been since 2023.
She was previously co-founder and CEO of digital mortgage lending platform Molo Finance, and has worked at other large financial firms and banks, such as Barclays and Deutsche Bank.
She has been nominated for Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech several times, appearing on the longlist in previous years.
23. Gaia Marcus, director, Ada Lovelace Institute
Marcus joined the Ada Lovelace Institute in 2024 as director after several government roles.
She has been deputy director of the Spatial Data Unit at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, head of engagement for civil service reform at the Cabinet Office, and head of national data strategy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
She has also had roles as data innovation programme manager at Centrepoint and deputy director – strategy – integrated data service at the Office for National Statistics.
24. Toni Scullion, computing science teacher; founder, dressCode
Scullion is a serial founder, having founded dressCode, a not-for-profit that encourages young women in Scotland to consider a career in computer science; and co-founded the Ada Scotland Festival, which aims to use collaboration to close the gender gap in computer science education in Scotland.
These endeavours stem from her being a computer science teacher passionate about encouraging more children to take the subject. Alongside this work, she is also a volunteer for the Scottish Tech Army, a not-for-profit aimed at using tech for good.
25. Laura Gilbert, senior director of AI, Tony Blair Institute
Gilbert is the senior director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, as well as a visiting professor in practice for the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Until recently, she was head of AI for government at the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, and director of the Incubator for AI at 10 Downing Street.
26. Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO, Olio
Clarke co-founded and is CEO of food-sharing app Olio, which helps users share food that would otherwise be wasted.
She is a fellow of business fund Unreasonable, an advisory board member for Stop Ecocide International, and until recently, was a venture partner for early-stage generalist impact fund Mustard Seed Maze.
She has previously been a business mentor for Virgin StartUp, and works alongside the minister for small business and the Department for Business and Trade, advising on SMEs.
27. Katie Ramsey, head of fintech, Department for Business and Trade
Ramsey has extensive experience in finance and is currently head of fintech at the Department for Business and Trade.
She co-founded a networking collaborative for female leaders, The Power Collective, and is founding investor and adviser for investment app Zeed and a non-executive director of Finance Focused.
28. Akua Opong, senior EUC engineer, infrastructure and cloud engineering, London Stock Exchange; STEM adviser
As well as her work as senior EUC engineer, infrastructure and cloud engineering at the London Stock Exchange Group, Opong is a freelancer and science, technology, engineer and maths (STEM) adviser.
Until recently, she was part of the City of London Corporation volunteer advisory group for equality, diversity and inclusion, and was previously an advisory board member for Neurodiversity in Business, and a mentor at the TechUp mentor programme for Durham University.
Opong was a contributor for Voices in the shadows, the book of black female role models created by the 2022 Computer Weekly most influential woman in UK tech, Flavilla Fongang.
Currently, Opong is an award judge for WeAreTheCity, a volunteer for the Festival of The Girl, and a role model and mentor for the STEMazing mentorship programme.
She has spent the past year and a half as a non-executive director for Genius Within CIC.
29. Karen Meechan, CEO, ScotlandIS
Meechan has extensive experience in digital and cyber, and is the current CEO of Scottish tech trade body ScotlandIS.
She was recently appointed chair of industry collaborative CyberScotland Partnership, and is an advocate for closing the digital skills divide across the UK.
30. Casey Calista, director and advisory board chair, Labour Digital; public policy, Meta
The director and advisory board chair of Labour Digital, Calista has a history in both technology and the public sector.
Alongside her role at Labour Digital, she is responsible for UK youth and AI governance public policy at Meta, and co-founded the network Women in Tech Policy.
She has previously headed up policy and public affairs at UK scaleup Vorboss and founded the UK public affairs tech practice at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
She volunteers as a steering committee member for the City of London Corporation’s Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, until recently was an adviser for digital citizenship charity Glitch, and is a policy board member for OpenUK.
31. Sana Khareghani, professor of practice in AI, King’s College London
Khareghani is a professor of practice in AI at King’s College London, as well as a trustee for the Institute for the Future of Work, a director for SKB advisory and a board member for Technovation.
She has a history in technology, including roles such as software engineer for MDA, product manager for Viisage Technology, and systems engineer and QA for Hemedex.
In her previous role as head of the UK government’s Office for Artificial Intelligence, for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, Sport (DCMS) and Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Khareghani was responsible for the joint office and its aim to make the UK a global centre for AI.
