Tech Events in Cambridge

We are excited to launch the first event for the Cambridge chapter of the AI Collective.

AI is getting easier to build. Running it at scale is where things get harder.

We are at an inflection point in AI. As foundation models become commoditised and open-weight releases accelerate, the bottleneck is no longer who can build the best model, but who can afford to run them at scale.

At the same time, these systems are increasingly used to represent and make decisions about real people. But most models are optimised for the average case. The edges, the smaller groups, and the less common combinations are often the first things to disappear.

This event brings together two perspectives on that shift, from infrastructure to representation.

We will explore:

• Why inference and infrastructure are becoming the real bottlenecks in AI
• What it takes to run AI systems in production, not just build them
• How scaling these systems impacts what and who gets represented
• What this means for builders, researchers, and the wider ecosystem

Speakers

Rosemary Francis
CTO, CommonAI Compute

Rosemary will share how the industry has reached this inflection point, and why ARIA has invested £50M into the Scaling Inference Programme to reduce the cost of running AI systems.

Michael Birdsall
Co-founder, Cambium AI

Michael will explore how AI systems represent populations in practice, and why variance, edge cases, and real-world distributions matter when these tools are used for decision-making.

There will be time after the talks to connect with others working in and around AI. This is the first Cambridge chapter meetup, so come along, meet people, and help shape the community.

Schedule

5:30 pm — Arrival, drinks, and pizza

6:00 pm — Opening
Introducing the AI Collective Cambridge chapter

6:05 pm — The Cost of Running AI
Talk by Rosemary Francis, CommonAI

6:30 pm — Representation at Scale
Talk by Michael Birdsall, Cambium AI

6:50 pm — Discussion + Q&A

7:00 pm — Networking

7:30 pm — Close

​Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events, and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please join the waitlist, and you will be notified if a space becomes available.

*Should you have any dietary requirements, please notify us ahead of the event. *

The AI Collective** **is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.

All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.

How are AI systems solving problems behind the scenes? Can AI stop your website being overwhelmed by scrapers? Can you put domain experts rather than coders in charge of creating AI agents? And how do you even know if any of these tools are working, still less making you money?

At the Cambridge AI meetup on 7th May we are delighted to be joined by three speakers who can share stories and show demos of cutting edge AI tools that make business easier:

Theo McCabe was an early developer at Lovable and will be demoing a new platform aimed at empowering non engineers to create powerful agents;
Courtny Edwards-Jones, of Monetization OS will be showing how data can use AI to protect from scraping and turn their data into a source of income;
Jag Reehal will show us how to make sense of the processes we are creating to learn how to evaluate the results on the business itself.

Our generous hosts are Birketts in Station Road. Our sponsors are Grounded AI - building a Trust Layer for the Internet, RedTech Recruitment - recruiting the next generation of AI engineers.

We are very grateful to Neil Bharadwa and the team at the Cambridge Fruit Company for their support.

The CPSG Saturday morning Code & Brunch is back in real life.

Whether you are a complete novice or a programming master there is always more to learn. With Code & Brunch you can read that great programming book, work on that revolutionary project, or learn that cool new language with good food, a drink and fellow programmers to talk through ideas.

Just bring a book or a laptop.

If you're stuck for ideas, a couple of our favourite books are
- SICP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_Interpretation_of_Computer_Programs
- Nand2Tetris: https://www.nand2tetris.org

This is a in person event in the Makespace classroom, where we can work on projects, have access to the tools and equipment Makespace has to offer (some equipment is restricted to Makespace members), show off projects, chat about any issues with your build and get general advice about robotics.
Robot club is for beginners to pros, all you need is a love of robots. If you have a robot, please bring it along to work on or show.

Please Note: all children must be always accompanied by a responsible adult!

If anyone wants to give a short talk please send me a message or tweet @CannonFodder

For our May meetup we are back to hosting a fun Coding Dojo where you'll practice your Test Driven Development software engineering skills - a key skill for Software Crafters that care about producing quality code.

Join us for an evening of coding, food and drinks. Come and code along, share ideas, discuss best practices with Test Driven Development and learn from our expert Crafters and your peers in the Software Crafters Cambridge community.

What’s the format?
After a short intro, we’ll get into groups/pairs or work solo, whatever people feel most comfortable with, and start building.
You choose how you want to work and what language you want to code in.

