IT innovation, research and development

Ofcom publishes Online Safety Roadmap

The roadmap sets out how the online harms regulator will approach implementing the UK’s online safety regime, and tells tech firms to start preparing for the new rules Continue Reading

Sweden and GDPR – four years on

Swedish data protection coordinator talks to Computer Weekly four years into the General Data Protection Regulation Continue Reading

UK signs ‘in principle’ data adequacy agreement with South Korea

Bilateral adequacy agreement will allow businesses to conduct cross-border data transfers with minimal restrictions Continue Reading

Amid NSO lawsuit, Apple expands spyware protections

Apple previews a new feature called Lockdown Mode to protect iPhone and iPad users from ‘mercenary spyware’ Continue Reading

CW Middle East: UAE citizens embrace new digital technologies

A survey shows that people in the United Arab Emirates believe next-generation technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence will become widespread in the country. Also read how the UAE has improved its security posture amid mounting cyber threats. Continue Reading

Plexal seeks new scaleups for next phase of Cyber Runway

Established security startups looking to grow and scale their operations are being invited to join the next phase of Plexal’s Cyber Runway programme Continue Reading

Legacy UK customs system stops accepting registration requests

HMRC closes new applications to legacy customs system as its shutdown nears Continue Reading

Netherlands’ AMdEX seeks to democratise the internet

Last year, five Dutch organisations launched an initiative to set up the Amsterdam Data Exchange to simplify data sharing and help democratise the internet Continue Reading

MPs call for ban on Chinese surveillance camera technology

Nearly 70 MPs have called on the government to ban Chinese camera technology that is widely used by UK government agencies despite links to human rights abuses in China Continue Reading

Government rejects Lords police tech inquiry recommendations

The government has largely rejected the findings and recommendations of a House of Lords inquiry into police tech, which called for an overhaul of how police deploy artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies Continue Reading

Why is it so hard to fix the chip crisis?

Through subsidies and grants, the EU and the UK are focused on building out local chip manufacturing to alleviate semiconductor shortages Continue Reading

Essential Guide: State of 5G in APAC

In this Essential Guide, we examine the state of 5G rollouts in Asia-Pacific, how organisations are leveraging 5G and what is being done by telcos to address enterprise use cases of 5G Continue Reading

Urgent need for new laws to govern biometrics, legal review finds

Independent review says new framework is needed to clear up legal and ethical concerns over the use of biometric data and technologies, which can impact privacy, freedom of expression and other human rights Continue Reading

CEA-Leti and the Silicon Valleys of Grenoble, France

At the intersection of three valleys in the French Alps lies the city of Grenoble, a hotbed of microelectronics, where much of the innovation is fuelled by CEA-Leti Continue Reading

Executive interview: Chris Conradi, chief digital officer, FSN Capital

Chris Conradi is taking his learnings at Google into the private equity industry at Norway’s FSN Capital Continue Reading

Veritas aims at autonomous backup discovery and provisioning

Veritas bets on a backup platform that can discover all enterprise data – on-premise and in the cloud – and make its own decisions about the optimal place to store copies Continue Reading

Finding the balance between innovation and data security in healthcare

As the government launches its data strategy for health and social care, a fine line must be trodden between innovating through privacy-enhancing technologies, and retaining data security for patients Continue Reading

Non-European tech giants could be subject to EU-backed anti-greenwashing directive

EU-backed push to tighten up the sustainability reporting processes for companies that do business in Europe gathers pace Continue Reading

What the world can learn from Saudi Arabia’s fight against industrial control system attacks

Iran learned from attacks on its infrastructure and unleashed similar malware on Saudi Arabia. The world has now gained valuable lessons from the Saudi response Continue Reading

Yodel delivery service disrupted by cyber incident

Delivery company Yodel confirmed it had experienced a cyber incident, which researchers believe could be a ransomware attack, and is working to get systems fully running again Continue Reading

How TDCX is building a people-centric business

Every digital tool deployed by the Singapore-based services firm is aimed at augmenting the performance and experience of its employees, says TDCX’s group CIO, Byron Fernandez Continue Reading

We’re all technologists now – the powerful impact of low-code platforms

Low-code platforms are bringing a shift in how organisations develop and use technology – and it’s the job of the CIO to let it happen in a controlled, secure and connected fashion Continue Reading

Tech sector sustainability efforts need full ecosystem approach

Reorienting the tech sector around collaboration rather than competition and reassessing the industry’s conventional wisdom around economic growth is essential to improving sustainability on the timescale needed, London Tech Week attendees are told Continue Reading

Government responds to Data Reform Bill consultation

Westminster claims its new data laws will boost British benefits, protect consumers, and seize the ‘benefits’ of Brexit Continue Reading