32. Alice Hendy, CEO and founder, R;pple; cyber culture manager, Deloitte
Hendy founded digital suicide prevention tool R;pple in 2020, designed to help people who are making online searches relating to self-harm or suicide.
She is CEO of the charity, which she does alongside her work as the cyber culture manager at Deloitte.
With an extensive background in cyber, Hendy is also a TEDx speaker, an ambassador for One Young World and a JAAQ creator, covering the topic of suicide prevention.
She was selected as a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2024.
33. Elizabeth Varley, dealmaker – global entrepreneur programme, Department for Business and Trade
Currently a dealmaker for the Department for Business and Trade’s global entrepreneur programme, Varley supports and mentors the programme’s tech founders and scaleups.
She is a serial founder, having founded tech entrepreneur community TechHub, editorial agency Online Content UK, and acted as a founding steering committee member of the DigitalEve women in technology organisation in the UK.
Varley sits on many boards and is an adviser for lawtech firm Legal Geek.
34. Alex Depledge, founder and CEO, Resi; entrepreneurship adviser to the chancellor of the exchequer
Depledge is a serial entrepreneur who founded domestic cleaning marketplace Hassle.com and residential architecture firm Resi, where she has also been CEO since 2016.
She has previously been a board member for the London Economic Action Partnership (Leap) and a non-executive director for retail analytics firm Edited.
Until March 2016, Depledge was a board member for lobbying body The Sharing Economy, and until January 2017, acted as the venture partner for startup capital firm Ignite 100. Depledge was also previously the chair of not-for-profit The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) and started her tech career as a management consultant for Accenture.
Currently, Depledge is an entrepreneurship adviser to the chancellor of the exchequer at HM Treasury.
35. Angela McLean, chief scientific adviser, UK government
Since 2023, McLean has been the government’s chief scientific adviser, responsible for providing scientific advice to the prime minister.
McLean has a background in mathematical biology and zoology, and aims to use this knowledge, as well as her interest in mathematical models, to help the government understand the spread of infectious diseases.
She has been on the receiving end of many awards and accolades for her work, and in 1994, she established Mathematical Biology at the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council’s Institute for Animal Health.
36. Katie Gallagher, managing director, Manchester Digital; chair, UK Tech Cluster Group
Gallagher heads up Manchester Digital, and in 2011, co-founded the Cyber Resilience Centre for Greater Manchester, both of which support businesses in the Manchester area.
Alongside this, she is chair of the UK Tech Cluster Group, which regularly discusses the technology issues affecting particular areas in the UK, and has many non-executive directorships and advisory roles.
37. Eleanor Harry, CEO and founder, Hace: Data Changing Child Labour
Harry is the founder and CEO of Hace, an organisation that uses data to reduce child labour. There is often unknown child labour in businesses’ supply chains, so Hace collects and uses datasets about communities to determine where and why child labour might be used, helping businesses to then reduce their involvement.
As well as Hace, Harry is a regular public speaker and has previously won an Everywoman in Tech Award.
She is an industry advisory board member for the University of Manchester, where she advises on digital trust and security, and is a guest lecturer at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
38. Sharon Wallace, head of technology diversity and inclusion, partnerships and people change, Sky
Wallace heads up diversity and inclusion, partnerships and people change at Sky, where one of her focuses is designing and delivering the people strategy for technology within the firm.
Outside of this, Wallace was a member of the advisory board for recently disbanded Tech Talent Charter, and volunteers as a cub and scout assistant.
39. Julia Adamson, managing director of education and public benefit, BCS
Under Adamson’s leadership, the Computing at School (CAS) teachers’ network has grown in influence and now has over 25,000 members. BCS’s Barefoot scheme, which supports primary teachers with learning materials and lesson plans, has reached 3.3 million UK children. Her team is focused on making the case for digital literacy for all learners, leading to a more diverse profession.
She was appointed to the government’s Digital Skills Council this year, advising on the UK’s digital skills needs.
40. Erika Brodnock, co-founder and head of research, Extend Ventures; co-founder, Kinhub
Brodnock is a serial entrepreneur, having founded two education-focused software companies, Karisma Kidz and Kami.
She is also the co-founder of coaching platform Kinhub, and co-founder and head of research at Extend Ventures.
She’s an advisory board member for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Entrepreneurship, a non-executive director of the Good Play Guide, and has won multiple awards.
