Any chance that the UK would become technologically independent were dashed the moment it signed up to Brext, according to ARM co-founder Hermann Hauser.
ARM’s co-founder believes Britain has “no chance” of being technologically independent following Brexit.
Hauser said UK withdrawal from the EU was a tactical error.
For those who came in late, Hauser, co-founder of Acorn Computers, which later span out chip design firm Arm. He said that the US, China and Europe are the only three “technology sovereignty circles” with the chip-making factories and 5G knowhow needed for a modern economy.
“Britain has no chance of being technologically sovereign. Brexit has been the biggest loss of British sovereignty since 1066.”
He cautioned against the UK siding entirely with the US, adding: “I hope that despite the toxicity that you have with Brexit between Europe and Britain at the moment – which is idiotic – I hope that Britain will join Europe’s technology sovereignty circle.
“Britain doesn’t want to become the 51st state of the United States.”
He added: “It was very good to see that even our technologically illiterate political elite, including the prime minister, has woken up to the fact that ARM is actually a great national asset. And probably the only company in the UK that has global relevance in the technology space.”
ARM, like Sophos, used to be a British company.