MoD sets out strategy to develop military AI with private sector

The UK Ministry of Defence has outlined its intention to work closely with the private sector to develop and deploy a range of artificial intelligence-powered technologies, committing to ‘lawful and ethical AI use’ Continue Reading

Privacy-enhancing technologies – myths and misconceptions

As the UK and US prepare to open a joint privacy-enhancing technology (PET) prize challenge, expert Ellison Anne Williams busts some myths and misconceptions around this emerging area Continue Reading

Dundee security research centre opens with support from SBRC

An £18m hub at Abertay University in Dundee forms the centrepiece of Scotland’s first security research cluster Continue Reading

Virgin Money slashes loan application time through fintech

Business loan application process at Virgin Money cut from days to minutes through fintech platform Continue Reading

UK needs to upskill to achieve quantum advantage

Quantum computing bridges the IT and scientific community, and although it may be years away, skills developed during pilot projects are key Continue Reading

CIO interview: Morten Holm Christiansen, Haldor Topsoe

There’s no point digitising if there is no benefit to the customer, says the Danish chemicals giant’s head of IT Continue Reading

Spanish bank and Microsoft create innovation lab

CaixaBank and Microsoft partner in artificial intelligence and metaverse innovation Continue Reading

Digitising the future of Nordic energy

Finland calls for digital intervention as part of the global transition to renewable energy Continue Reading

Swedish recruiters prepare for a tsunami of AI projects

Several programmes are underway in Sweden to attract and retain AI talent to meet a swelling demand in the job market Continue Reading

CIO interview: Emma Frost, director of innovation, London Legacy Development Corporation

London’s former Olympic Park has become a testbed for data and technology innovation that could have a wider benefit for urban environments. We talk to Emma Frost, director of innovation at London Legacy Development Corporation. Continue Reading

Data leaders need to overcome their fears and unlock their creativity

Author and data management consultant Caroline Carruthers argues that data leaders need to tap into their creativity to make their analytical work pay off Continue Reading

UK, US prepare to launch PET project

A transatlantic prize challenge to accelerate development of privacy-enhancing technologies is set to begin Continue Reading

Government recommits to UK’s cyber future in Digital Strategy

New strategy leans heavily on cyber security but stops short of announcing any initiatives that have not already been launched or heavily trailed Continue Reading

New UK digital strategy aims to secure future growth for £150bn digital economy

Government publishes plan that brings together existing and new initiatives intended to expand the digital sector and help to establish the UK as a ‘superpower’ in science and tech Continue Reading

Health data strategy to exorcise ghosts of GPDPR

Government publishes a revised data in health strategy, with an emphasis firmly on preserving the integrity and privacy of patients’ confidential information Continue Reading

ICO fails to disclose majority of reprimands issued under GDPR

London law firm Mishcon de Reya forces disclosure of reprimands issued to organisations by the Information Commissioner’s Office for contraventions of UK data protection law Continue Reading

NHS invites suppliers to apply to join latest tech marketplace

Health service launches new IT framework for suppliers offering technologies that can transform GP operations Continue Reading

Swedish entrepreneurs capture the world’s attention with eye-tracking technology

A growing number of killer apps are driving the uptake of eye-tracking systems – and Sweden is positioned to play a leading role Continue Reading

P27 advance could replace multiple national clearing systems in Nordics

Nordic payments project promises to make payments to other countries as easy as sending a text message Continue Reading

APAC life sciences firms face HPC challenges

More than half of pharmaceutical and biotech companies expect over 10% growth in genomic workloads but are facing scalability and other challenges with their HPC infrastructure Continue Reading

CDO interview: Matthew Lawson, chief digital officer, Ribble Cycles

The 125-year-old bicycle manufacturer is transforming its business with digital innovations such as live streaming and online personalisation Continue Reading

How digital twins can improve datacentre operations

Singapore’s Red Dot Analytics has built an AI-powered digital twin platform that lets datacentre operators simulate their operations to manage their carbon footprint and energy consumption, among other uses Continue Reading

How Pfizer is leveraging technology in healthcare

Pfizer uses predictive modelling to recruit patients for clinical trials and supercomputers to identity candidate molecules that go into antiviral drugs, among other technology use cases Continue Reading

CIO interview: Emma Frost, director of innovation, London Legacy Development Corporation

The former Olympic Park in London has become a hotbed – and a testbed – for data and technology innovation that could have a wider benefit for the urban environments in which we live Continue Reading

Heineken puts employees in charge of their own careers with new HR system

According to Sanne Noordam, head of SAP SuccessFactors in the Netherlands, companies need to look and listen more closely to the needs of employees in order to attract and retain them Continue Reading

Singapore doubles down on quantum technology

The city-state is shoring up its quantum talent and quantum device manufacturing capabilities in a bid to advance its knowhow in the emerging technology Continue Reading