41. Nicola Martin, founder, Nicola Martin Coaching & Consultancy
Martin has a history of working as a test consultant at firms such as Barclays, Sony, the UK Home Office, Shazam and Sky, and is currently a startup adviser and founder of her own coaching and consultancy firm.
Prior to this, she was head of quality at Adarga, and is currently a committee member of the BCS NeurodiverseIT group.
She is chair for the BCS Special Interest Group in Software Testing, and until January 2023, was the vice-chair of the BCS LGBTQIA+ tech specialist group.
42. Sam Kini, global chief information officer and chief information security officer, Unilever
Kini has a dual role as global chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO) at Unilever.
She is a sponsor and digital board adviser for a Lead Network Digital Chapter focused on empowering women to grow their careers, and is non-executive director and member of audit committee at Tele2.
She has previously been a CIO for easyJet and Telenet, and was the director of development and delivery – technology and transformation at Virgin Media.
43. Danielle George, chief scientific adviser for national security, GCHQ; professor and vice-dean at the University of Manchester
With more than 25 years as a lecturer in radio frequency engineering at the University of Manchester, George was appointed chief scientific adviser for national security at GCHQ in 2025.
She is also the vice-president at the University of Manchester and vice-president of BCS.
In the past, George has been president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and in 2016 was appointed an OBE for services to engineering through public engagement.
44. Sarah Underhill, HR director, technology and data (Group Chief Operating Office), Lloyds Banking Group
Underhill has spent her entire career at Lloyds Banking Group, since joining the firm as a graduate in 1999.
She has held several roles at Lloyds, and is currently HR director for technology and data, part of the firm’s Group Chief Operating Office, where she is responsible for developing its people strategies for technology.
She previously sat on the board of the now disbanded tech diversity collective, Tech Talent Charter.
She was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2024.
As managing director of Jomas Associates (Engineering & Environmental), Savage specialises in geotechnical and environmental engineering.
She is also passionate about topics such as women in engineering and social mobility, and is on the UK government’s Business Growth Forum (formerly the SME Business Council).
Tanaka is currently part of the programme team for All4Health&Care, a community launched during the pandemic to connect digital healthcare providers with the public sector. Until summer 2025, she was the head of portfolio for NHS Black Country ICB, and is on the community support committee for BCS.
Previously, she has been a fellow, independent auditor of AI systems, fellow for ForHumanity, and was recently made chair of BCS Women.
47. Sarah Cardell, CEO, Competition and Markets Authority
Cardell has been at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) since 2013, first as general counsel, then as interim CEO, and now as CEO.
Prior to her time at the CMA, she was a legal partner for the markets division of energy markets authority Ofgem, and in her early career spent 11 years at law firm Slaughter and May, working her way from trainee solicitor to partner.
48. Sian John, chief technology officer, NCC Group
John has been the chief technology officer at NCC Group since 2023, and is also chair of TechUK’s Cyber Management Committee and a council member for EPSRC.
Earlier in her career, she held roles such as systems engineer, project executive and consultant, and has been chief strategist EMEA at Symantec and senior director of security business development at Microsoft.
She has been nominated for Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech several times, and has previously appeared in the longlist.
49. Sandie Small Duberry, deputy governorship chief information officer for the Prudential Regulatory Authority, Bank of England
Small Duberry started her career on IT helpdesks at various firms before eventually working her way up to Aviva Investors global customer relationship manager, then going on to be global head of infrastructure for HSBC.
Now, she’s deputy governorship CIO to the prudential regulatory authority at the Bank of England, and fellow for the Forward Institute.
50. Carolyn Dawson, CEO, Founders Forum Group
Dawson is the CEO of global technology innovation community Founders Forum, a group of businesses supporting founders at all stages, where her responsibilities include Founders Forum’s events portfolio, Tech Nation, and the group’s broader business network.
She is also a board member for several other companies, including Miroma Founders Network, RM Plc, Founders Makers, 01 Founders and Grip.
In the past, she was a marketing group advisory member for Founders4Schools, and was previously president at Informa Tech, a FTSE 100 UK company, where she presided over its joint venture with Founders Forum. She has been a member of the government’s Digital Economy Council and has led London Tech Week for the past nine years.