This session is about collaborating with others, becoming a better developer and building your network, in a fun, relaxed environment.
We'll be sharing ideas, discussing best practices and using this as an opportunity to learn from our fellow coders.

All levels of experience very welcome, if you want to brush up on your Test Driven Development skills or are a complete novice, do come along. All welcome! All you need to do is bring a laptop if you’d like to code along - please have your preferred language and editor setup.

Food and Drinks
Pizza and drinks will be provided upon arrival sponsored by Codurance, with vegetarian and vegan options available.

Venue Host
Our venue host is The Bradfield Centre, managed by Mantle Space. A huge thank you as always to the team for sponsoring the space.

Want to bring a friend? Great! Just ask them to RSVP so we know they are coming.

Monthly networking event for Climate Tech doers and enablers in Cambridge.

Come ready to connect, learn, and hopefully spark innovation.

The Climate Tech Club is a community of people in and around Cambridge who are passionate about climate change and technology.

We host a monthly event where people can share ideas, collaborate and work together to scale up innovative solutions to the climate crisis.

Use when possible public transport to get to the venue.

The Climate Tech Club is co-organised by Cambridge Cleantech, Carbon 13 and Barclays Eagle Labs.

The delegates list will be viewed by the 3 organisations.

About us:

hhttps://labs.uk.barclays/locations/cambridge

ttps://cambridgecleantech.org.uk/

https://carbonthirteen.com/

Please join us for our regular ML/AI Club meetup.

Details coming soon.

Women in TechWorks comes together in person for the first time — bringing the community to the heart of the UK’s technology ecosystem.

CLICK HERE to find out more about Women in TechWorks

Join us for the first in-person Women in TechWorks event at Arm, bringing together women and allies from across the semiconductor and technology ecosystem.

As a growing network, Women in TechWorks is dedicated to fostering connection, mentorship, visibility, leadership, and inclusion. Helping to create stronger pathways for women to develop and thrive in deep tech.

While recognition is important, meaningful progress happens through everyday actions: creating space for diverse voices, challenging assumptions, empowering talent to succeed, and actively supporting one another as allies.

Founded by Jillian Hughes together with the Women in TechWorks board, the initiative was created to strengthen the sector’s talent pipeline through mentoring, training, and increased visibility for women across the industry.

Our goal is to help women make a bigger, more significant contribution to the sector’s prospects by attracting, supporting, and advancing them at each stage of their career path.

This event will also explore key topics shaping the industry today, including artificial intelligence and the future of engineering.

Event Sessions

Mentoring, Leadership and Retention – Are We Moving the Needle?

We are exploring a session focused on mentoring, leadership, and the retention of women in technology, looking at what organisations are doing in practice to support progression and long-term careers for women in the sector. The discussion will consider how companies are building effective mentorship and sponsorship programmes, developing leadership pipelines, and creating inclusive cultures that enable women to thrive and progress. We are particularly interested in hearing how organisations are using data, technology and emerging tools such as AI to identify gaps, address barriers, and create scalable pathways for advancement. Speakers would be invited to share practical insights, lessons learned, and reflections on whether current initiatives are truly shifting the needle in improving representation and retention of women in tech.

AI Trends in the Workplace – Solving Complex Problems Using AI

Industry experts will explore how engineers are using AI to analyse complex data, accelerate innovation and tackle technical challenges, while highlighting the role of diverse perspectives in shaping new approaches to problem-solving.

From Strategy to Systems – Executive Leadership in an AI Era

This session will examine how organisations are moving from AI strategy to real-world implementation across technology, teams and operations, and the role leaders play in guiding responsible and effective adoption.

Why attend

• Connect with women and allies from across the semiconductor and deep tech ecosystem.
• Hear practical perspectives on leadership, mentoring and career development.
• Explore how current trends such as AI are affecting engineering and progression.
• Be part of shaping a growing community focused on visibility, inclusion, and opportunity for women in tech.

What you will take away

• New connections across the ecosystem
• Fresh perspectives on leadership and career development
• Insight into how AI is influencing engineering and workplace practices.
• A clearer sense of how Women in Techworks can support progression and visibility in the sector.

Join Us

Join us at Arm, Cambridge for a day of knowledge sharing , discussion and networking with leaders across the deep tech community.

Register now to secure your place and be part of the discussion shaping the future of engineering and leadership in the AI era.