This year’s Web Summit will shine a spotlight on a kaleidoscope of startups from around the world.
The annual Web Summit in Lisbon starting Tuesday will be packed with global technology leaders to discuss artificial intelligence, robots and startups under the shadow of tensions over cutting-edge technologies and the natural resources needed to build them.
Organizers say Davos for Geeks will welcome more than 70,000 visitors over four days, including 2,500 startups and 1,000 investors.
Monday’s opening night brought together technology leaders and featured Swedish startup founder Anton Osika’s software company Lovable, touted as the fastest growing company in history.
Spectators also cheered an Olympic-style parade of TikTok star Kirby Lame, tennis great Maria Sharapova, and tech founders carrying their countries’ flags.
Some of the main themes of the show are listed below.
shifting sand
“This year, more than any previous year, it’s clear that the era of Western technology dominance is coming to an end,” WebSummit founder Paddy Cosgrave said on Monday.
He pointed to Chinese manufacturers leading in areas such as AI and humanoid robots, as well as Brazilian digital payments service PIX and a record number of Polish startups, as evidence that the tech world is becoming more multipolar.
Beyond shiny high-tech products, global tensions over high-tech trade, competition and sovereignty will weigh heavily on the debate.
robots and self-driving cars
The “world’s most advanced humanoid robot” on display “is not made in Europe or America. Instead, it is made in China,” Cosgrave said.
Nevertheless, US speakers include Amazon Robotics head Tye Brady and Boston Dynamics’ Robert Playter.
Uber President Andrew McDonald and rival Lyft CEO David Risher are scheduled to discuss plans to fill cities with robotaxis.
Uber is partnering with Nvidia to upgrade tens of thousands of its vehicles with automation technology starting in 2027.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced that its self-driving cars will arrive in London next year. Several Chinese manufacturers, including Baidu and Pony.ai, are also looking to Europe to deploy self-driving cars.
AI and chips
The battle for control could be most intense in the field of generative artificial intelligence, with all eyes on an appearance scheduled for Tuesday by Cristiano Amon, the boss of US chip developer Qualcomm.
His company has announced an AI chip that competes with industry giant Nvidia and challenger AMD. Rivals’ high-end processors are subject to U.S. export controls for national security reasons.
Several leaders from other top AI companies will also appear, including Microsoft President Brad Smith.
Osika’s Lovable is one of several companies that allow users to create apps and websites via chatbots without any coding experience. “Every day we see 100,000 new products built on Lovable,” he said.
British dictionary publisher Collins has named this “vibe coding” approach its 2025 word of the year.
health and sports
Almost 30% of new sports technology investments went to AI companies in the first half of this year, according to research from investment bank Drake Star.
On stage, Sharapova extolled the value of AI tools in sports, from preparing athletes for competition to reducing recovery time to sparking fan engagement.
Wearable products such as watches and rings that can monitor sleep, heart rate, and body temperature also mean that technology’s ability to detect early signs of disease will become another hot topic.
technological sovereignty
Brussels will send the European Commission’s head of digital, Hena Virkunen, as the 27-nation EU grows increasingly concerned about technological sovereignty amid rising trade and political tensions.
“We are becoming increasingly reliant on hyperscalers and large data center operators, especially from the United States, and will encourage European alternatives,” said Maya Noël, executive director of France Digital Network, a group of tech companies and investment firms.
Roblox, the US game publisher that offers popular games to minors, will outline how it will verify the age of its players as the European Commission presses platforms in the US and China to tighten measures against underage internet users.
© 2025 AFP
Quote: “The Decline of Western Technology Dominance” at the Lisbon Web Summit (November 11, 2025) (Retrieved November 11, 2025 from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-western-tech-dominance-lisbon-web.html)
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