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Valve’s Steam Deck can do a lot of neat things, from playing the games you own on Steam to even accessing non-Steam games through various tools. It also can serve as a functional desktop PC through Desktop Mode, allowing for the use of a physical keyboard such as the slim and stylish Keychron K3. But in order to get the most out of your device, you are going to want to pick up a dedicated hub or dock.
These USB-C accessories will open up your Steam Deck in several ways. They often allow you to output video to a television, give you extra ports to connect a mouse and keyboard, and even add ethernet support for a more stable internet connection. A Steam Deck hub or dock can be an essential tool to provide you a lot more options to play the way you want.
Valve offers their own Steam Deck dock that’s very solid, but many find it expensive for what it offers. If you head over to Amazon, you’ll find a plethora of hubs and docks that work great with the Steam Deck and at less than half the cost of Valve’s offering. But not all hubs and docks are the same, so we’ve done the work and highlighted some of the best based on what reviewers on Amazon have said.
Anker Steam Deck Dock
Anker is a well-known brand in the accessory space. If there is an electronic accessory that you need, chances are that Anker makes one. The Anker Steam Deck Dock is the perfect example, allowing you to connect your Steam Deck to a TV or monitor and play in comfort. The 100W PD-IN port allow allows for fast charging, keeping your Steam Deck ready to game whenever you need to leave the house.
Its HDMI connection features a 4K 60Hz output, giving you the good visuals when playing on your favorite TV screen. Anker also provides a 1Gbps ethernet port built-in, giving you more stability than Wi-Fi, keeping you in those competitive multiplayer games instead of dropping matches. On top of that you also get two 5Gbps USB-A ports and a USB-C port for added expandability for portable storage media and more.
The Anker Steam Deck Dock is also a lot less than the official dock that is sold by Valve, while providing just as much. This means that you will be saving some money by picking this one up. You can then use all the money that you will be saving to snag several more affordable Steam Deck accessories.
UGREEN Revodok Pro 6-in-1 USB-C Hub
With over 1,000 reviews, many of them proclaiming that the UGREEN Revodok Pro 6-in-1 USB-C Hub as a must-have device, you know you are probably looking at a solid product. This fairly discreet little hub is far simpler than a full-sized Steam Deck dock, but functions essentially the same, only in a much more travel-friendly and portable form.
UGREEN managed to shrink down their hub while still loading it up with all the essentials one would need and expect, alongside providing impressive transfer speeds. Featuring 6 ports, you’ll have access to 4K 60Hz HDMI out, 100W charging, 10Gbps USB ports, and a gigabit ethernet port. And because of its form factor, you’ll be able to use this hub with more than just your Steam Deck, featuring support for laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
User reviews highlight the quality of the construction and metal body, the number of available ports considering its size, and having access to the internet through the ethernet port when Wi-Fi isn’t available or stable. If you are traveling a lot and looking to keep things small and simple, the UGREEN Revodok Pro might just be for you.
JSAUX Upgraded Docking Station For Steam Deck
There seems to be a standard among most quality Steam Deck docks and hubs when searching on Amazon. For the most part they tend to feature roughly the same number of ports, but it’s their HDMI output specifications where things begin to get interesting. The JSAUX Upgraded Docking Station For Steam Deck really stands out among the pack because of its included HDMI output and what it can support.
Instead of providing the more common 4K at 60Hz output like other docks, JSAUX managed to upgrade their offering to now support video out at 4K at 120Hz. That’s double the refresh rate of most other docks on the market, giving you those buttery smooth visuals that gamers demand. The company also states that you can use this dock with a number of other handheld PCs, including the Legion GO, MSI Claw, and others.
Amazon customer reviews state that the dock is sturdy, features plenty of ports, and can easily and quickly charge the most power-hungry PC handhelds. Others also praise JSAUX’s customer service for quickly addressing and fixing issues that they had. If you have a TV that can support 120Hz, the JSAUX Upgraded Docking Station For Steam Deck is a must.
SABRENT USB Type-C 3-Port Gaming Hub
Sometimes you just want a product that’s simple, affordable, and doesn’t get in the way. SABRENT seems to serve this desire with their SABRENT USB Type-C 3-Port Gaming Hub. This little device is about as compact as it gets, sliding onto the USB-C port of the Steam Deck and designed seamlessly to sit flush and hide on the back side of the console.
The SABRENT USB Type-C 3-Port Gaming Hub features two 5Gbps USB-A 3.2 ports as well as a USB-C port that supports PD 3.0 power delivery. You’ll be able to easily plug in a mouse and keyboard, or a flash drive and another accessory at the same time. The design allows you to help protect the Steam Deck’s USB-C plug from damage and random disconnects that a standard cable can often cause.
