London Tech Week 2026 was officially opened by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today with back-to-back investment announcements from the UK Government and global technology leaders. 

The opening keynotes focused on shaping the technology revolution, building sovereign capabilities, supporting global talent and creating an environment for skills, growth, innovation and governance that will ensure the UK retains its status as third largest technology economy in the world. 

New data released by Tech Nation in its report, The Next Wave of UK AI valued the UK technology sector at £1.2 trillion in 2026 and reported that UK AI startups have raised more than £8.2bn in venture capital in the first half of 2026. 

This supports the Prime Minister’s statement that UK technology startups have raised close to half of all European technology investment so far this year. New data from Omdia also forecasts that IT spending across Europe will increase 8.2% in 2026, its fastest pace since 2021, reaching a total of $1.3 trillion.

Carolyn Dawson OBE, CEO of Founders Forum Group and Lead for London Tech Week, said: “This is the most important London Tech Week we’ve ever hosted. Our focus for the week is clear: how AI is transforming industries and outcomes, building resilience through tech sovereignty, and the next frontier of deep tech, amid what is undoubtedly Europe’s decisive decade.” 

Now in its 13th year, London Tech Week 2026 is bringing together global technology and political leaders alongside scientists and investors from 130 countries, to turn ambition about the next phase of UK and European technology competitiveness and growth, into action. 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a new national AI compute strategy that includes an investment of £400 million to purchase specialist AI compute capabilities. 

AMD announced a £2 billion investment in the UK over the next five years. This funding will support high-performance compute infrastructure in partnership with Cambridge University, research and development with Imperial College, and direct investments into UK startups.

Nebius is committing approximately £1.7 billion to build out AI capacity in the UK, with more infrastructure, customers and cloud capabilities for agentic and enterprise AI. This investment funds three new deployments of NVIDIA infrastructure, scaling up to 65 MW of capacity by 2027, and expands the company’s commercial and AI R&D hub in London. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, unveiled a £12 million AI support package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The program, developed by London & Partners,  will invest £4 million annually over three years to help London’s small businesses adopt AI through readiness assessments, expert mentoring, and tailored guidance.

It was also announced that The Prince of Wales will attend the event for the first time to highlight how data and technology can play a critical role in preventing homelessness, as part of the Homewards initiative.

Janet Coyle CBE, Managing Director at London & Partners, London’s growth agency and co-founders of London Tech Week, said: “AI is moving at an incredible pace and the opportunities are huge for the UK and London. We have the investment, talent, and real-world application all in the capital, now it is upon us all to make sure the benefits of AI are felt right across the business community and wider economy.”