Navigating the deep tech revolution: Why converging breakthroughs are demanding board-level attention

A new industrial era

If the first waves of industrial change were driven by steam, electricity, computing and the internet, the next chapter is being written by a constellation of breakthrough sciences working together. Generative AI, quantum computing algorithms, neuromorphic hardware and software, 6G+ networks, synthetic biology, and low earth orbit data services are no longer siloed research projects; together they form the platform that the World Economic Forum called the Fifth Industrial Revolution, January 13 2025.

Here in the UK, that future feels close to home. Our tech sector has crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark, making it one of the largest and fastest growing in Europe – hard proof that we remain a nation of innovators and a natural testbed for deep-tech development and adoption.

From the lab to the boardroom

Most headlines will gravitate toward generative AI, yet the story is much broader. Brain inspired chips are already doubling the airtime inspection of drones while keeping their vision systems sharp. Quantum solvers have turned night-long delivery-route calculations into a job that can be completed in a fraction of the time. And local micro-grid controllers, drawing on neural-spike techniques, are now able to juggle neighbourhood power flows in real time, keeping lights on even if the grid wobbles. None of these pilots is a moon-shot, each one has the potential to trim costs, carbon and risk while building priceless “option value” for the organisations prepared to scale when regulation and talent catch up.

Considerations for organisation leaders

Deep Tech doesn’t follow the neat adoption curves that we saw with cloud or mobile. Some capabilities mature overnight; others can take much longer and meander to maturity. This means leaders must balance long-term ambition with short, fast, feedback loops – updating a rolling roadmap on a more regular basis, e.g. quarterly, so that decisions and investments stay aligned to reality without betting the organisation on a single breakthrough. Partnerships and collaborations are just as important; universities and higher education ignite the pipeline of innovation, start-ups bring edge ideas, regulators frame guardrails and guiderails and established vendors offer the industrial muscle and scale. None should treated as an optional extra.

Funding models need the same rethink. The pay-off from deep tech rarely lands neatly within a twelve-month budget period, so ring-fenced capital and clear learning metrics are essential. Governance, too, must go hand-in-hand with innovation; security and ethics should be embedded from day one, rather than chase projects after the fact. And finally, the organisations that remember that talent is crucial. Give teams room to experiment, publish and rotate across domains and you attract and nurture curiosity that accelerates everything else. Who wouldn’t want to work for an organisation that excels and recognises this as a central tenant to their talent attraction and development.

Why collaboration matters

No single firm can commercialise neuromorphic boards, quantum components or space-data links in isolation. Shared testbeds spread risk and pool expertise, while public-private funding can shorten time-to-value and shape the standards that will eventually define markets. Leaders that back open collaboration today will be the front runners and set the rule of tomorrow.

The competitive edge

Digitising yesterday’s processes is no longer enough. The organisations weaving breakthrough tools into their core models are, and will, build revenue streams, operational resilience that competitors will struggle to copy – which will benefit staff, clients and shareholders alike. As London Tech Week 2025 unfolds, I found myself reflecting on the article I wrote last year during London Tech Week 2024 The evolution of deep tech and shallow tech and the societal impact outlining the broad convergence between breakthrough science and every day digital transformation. The question for every leadership team is simple: Where in our value chain could converging technologies unlock disproportionate value, and who must we enlist, now rather than later, to help us make this happen?

Those who engage early, invest wisely and with patience and collaborate widely will help to write the next chapter of industrial progress for the UK.

I would love to hear your thoughts in this subject, where you are developing your business strategy and the adoption of deep tech as we all prepare for this next industrial revolution.