Less is often more when it comes to accessories, especially for users who travel a lot with their Steam Deck. For those users looking for something that blends into the Steam Deck and won’t add any bulk to your travel bag, the SABRENT USB Type-C 3-Port Gaming Hub might just become your next favorite Steam Deck accessory.
Back in 2024, T-Mobile and Starlink received official approval to expand their satellite phone coverage. This led to the arrival of T-Satellite, which now allows even more apps to work off the grid. And while you’ll need to have service with T-Mobile specifically to take advantage of all of the benefits of its partnership with Starlink, the company has announced plans to expand the availability of its “Text to 911” service to everyone, even customers on AT&T and Verizon networks.
“Because emergencies don’t care who your wireless provider is, T-Mobile is making sure 911 access is available to as many people as possible,” the announcement reads. The service is now available to everyone regardless of their wireless carrier, and all you have to do is sign up for it through T-Mobile’s product page. You’ll also be able to take advantage of other T-Satellite features, though those will cost you $10 a month.
Additionally, T-Mobile states that users will need to have a compatible phone, which should include most anything that debuted in the past few years with satellite capabilities. You’ll need to check your device’s specifications to verify that it has satellite capabilities.
Extra peace of mind, no matter your carrier
Mauricio Toro/Getty Images
According to statements from Mike Katz, President, Marketing, Strategy & Products, T-Mobile, the company wanted to help provide “peace of mind” to more users throughout the roughly 500,000 square miles of U.S. land that isn’t reached by traditional cellular towers. “It’s an absolutely terrifying feeling that we don’t want anyone to have ever again,” Katz’ statement reads in the announcement. “T-Mobile Text to 911 with T-Satellite gives peace of mind. It’s there when you need it the most. And it’s too important to keep gated.”
The wider release of the feature is a nice perk for non-T-Mobile customers, especially as it doesn’t contain any related fees unless you choose to take advantage of other T-Satellite functionality. Further, because T-Mobile has the feature connected to more than 650 Starlink satellites, it should provide solid coverage for every user that needs to utilize the feature. Of course, as with any technical feature, your mileage may vary, but you can sign up today to give it a try for yourself.
Newer phones that include satellite functionality include the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10, though some older devices have the required software and hardware to tap into satellite signals as well.
Chinese EV maker Xpeng continues to expand on its EVs and flying vehicle technologies, but it also unveiled the new generation of its IRON humanoid robots at its AI Day in Guangzhou, China. Xpeng unveiled the eighth generation of its robot initiative (and the third with a humanoid design), and it now plans to mass produce the latest models by late 2026.
What immediately caught BGR’s attention was Xpeng’s bold departure from the typical humanoid robot design. Instead of following the more traditionally male aesthetic seen in models from companies like Neura, Xpeng introduced a curvier, more feminine form — arguably more curves than a robot needs.
José Adorno/BGR
The company also revealed that its new robot features full-body synthetic skin intended to make it feel “warmer and more intimate.” Similar to what 1X showcased with its curious Neo home robot, Xpeng’s robot allows users to customize its appearance by choosing its color, even though Xpeng goes further by offering different body types (chubby, athletic, tall, or short), hair styles, and, in the future, even clothing. However, unlike other companies, Xpeng isn’t targeting daily chores or factory jobs for its robots.
Tour guides and personal assistants
José Adorno/BGR
According to Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng, the company isn’t following the same path as most other robotics manufacturers. While many are targeting industrial or domestic applications, Xpeng is looking in a different direction. Although the company acknowledges that humanoid robots tend to be more efficient (its earliest prototypes were actually quadrupeds), it has found that robots aren’t particularly effective in factory settings or at handling repetitive tasks.
This highlights a key tradeoff being made by competitors like 1X, which is asking customers to pay $20,000 for its robot while also granting the company full access to their homes to train future AI capabilities. In contrast, Xpeng thinks its robot will succeed as a receptionist, tour guide, or personal shopping assistant.
Indeed, the seventh-generation of its robots, the first IRON humanoid bot, was responsible for part of BGR’s tour at Xpeng’s new headquarters in Guangzhou, China. The clunky bot walked around the venue, spoke in a perfect American accent about itself, and moved its arms. Xpeng wants to have the eighth-generation robots lead these tours and also present its products at its stores in China.
