UK industrial strategy labels cyber a key frontier technology
Cyber security has been named one of the UK’s highest-potential “frontier” industries in the government’s new industrial strategy, which outlines plans to boost economic resilience through investment in cutting edge tech sectors like AI, semiconductors and quantum computing.
The strategy, published Monday, places cyber at the heart of both national security digital infrastructure and enabling the wider adoption of transformative technologies such as AI.
Cyber named core to resilient growth
“Today’s industrial strategy clearly recognises that you cannot have sustainable economic growth without strong cyber resilience,” said Mike Maddison, chief executive of NCC group. “It identifies cyber as a frontier industry.”
The government has committed to expand its cyber essentials accreditation scheme and support the roll out of next-generation chips to tackle vulnerabilities at the hardware level.
A forthcoming ‘cyber growth action plan’, expected this summer, will outline a roadmap for scaling the industry further and supporting regional cyber hubs in locations like Greater Manchester and Cheltenham.
Maddison welcomed the strategy, which lists NCC Group alongisde Darktrace and BAE Systems as examples of UK-founded firms exporting cyber expertise globally.
Security key to unlocking AI growth
The strategy underscores the government’s faith that cyber security will help enable the secure adoption of AI technologies across critical sectors, like life sciences and advanced manufacturing; a view echoed by Darktrace, another cyber heavyweight name-checked in the government report.
“AI promises to be the most transformative technology of our lifetime, and the government are right to make it a focus of the industrial strategy,” said Phil Pearson, chief strategy officer at the . “Security will be vital. The diffusion of AI across our economy will only be sustainable if tech is secure.”
Pearson also argued that the UK’s leadership in cyber could underpin the growth of its AI sector.
“Advanced manufacturing businesses need confidence their digitised operations can’t be shut down by bad actors, and life science organisations need to now their clinical data is secure,” he said.
The strategy comes as major UK businesses grapple with the fallout from recent cyber attacks which has acutely highlighted the financial and operational risks of a rapidly intensifying threat environment.
Alongside cyber, the government is prioritising AI, quantum tech, semiconductors, and engineering biology as part of its frontier technology agenda.
A new £187m ‘tech first’ skills programme will also aim to develop digital, AI and cyber expertise.