Speaker
Description
Every modern digital technology—from AI to quantum computing—is built on open source software. When you send an encrypted email, collaborate on a document, or run a Python script, you're using foundational open source components. While open technologies have become the backbone of our digital infrastructure, these essential building blocks do not receive adequate support, investment, or even recognition.
The Sovereign Tech Agency addresses this through strategic public investment in the digital infrastructure of the 21st century. We focus on the essential building blocks that enable all software creation: programming language libraries, package managers, open communication protocols, developer tools, and encryption.
This talk will introduce the Sovereign Tech Agency and the programs it has developed to support these critical technologies: the Sovereign Tech Fund, which commissions work on critical open source components; the Sovereign Tech Fellowship, which provides effective support to essential maintainers; and the Sovereign Tech Resilience program, which takes a holistic approach to the security and stability of foundational technologies. These efforts ensure that individuals, organizations, companies, and governments have real choice and technological autonomy in an increasingly digital world.