Smarter than you think, but questions remain
José Adorno/BGR
During Xpeng’s keynote address, the company’s CEO said this robot will follow the three universal robot laws created by Isaac Asimov, in addition to a fourth law, which is that these robots can’t disclose their owner’s data. With 2250 TOPS computing power, the robot features Xpeng’s VLT, VLA, and VLM technologies — also present in its cars — to help them walk more naturally and be aware of theirs surroundings (though despite a corny video of the robot dancing to “The Fate of the Ophelia” by Taylor Swift, it still walks weirdly). One of the main differences from the previous generation is the new hand with 22 degrees of freedom, making it capable of holding small objects gently.
While Xpeng’s take on robots looks more useful than the half-baked promises from other companies, it still seems to be trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Prices for these robots haven’t been announced yet, nor the necessity of a female counterpart with so many customization options. These are questions we expect to learn the answers to in the near future, depending on how development progresses.
IT leaders need to weigh up the drive to adopt new, exciting innovation with the technical debt and mission-critical legacy applications their business has accumulated.
Many legacy systems continue to deliver business value, and as Jeremiah Stone, chief technology officer at SnapLogic, noted during a conversation with Computer Weekly at the company’s Integreat event in London on Tuesday, the biggest pain point of all is that most legacy modernisation is a business value neutral exercise. Often, these systems have had a tremendous amount of time and energy put into them.
“They’ve become the operational backbone of the business, and in a perfect world, you would never have to upgrade or modernise them because they’ve been curated and loved, and put into a position where the business can run upon them,” he said.
According to Stone, a big problem facing IT leaders is what he calls “the hard reality”. Either business requirements have changed, which means legacy IT no longer works the way the business wants to operate, or there are new tools and technologies, which may not work well with legacy systems.
Arguably, artificial intelligence (AI) – the main focus of the Integreat conference – is one of those technologies that does not play well with legacy IT.
In a presentation held at the event, Ralf Schundelmeier, head of enterprise data and platforms at Boehringer Ingelheim, discussed how the German pharmaceutical firm has adapted to support AI. “AI needs data,” he said. “Without data, there is no AI. You need good data and you need to get your data AI-ready.”
Boehringer Ingelheim’s AI and data strategy is based on self-service integration and self-service data. The company is a SnapLogic customer and has used the platform to support its data strategy, called Data Land.
Discussing the strategy, Ingelheim said: “We are a very old company and we’ve been collecting data for a long time. Some of this data is on legacy systems that are very hard to get to. Most of them don’t have application programming interfaces. Data is not catalogued.”
The company used SnapLogic to unlock data sources, creating an enterprise-wide data vault.
SnapLogic, which has lived through a number of IT architectural shifts, effectively provides modern middleware, to connect data sources and enable enterprise application integration. “Most of the systems we’re dealing with were first shipped between the years of 1995 and 2006,” said Stone.
Over this time in the tech industry, several models for distributed computing, such as the service-oriented architecture and systems, were run on-premise, which means enterprise applications were engineered before the era of cloud computing. In spite of the shift to public clouds and software as a service, much of the technology stack remains on-premise.
“I don’t think we’ve even passed 50% of enterprise workloads in the cloud yet,” he added.
But there is a need to modernise. According to Betsy Burton, vice-president of research at Aragon Research, enterprises are increasingly seeking ways to accelerate digital transformation and control expenses while updating legacy systems.
Given AI’s appetite for data, SnapLogic is positioning itself as the agentic integration company. Since there are plenty of enterprise data troves running in legacy systems, the company sees an opportunity to help its customers integrate these legacy IT systems into their AI strategies. It has now introduced a tool called SnapLogic Intelligent Modernizer, which it claims can streamline legacy workload migration.
In mid-August, a mysterious Nano Banana AI image generator went viral, not because of its catchy name, but because of the AI-generated images testers kept posting online. Some believed Nano Banana, then in testing on LM Arena, was an unreleased Google model the company would soon unveil. By late August, Google unveiled Nano Banana, revealing its official name, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, and making it widely available to users. Everyone kept calling it Nano Banana, and Google eventually adopted the name, using it everywhere the AI image generation model is available.
