SOFAIR

News & Events

Most SOFAIR events are open to researchers across the consortium; public lectures are open to all.

Breaking news

NVIDIA invests $250 million in UK agentic AI safety and security research

14 October 2026

We're excited to see NVIDIA announce a $250 million investment to advance UK agentic AI safety and security research. Access to cutting-edge compute is essential for understanding how advanced AI systems behave and how we can build safer, more secure models for the future.

“Safer AI starts with a better understanding of how these systems work. Access to this compute will help us investigate new open AI architectures and test their safety and security as we develop them.”
Prof David Barber, Director of SOFAIR

We thank NVIDIA for this significant investment in the UK's AI research community and look forward to the opportunities it creates for advancing fundamental AI research and AI safety.

The NVIDIA sign outside NVIDIA's headquarters campus

Learn more

Summit

Global Open Source AI Summit

Date: Mon, 30 November 2026
Time: 09:30–17:00
Venue: London

The Global Summit on Open Source Artificial Intelligence, taking place in London on 30 November, will bring together leading international initiatives developing open-source AI models to celebrate their achievements, share knowledge, and explore how open AI can compete with the world's most advanced proprietary systems.

The public programme will feature talks and panel discussions with prominent researchers and leaders of open-source AI initiatives, highlighting recent breakthroughs in model development, scientific research, and the wider societal benefits of making advanced AI openly accessible.

Beyond showcasing what the global open-source community has already achieved, the summit will address a pressing question: how can we ensure that cutting-edge AI remains accessible to researchers, businesses, and society at large, rather than concentrated in the hands of a few technology companies?

Bringing together researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and philanthropists, the event aims to build a shared vision for the future of open-source AI and inspire the partnerships and investment needed to realise it.

Past events

Previously at SOFAIR

28SepSeminar · Past eventSeminarMon, 28 September 2026 · 90 High Holborn, LondonSOFAIR research seminar. Details of the speaker and topic to be announced.
21SepSeminar · Past eventSeminarMon, 21 September 2026 · 90 High Holborn, LondonSOFAIR research seminar. Details of the speaker and topic to be announced.
10SepScience Day · Past eventSOFAIR Science DayThu, 10 September 2026 · Malet Place, LondonA full day of research talks and poster sessions from across the consortium, covering the three working groups: open-source model development, novel architectures, and distributed compute.
9SepLaunch · Past eventSOFAIR LaunchWed, 9 September 2026 · Kings Place, LondonThe official opening of the SOFAIR Lab: leading AI researchers and entrepreneurs marked the start of the UCL-led national lab, with a roundtable discussion hosted by Professor David Barber, Professor Michael Wooldridge, and UCL Vice-Provost Professor Geraint Rees.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong, thrive, and reach our full potential. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Gold award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.