​An invite-only evening event during London Tech Week

​Over the past 12 months, digital sovereignty has moved from a niche concern to a defining issue for UK and European organisations. What was once theoretical is now a real driver of risk, cost, and strategic decision-making.

​Join Civo for an exclusive evening as we launch the 2026 edition of our whitepaper, The Digital Sovereignty Revolution.

​This year’s report, “The Digital Sovereignty Tax”, explores how attitudes have shifted since 2025, what organisations are actually doing in response, and the real-world costs and trade-offs now emerging.

​What to expect

​We’ll begin with a short presentation from Mark Boost, CEO, Civo, highlighting the key findings from the 2026 whitepaper, how attitudes have shifted over the past year, and what this means for organisations navigating an increasingly complex geopolitical and regulatory landscape.

​This will be followed by a panel discussion with leading voices from across tech, policy, and business, exploring how organisations are navigating sovereignty in practice, building on the findings and addressing the key questions raised by the research.

​Our panel

• ​Amanda Brock, CEO, OpenUK
  OpenUK and OpenHQ CEO and Honorary Professor at Bristol University, Amanda is a leader in open source and has been very engaged in open source and AI policy. She has built OpenUK, the UK’s organisation for open technology - open source software, hardware, data, standards and AI - into a world-leading industry and policy orgnanisation and founded OpenHQ as an international open technology policy and research organisation in 2025. She advises a number of not for profits and commercial entities.
  
  

• ​Lord Drayson, Chairman, Locai Labs
  Lord Drayson is an entrepreneur, investor, and former UK Minister for Science and senior defence minister. He is Chairman of Locai Labs, which is building the UK’s first sovereign large language models, strengthening national capability in AI.
  
  

• ​Julia Lopez MP, Member of Parliament
  Julia Lopez MP has represented Hornchurch and Upminster since 2017 and is currently Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. She has held senior ministerial roles in digital and infrastructure, with a focus on data governance, resilience, and the UK’s position in the global tech landscape.

​We’ll then open the floor for Q&A, before moving into a more informal networking session over drinks and food.

​Why attend

• ​Get early access to new data from the 2026 whitepaper

• ​Understand the emerging costs, risks, and trade-offs of sovereignty

• ​Hear directly from leaders operating at the intersection of AI, cloud, and policy

• ​Connect with a curated group of senior peers, partners, and industry voices