Until this week, Google never explained what Nano Banana meant, a name that made no sense in the grand scheme of Google AI things, where Gemini is the main brand. Some people may have assumed Nano Banana was a random placeholder name Google chose when it submitted the AI image generation model to LM Arena. It turns out that’s exactly what happened. Google confirmed that the name was chosen arbitrarily in the middle of the night, and it wasn’t the result of a carefully planned strategy. The name stuck as the model went viral and everyone kept using the Nano Banana moniker. In retrospect, the name choice was a stroke of late-night brilliance, as it gave the AI model an identity.
How Google chose the Nano Banana name
Gemini’s group product manager, David Sharon, was the guest of Google’s “Made By Google Podcast”. He talked about Nano Banana, addressing the development phase, the LM Arena viral tests, its safety, and the future. The Nano Banana name came up, and Sharon explained how Google went about choosing the name. “So the official name is much more catchy: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image,” Sharon joked. “But the name, the way Nano Banana was created, was by a PM named Nina. And when you submit a model anonymously to LM Arena, you need to give it a placeholder name. And I would love to tell you that a lot of thought and rigor went into the name Nano Banana, but the truth is that at 2:30 in the morning, Nina had a moment of brilliance to call the placeholder Nano Banana.”
What’s surprising in all of this is that Google never had a predetermined codename for the new AI image generation model that it would then use in places like LM Arena. Instead, it all came down to a moment of inspiration. In a way, Google is all of us, saving file names on computers for random things. But Google did it with a project that has been a massive hit with users since testing began.
Sharon explained that Google ended up adopting and “hugging” that name after the official launch of Gemini 2.5 Flash Image because people kept using the placeholder name instead of the official one. Google took it even further, adding a banana emoji in the Gemini app to signal that Nano Banana support is available to users. The short podcast episode (video above) is worth watching to learn more details about Nano Banana’s brief history at Google.
As the drive for the use of open telecoms technology in the UK gains further pace, deep tech innovation organisation Digital Catapult believes it has added further momentum to the Open RAN innovation by signing five international suppliers to its advanced connectivity programme, offering access to what it said was the UK’s only open testing and integration centre (Otic) to trial, validate and scale Open RAN offerings, boosting network innovation and supply chain diversity.
Digital Catapult works to provide technical validation, tailored market readiness support and consultancy for companies in the UK telecoms landscape. This includes guidance on commercialisation pathways, access to potential channel partners for customers and information on real-world deployment challenges. It also spans adopters’ needs, pain points, barriers to adoption and practical application of new technology.
As it explained the importance of signing the new vendors to its ecosystem, the association said it was on a mission to help build resilience in the UK’s advanced connectivity infrastructure and supply chains, supporting UK mobile network operators (MNOs) by broadening access to a pipeline of new suppliers. The net result, it assured, was enabling faster, scalable deployment of Open RAN technologies and diversifying the market by helping smaller suppliers to scale successfully.
The participating suppliers to the programme will now gain access to Digital Catapult’s advanced lab, which is said to be the first and only UK-based Otic.
Accreditation means suppliers can be certified and badged post-completion, verifying and validating their services with a view to driving successful partnerships with MNOs, and injecting a suite of interoperable innovations into the market.
Successful participants will receive badges for interoperability and end-to-end testing, which Digital Catapult regards as critical for instilling confidence among MNOs and streamlining the supplier selection processes.
Participants in the scheme now comprises Accelleran, Antevia Networks, Benetel, G Reigns, IS-Wireless and Pegatron.
Commenting on the addition of the suppliers, UK telecoms minister Liz Lloyd said: “Better connectivity transforms lives – creating jobs, boosting business and unlocking the full potential of new technology. This programme gets innovative tech out of the lab and into the world faster, helping to tackle poor connectivity challenges, diversify our telecoms supply chains and support economic growth.”
Digital Catapult chief technology officer Joe Butler said: “Badging and certifying participants will be key to scaling new Open RAN innovations, supporting vendors that may not otherwise have the recourse or capacity to trial and validate their solutions.
“As an Otic, we can provide a trusted environment to rigorously test solutions, and this next phase of our programme will support UK operators by reducing integration complexity and diversifying the market with reliable new solutions.”
Also part of the offer is the Sonic Labs facility and innovation programme, delivered in partnership with Ofcom and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Since launching, it has tested 71 Open RAN products from 26 global suppliers, establishing itself as a key driver towards open, interoperable and secure advanced connectivity and network infrastructure in the UK.
