Introduction

Nucleus was established five years ago as a forum to discuss the future of mobility. Five years on, that future seems just as unknowable, making the conversation we will have here today as compelling and as relevant as ever. As with previous Nuclei, we’re lucky enough to have attracted those transforming mobility: from the heads of the global carmakers and the leaders of the established tech players, to the start-ups which seek to disrupt them both. I’m honoured that you have joined us.

The fifth Nucleus takes artificial intelligence and Asia as its twin themes. The explosion in sales and manufacturing in China in particular has already had a transformative effect on the global car industry, and its proponents claim that AI will be just as significant. And of course, our two themes can’t be considered separately. The failure of many tech giants in China proves that even the best code can’t override local culture and politics. And the scale of its market and the appetite of its investors and regulators for new ideas in mobility makes China fertile ground in which to plant your start-up. The future we seek to examine here belongs as much to code as to cars, and as  much to Shenzhen as to Silicon Valley.

Whatever that future holds, it will require contact and collaboration between the oldest and newest names in mobility. The established global players will have to be quick and smart in picking their partners. They might just meet them at Nucleus.