Iceland’s natural and digital approach to healthcare disrupts global sector

Iceland has the perfect blend of natural health remedies and tech startup entrepreneurship to shake up the world healthcare sector Continue Reading

UAE residents think 3D printing will have the most positive impact on society

People in the UAE believe next-generation technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence will become widespread in the country Continue Reading

NUS students learn to handle agitated patients through VR

Medical and nursing students at the National University of Singapore’s medical school will soon don virtual reality headsets to learn how to handle agitated patients Continue Reading

CW Nordics: How the Estonian government created a digital assistant to support citizens

As Estonia finalises the initial version of its government services digital assistant for launch, the man heading the project describes the birth of Bürokratt and beyond. Also read about Helsinki's role in a pan-EU project to introduce drone technology into emergency medical services. Continue Reading

Gothenburg University makes breakthrough in energy efficient computers

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Set innovation free and make great ideas a reality

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at Gartner’s call to innovate – and innovation across retail, the circular economy and the automotive sector. We talk to Verastar’s CTO about customer engagement in its small business services. And we examine how poor data quality is frustrating corporate desires to be data driven. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Third of organisations to outsource more IT amid talent shortage

Cutting costs is not the main reason for outsourcing IT in the UK, according to a major study Continue Reading

Former Welsh steelworks becomes ‘living’ cyber lab

ResilientWorks security centre in Ebbw Vale provides an education hub for students and a testbed for industry Continue Reading

Red teaming will be standard in Dutch governmental organisations by 2025

The Dutch government wants to include the testing of the digital security of systems, processes and people – also known as red teaming – in all of its governmental organisations’ test planning and budgeting by 2025 at the latest Continue Reading

Singapore opens security testing centre

Joint centre set up by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and a local university will facilitate security testing and train security evaluation talent Continue Reading

Digitally transforming UK power networks for renewable energy

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how the UK’s power networks need to be digital transformed to be ready for renewable energy – and the role of open source. Wi-Fi 6 was meant to give a boost to wireless connectivity – we examine why adoption has stalled. And we look at what a quantum datacentre might be like. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Gartner Data & Analytics Summit: Unleash innovation on emergence from pandemic

Analysts at the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit in London urged D&A leaders to unleash innovation as their organisations emerge from the shadow of the pandemic Continue Reading

Pro-competition data sharing will not include users’ personal info, says minister

UK government proposals to improve competition in digital markets by making tech giants share data with smaller firms will not include consumers’ personal information, says digital minister Continue Reading

Santander has so far moved 80% of IT infrastructure to cloud

Spanish banking giant Santander continues its journey into the cloud as it strives to be cloud native Continue Reading

Data Reform Bill announced in Queen’s Speech

Government claims proposals to reform the UK’s data protection regime will create a framework ‘focused on privacy outcomes rather than box-ticking’ Continue Reading

DWP partners with AI-powered career and job services

Partnership involves a trial to see how well artificial intelligence can be used to help job seekers find work more quickly Continue Reading

European retailers see embedded finance as a revenue builder

Retailers and e-commerce businesses are working with tech suppliers to embed financial products and services in their customer offerings Continue Reading

CyberUK 22: Wales splashes £9.5m on cyber innovation hub

A new innovation hub hopes to spur on cyber security innovation in Wales Continue Reading

How one Australian firm is creating smarter menus

Me&u’s smart menus are intelligent enough to recommend food items based on customer preferences, and even help to reduce food waste and alleviate bartender workloads during peak periods Continue Reading

UK digital markets regulator to be given statutory powers

Digital Markets Unit will be put on statutory footing by UK government to ensure technology giants do not abuse market power, but announcement comes with no clear indication of when legislation will be introduced Continue Reading

Swedish digital entrepreneur interview: Haider Abdo

Consumer demands changed during Covid-19 and Swedish entrepreneur Haider Abdo has used this as a platform to take niche startup to the next level in the retail sector Continue Reading

Prepare for smart robot revolution

While industrial robots are well established, smart robots are being deployed across retail and logistics – but much of the tech is still nascent Continue Reading

Following the customer: How tech leaders can learn from Alphabet and Meta

Why tech leaders should think about the changing needs of their customers Continue Reading

Nordic projects drive digital-supported green hydrogen technologies

Nordic companies are driving cost reductions in the production of green hydrogen through digitisation Continue Reading

Inside UnaBiz’s bid for Sigfox

Singapore-based UnaBiz has made a successful bid for the French low-power wide area network technology supplier, in a deal that will advance its vision of a unified IoT world Continue Reading

Qualcomm to power Volkswagen’s future automated driving technology

Volkswagen Group’s software division looks to global chip giant to supply system-on-chips to enable assisted and automated driving functions Continue Reading

