Call for Speakers
The call for speakers for the 2026 CW Technology and Engineering Conference (CWTEC) is now open. Don’t miss the opportunity to speak to 200+ major industry players, including senior engineers, technologists, academics, and business leaders.
Building on last year’s focus on 6G, the 2026 conference will examine the critical enabling technologies behind next-generation innovation, with particular emphasis on semiconductors and photonics as the foundations for future connectivity, compute capability, and emerging technology applications. The programme will focus on practical insight, technical depth, and strategic discussion around the technologies most likely to define the UK’s next wave of innovation.
CWTEC comprises four sessions:
- UK Strengths, Capabilities & Gaps
As the semiconductor industry looks to move beyond the current AI wave, this session assesses the UK’s current position in the globally competitive semiconductor ecosystem: our strengths, our gaps, and the opportunities that lie ahead. With a focus on what comes next - from photonics and power electronics to heterogenous integration - we will explore how the UK can shape and lead in the next frontier of technology. - Power Electronics, Photonics and Quantum - Does the Past Dictate the Future?
Are the performance gains still sufficient to justify further investment? With R&D taking place across a range of semiconductor materials, how will material choices be made, and which are ultimately likely to succeed in the market? This could span CS, 2D materials and rare earth metals for semiconductors, devices, interposers, substrates, gratings and heatsinks. How will this expertise help accelerate and support quantum solutions? - Design & Future Compute Architectures
As compute demands continue to rise, architectural innovation is becoming as important as process scaling. This session examines how new design approaches, from heterogeneous integration and chiplets to neuromorphic and domain‑specific architectures, are shaping the future of compute beyond today’s AI workloads. With a focus on performance, energy efficiency and system‑level trade‑offs, the discussion will explore where real breakthroughs are coming from and how UK capabilities in advanced design can help define what comes next. - Sovereign Supply Chains
Export controls, trade barriers, geopolitical tensions and competition for critical materials are changing where and how semiconductor and photonic supply chains work. The UK has world class capabilities in chip design, compound semiconductors and photonics, but where are the real bottlenecks in delivering on those strengths at scale, particularly for critical applications like AI, data centres and high performance compute? Does the UK have the domestic capacity to match its ambitions, or does it need the right partnerships to bridge the gap?
How the call for speakers works
Submit a short abstract to be reviewed by our Steering Committee.
Please ensure your proposal:
- Is relevant to one of the four conference themes above and is not a product pitch for your organisation.
- Provides thought leadership and in-depth technical content.
- Includes cutting-edge examples of technology applications or use cases.
- Clearly states aims and intended outcomes for participants.
Cambridge Wireless prides itself on championing diversity across our events, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds and viewpoints, regardless of experience.
Please note that submissions containing overt sales pitches will not be considered.
Key Dates
The deadline for submitting your abstract is 17:00 on Thursday, 30 April. We will let you know if your application has been successful no later than Friday, 15 May.
All proposals are subject to approval by the CWTEC Steering Committee. Please complete the application form below to submit a proposal. All data submitted in this form will be handled in accordance with CW's Privacy Policy.