Northern Ireland must “choose its AI future now”. That was the stark conclusion from the recently launched Matrix ‘Future of Work’ report. The report went on to say that the region "cannot afford to let the pace of change outstrip our readiness or our ambition.”
Big Data Belfast 2025 arrives at precisely the right moment to enable industry, government and academia to realise the benefits of the “AI future”.
When the ICC Belfast opens its doors on 22nd October, more than 800 delegates will gather for what has become the region's definitive showcase of how AI and data analytics are reshaping industries, economies and society itself. Now in its 11th year, the conference will be a comprehensive exploration of AI's practical applications across industries. From energy grids to the judicial system, from elite sport to financial services, the event promises to demonstrate not just AI's theoretical potential, but its real-world impact.
READ MORE: Big Data Belfast – Speaker Spotlight – Cat McCusker, Regional Market Leader, PwC
Over 300 companies will be represented, with speakers drawn from global technology leaders including PwC, Microsoft, AMD, Dell Technologies and Informatica. The latter serves 86 of the Fortune 100 companies across approximately 100 countries, bringing enterprise-scale data management expertise to the conference. Similarly, AMD - which generates nearly $30 billion in annual revenue with 28,000 employees worldwide - will share insights from the forefront of semiconductor innovation driving the AI revolution. From a local perspective, Options Technology, headquartered in Belfast with over 600 employees across 10 global offices including New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore, demonstrates how Northern Ireland companies compete at the highest levels of global financial technology.
According to Scott Fischaber, CEO of Analytics Engines and the conference organiser: “This convergence of billion-dollar technology leaders with Belfast-grown success stories creates a rare opportunity to understand AI implementation from both global and local perspectives. Such concentrated expertise is available nowhere else in the region, making Big Data Belfast the must-attend conference for anyone serious about understanding and deploying AI technology.
That practical focus is perhaps most evident in the newly created Business Track, co-curated with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. Designed specifically for business leaders and decision-makers, this dedicated strand tackles questions around AI strategy,legal considerations, and real-world implementation.
The Business Track features insights from organisations already deep into their AI journeys. Deanta, NI Water and TeamFeePay will share their experiences, whilst legal experts from Lewis Silken and BT's Head of Data will address the regulatory and compliance frameworks that businesses must navigate.
Suzanne Wylie, CEO of NI Chamber, frames the partnership in terms of regional competitiveness. “Artificial intelligence,” she said, “has huge potential to transform businesses of all sizes, and this new Business Track will provide our members with practical guidance, inspiration, and confidence as they begin or accelerate their AI journeys.”
Beyond the business fundamentals, the main conference programme showcases AI's transformative power across diverse sectors. The energy sector provides a compelling example with Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, discussing how his company has fundamentally reimagined energy management through AI.
Octopus Energy's Kraken platform processes 30 times more data than Visa handles globally for payments, creating continuously updated forecasts for every generating point and smart meter up to two years in advance. Greg’s vision of distributed optimisation across millions of connected devices offers a glimpse of how AI can make energy greener, more affordable and more reliable.
The financial services sector is a key area of focus, with Danny Moore, President and CEO of Options Technology, delivering a keynote titled ‘A Life in Data’. Danny's career trajectory, from founding Wombat Financial Software (acquired by NYSE Euronext for $200 million) to leading a global capital markets infrastructure provider headquartered in Belfast, illustrates how the region has become a hub for financial technology innovation.
DailyPay's leadership team will explore AI-powered financial services and on-demand pay models, whilst Michael Willis from PwC will examine AI's role in the world's largest investment banks. These sessions go beyond surface-level discussions to examine how AI is fundamentally restructuring financial services infrastructure.
Healthcare applications feature prominently, with NHS Forth Valley presenting their collaboration with industry and academia to tackle skin cancer diagnosis at scale. The session on natural language processing for quality improvement in health will bring together Queen's University Belfast, the Regulatory and Quality Improvement Authority and the Public Health Agency to demonstrate how AI is enhancing patient care and clinical outcomes.
On the potential of AI's in judicial decision-making, John Keers - Director of the Centre for Legal Technology at Ulster University - will lead discussions on how AI might transform legal systems, drawing lessons from other industries already embracing autonomous technologies.
The conference programme also ventures into emerging territories. Sessions on quantum technologies, edge AI deployment, space data infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing reveal the breadth of AI's impact. The sports analytics panel, featuring Microsoft's work with the Premier League and Teamworks' intelligence systems, demonstrates how AI is reshaping even traditional industries.
David Crozier CBE, Director of the AI Collaboration Centre, will explore Northern Ireland's strategic positioning in the AI landscape. With Professor Helen McCarthy, Northern Ireland's Chief Scientist, and PwC's Northern Ireland Market Lead Cat McCusker on the panel, the discussion will address how the region can capitalise on its growing reputation as an AI innovation hub.
Steve Holyer from Informatica will tackle a critical but often overlooked aspect - data management as the foundation of successful AI implementation. His session on governance, quality and privacy as strategic enablers for AI adoption addresses the infrastructure questions that determine whether AI initiatives deliver sustained value or expensive failures.
READ MORE: Michael Willis, Partner, PwC – The End of Lawyers? Or Just the Beginning?
“For anyone seeking to understand AI's practical potential, whether as a business leader, technologist, policymaker or simply an informed citizen,” says Scott, “Big Data Belfast 2025 offers an unparalleled opportunity. This conference will be a detailed examination of how AI is reshaping industries today, presented by the people leading the change.”
The convergence of global expertise, local innovation and practical focus makes Big Data Belfast 2025 essential attendance for anyone who needs to understand not just what AI can do, but how to make it work.
Big Data Belfast 2025 takes place at ICC Belfast on Wednesday October 22nd, with headline sponsor PwC UK and supporting sponsors including the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC), AMD, Allstate, DailyPay, Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Momentum One Zero, MCS Group, Options Technology, Version 1, GreenScale Data Centres and Informatica.
To book tickets, log on to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/big-data-belfast-2025-tickets-1620817882919
Sync NI's Summer 2025 magazine celebrates women in tech across Ireland as we continue to encourage more women to enter the thriving sector and address the current gender imbalance. Read the Summer 2025 Sync NI Magazine online for free here.