‘Traditional’ is not a dirty word

Sometimes ‘new’ and ‘disruptive’ really doesn’t make sense As an industry analyst, I take a lot of briefings from IT vendors and service providers. Most of these begin with a spokesperson framing ... Continue Reading

Electric vehicle transition comes with uneven costs

Governments, car makers and tech companies are promoting electric vehicles, but are they considering the uneven social and environmental costs from extracting the critical minerals needed to make batteries? Continue Reading

UK regulators seek input on algorithmic processing and auditing

Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum is inviting views on how the four UK watchdogs involved should approach regulating algorithms, following its publication of discussion papers and a 2022 workplan Continue Reading

Naver outlines global AI ambitions

South Korean internet giant Naver has built a global research network to advance and apply its artificial intelligence capabilities across its services Continue Reading

Government digital ignorance puts Dutch economy at risk

In this interview, Michiel Steltman, managing director of Digital Infrastructure Netherlands, tells Computer Weekly why the Dutch digital economy is at risk due to a lack of knowledge and understanding at government level Continue Reading

How Denmark attracts tech companies

Danish government encourages research in strategic fields – and encourages the development of clusters, which include research institutes, tech suppliers and customers Continue Reading

Danish researcher explains zero-knowledge proofs and post-quantum encryption

A graduate from the University of Aarhus, a Danish researcher is now a leading player in some of the most important issues in cyber security Continue Reading

Global digital wallet transactions set to soar

Payments using mobile phones are set to soar globally as suppliers expand the services available, according to research Continue Reading

Odense Robotics helps develop key export for Denmark

Robotics seen as a future export sector for Denmark as investment startups build their skills in public sector projects Continue Reading

Government appoints head of technology transfer unit

Government announces a CEO to lead its initiatives around commercialising its knowledge assets Continue Reading

EU lawmakers propose limited ban on predictive policing systems

MEPs’ joint report on European Artificial Intelligence Act sets out limited ban on predictive policing systems alongside a raft of further amendments to improve redress mechanisms and extend the list of AI systems deemed high-risk Continue Reading

UAE bolsters cyber security

The United Arab Emirates has successfully improved its security posture amid mounting cyber threats Continue Reading

Scotland 5G Centre issues call to business for improved healthcare delivery

S5GC launches innovation challenge to use advanced connectivity to transform and improve healthcare delivery in Scotland, with three shortlisted projects to receive access to a private 5G testbed Continue Reading

The metaverse: A virtual reality check

The so-called metaverse is years away, but many businesses are keen to ride the industry hype in a bid to benefit from first-mover advantage Continue Reading

AI researcher says police tech suppliers are hostile to transparency

Expert witness in Lords police tech inquiry welcomes committee’s findings but questions whether its recommendations on how to end the ‘Wild West’ of police artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies in the UK would be implemented Continue Reading

Disney combines digital, data and creativity to win advertising opportunities

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the executive vice-president for client and brand solutions at Disney Advertising Sales about how it is using data to subserve story-telling excellence. We delve into how rising energy costs negatively impacted the UK arm of Sungard Availability Services. And we look at the role of infrastructure as code in edge datacentres. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

AirAsia taps Google Cloud to bolster its super-app

AirAsia is setting up a cloud centre of excellence with Google Cloud to shore up its super-app and build capabilities in site reliability engineering and machine learning operations Continue Reading

Goldacre review outlines recommendations on safer use of health data

The findings of an investigation into use of health data for research and analysis includes a number of proposals to improve innovation in the NHS Continue Reading

APAC organisations to spend more on AI

The higher investments in AI will be led by the region’s banking industry which is harnessing AI systems to mitigate risks and detect fraud Continue Reading

Siemens looks at quantum computing to accelerate simulations

Using quantum computing to solve complex non-linear differential equations offers a way to speed up digital-twin simulations Continue Reading

Structured decentralisation is the key to unlocking Nordic-level innovation

Finnish tech entrepreneurs will be taking the stage at the World Economic Forum to tell the world about the role of trust in Finnish startup success Continue Reading

Saudi Arabian ICT sector hits $32.1bn after strong pandemic response

The Saudi Arabian IT and communications sector is recovering strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

EU Act ‘must empower those affected by AI systems to take action’

Ada Lovelace Institute publishes recommendations on how European institutions can improve the Artificial Intelligence Act by establishing a ‘comprehensive remedies framework’ around those affected by the deployment of AI systems Continue Reading

You’ve just crossed over into the Dyson Zone

Dyson has ventured into the headphones market the only way that feels right: with a chunky, magnetic, air-purifying face mask upgrade that’s arrived two years too late. “The Dyson Zone purifies the ... Continue Reading