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Speakers at the October 7 City Quantum & AI Summit said UK defence adoption of AI and quantum technology is held back chiefly by institutional reluctance to take risks, not just procurement rules. British Business Bank Chair Stephen Welton cited a £100 million commitment to OQC as a signal that UK capital can support domestic deep-tech firms, though speakers did not establish that funding or policy changes will resolve the broader bottlenecks.
Speakers at the City Quantum & AI Summit in London said UK institutions are slow to adopt defence technologies and finance domestic deep-tech companies, pointing to risk appetite and access to capital as key bottlenecks. Former Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said completing a business case for a UK defence programme worth more than £200 million takes over 1,000 days on average, while British Business Bank Chair Stephen Welton cited the bank’s £100 million commitment to quantum-computing firm OQC as an effort to encourage UK investment.
The summit’s defence panel, “Safety and Security in Troubled Times,” brought together Radakin, Helsing UK Managing Director Ned Baker, Thales consultant Jeanette van Halteren, Multiverse Computing’s Alberto Reguera Guerrero and Delta.g CEO Tony Lowe. The panel discussed how AI and quantum technologies move from private-sector development into military use. Radakin contrasted procurement for Ukraine with buying for UK forces, saying a Ministry of Defence unit had been able to source equipment for Ukraine while domestic programmes faced much longer processes.
Radakin said the average time to complete the business case for a UK defence programme valued above £200 million was more than 1,000 days, before a contract was signed. Baker said the problem was not primarily a need to remove procurement rules, but a culture that leaves officials reluctant to take risks. Van Halteren agreed, describing a Ministry of Defence initiative called ASGARD as having been strong before, in her view, reverting to a more programmatic approach. These are speakers’ assessments; the summit report did not provide independent data on procurement timelines or a government response.
In an evening keynote, Welton said the British Business Bank’s £100 million commitment was part of OQC’s £260 million Series C funding round. He described the investment as a way to show private UK investors that domestic capital can anchor British deep-tech businesses. The summit was organized by Redcliffe Advisory and held at Mansion House under the theme “Connections in Chaos.”
The Cost of Slow Defence Adoption
Longer approval cycles can delay when military users receive technologies that companies say can be adapted quickly. Baker described a cycle of development and countermeasure in Ukraine that can take hours or days, compared with the years or decades associated with traditional systems. The gap matters because a technology’s usefulness may depend on updating it as threats and operational needs change; the panel did not quantify the effect of procurement delays on specific capabilities.
The capital discussion points to a related challenge: companies developing advanced technologies need funding to grow, while investors may be cautious about backing businesses with long development timelines and demanding customers. Welton’s account of the OQC investment presents a public-bank commitment as a signal to private investors, but it does not establish whether additional private funding followed or whether the model can be applied broadly.
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Defence Buying and UK Investment
The summit was the sixth City Quantum & AI Summit, held in London on October 7, 2026. Its defence session focused on security pressures, the military use of emerging technology and the pace at which government can buy and field equipment. The panel’s participants represented defence companies, a technology start-up and former public-sector leadership, so their comments reflect professional perspectives rather than a formal government review.
Radakin referred to Task Force Kindred, the Ministry of Defence unit involved in sourcing equipment for Ukraine, as an example of a different purchasing approach. He argued that the same mix of military personnel and civil servants could operate under different permissions to take financial and operational risks. Speakers also framed sovereignty as the ability to sustain national capability with trusted allies, rather than as technological isolation. The report gives no detailed policy proposal or timetable for changing procurement practice.
“If anything was over 200 million, then just on average, just to finish off the business case would take over 1,000 days.”
— Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, former Chief of the Defence Staff
Evidence and Policy Still Missing
The summit report does not explain how the 1,000-day average was calculated, which programmes were included or how long the process takes for smaller projects. It also does not provide government data confirming a trend or a response from the Ministry of Defence to the panel’s criticism. The speakers’ arguments identify perceived barriers, but do not measure how much each factor contributes to delays.
It remains unclear whether the British Business Bank’s OQC commitment has prompted further private investment, how the funding will affect OQC’s operations, or whether similar financing will be available to other UK deep-tech companies. The report also does not set out specific procurement reforms, implementation dates or commitments from officials.
From Summit Claims to Action
The next meaningful developments would be evidence of changes to defence purchasing practice and details of whether faster approval routes are adopted beyond initiatives such as ASGARD. The summit report gives no date for a policy decision or follow-up announcement. Further government data on business-case timelines would help test the panel’s account against measured procurement outcomes.
On finance, investors and companies will be watching for details of OQC’s funding round and evidence that the British Business Bank’s participation brings in additional private capital. Until such information is available, the summit’s comments describe the obstacles and the intended role of public investment, rather than confirming that either bottleneck has been resolved.
Key Questions
What did speakers identify as the main UK deep-tech bottlenecks?
They pointed to institutional risk aversion in defence adoption and difficulties securing capital for UK deep-tech companies. They framed these as speakers’ assessments, not findings from a formal government review.
What did Radakin say about large defence programmes?
He said preparing the business case for a UK defence programme worth more than £200 million takes over 1,000 days on average, before a contract is signed. The report does not give the calculation method or underlying dataset.
What is the British Business Bank’s connection to OQC?
Welton said the bank committed £100 million to OQC’s £260 million Series C. He presented the commitment as a signal to private UK investors, but the report does not confirm what additional investment it generated.
Did the summit announce changes to defence procurement?
No specific procurement reform or implementation date was reported. Speakers discussed cultural barriers and cited ASGARD, but the report did not record a new government commitment.
Source: thequantuminsider.com
