Allan Nixon

Apr 30, 2024 | sciencesuperpower.substack.com | Allan Nixon |Anastasia Bektimirova

British politicians often blithely say they want us to be a science superpower, but they’re failing to face reality. Mistakes are still being made especially on how we’re approaching the five frontier technologies. We talk a good game on everything from AI to quantum, but we need to be more honest about what can be done. In short, Britain can’t be world leading in all aspects of every frontier technology.

Sep 6, 2023 | capx.co | Allan Nixon

An army of Beijing-backed SMEs are marching onto the world stage The UK’s plans to build strategic advantage in priority technologies are a mixture of inchoate, insufficient or missing entirely Without an explicit, coordinated approach to driving innovation via industrial strategy, Britain risks falling behindAn army of ‘Little Giants’ – thousands of high-tech, state-backed SMEs – are marching out of China onto the world stage.

Aug 4, 2023 | conservativehome.com | Allan Nixon

Allan Nixon is Head of Science and Technology at centre-right think tank Onward, and a former Downing Street advisor. In two dozen tall cabinets in Edinburgh sits Archer2, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer. Unfortunately, it’s not quite powerful enough – the world’s best machine is 56 times faster. For Britain to have any chance of competing with other countries on AI, we need an urgent upgrade.

Aug 1, 2023 | ukonward.com | Allan Nixon |Jack Richardson |Anna Dickinson |Anastasia Bektimirova

Reforming Whitehall and empowering the new Science Department is essential to the success of the UK’s science superpower ambitions. In the first half of 2023 the UK Government transformed its approach to science, creating a new Science Department, setting out a series of new strategies, and establishing an AI-focussed Foundation Models Taskforce backed by £100 million. But to become a genuine science superpower, the Government needs to go further.

Aug 1, 2023 | ukonward.com | Allan Nixon |Anna Dickinson |Anastasia Bektimirova |Adam Hawksbee

Reforming Whitehall and empowering the new Science Department is essential to the success of the UK’s science superpower ambitions. In the first half of 2023 the UK Government transformed its approach to science, creating a new Science Department, setting out a series of new strategies, and establishing an AI-focussed Foundation Models Taskforce backed by £100 million. But to become a genuine science superpower, the Government needs to go further.