Porto Tech Hub: Porto strengthens its role as a global technology hub

Alfândega do Porto will host the 9th edition of the Porto Tech Hub Conference on November 26th. The event, organized by Porto Tech Hub, an association that aims to position Porto as a center of technological excellence, has already established itself as an essential meeting point for professionals and companies in the technological field.

This year’s conference promises to bring together more than a thousand experts and dozens of renowned international companies, and will feature more than 25 talks, four interactive workshops and 30 stands from technology companies. Among the featured topics are Artificial Intelligence, Cloud & Infrastructure, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Programming and Quantum Computing. Gavin King from Red Hat, Alina Yurenko from Oracle, Stephen Chin from Neo4j, Sander Mak from Picnic Technologies, Sheen Brisals from AWS Serverless Hero, Simon Brown from Structurizr and Mete Atamel from Google are among the main speakers.

“We want to offer the entire sector, both companies and professionals, an opportunity to explore synergies, access knowledge and new perspectives on the future of technology and connect with a dynamic ecosystem,” says Samuel Santos, vice-president of Porto Tech Hub. “The Porto Tech Hub Conference is therefore an immersive day of learning, especially given the quality and interest of the speakers and companies attending. This annual event ultimately reflects our mission to strengthen and boost the ecosystem in the north of the country,” he added.

Among the most eagerly awaited topics is quantum computing, which Samuel Santos considers to be “in line to be the next technological revolution and the next big leap since the revolutionary use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).” Expert Gavin King will be responsible for an interactive workshop dedicated to this topic, making it accessible even to those with no previous experience.

Another highly relevant focus will be cybersecurity, something that the vice-president of Porto Tech Hub was keen to emphasize. “The technology landscape is changing and cybersecurity is a fundamental need for companies,” he said. The sessions will cover the protection of systems and best practices to ensure digital security, focusing on topics such as the management of sensitive data and the use of security tools for DevOps.

Since its first edition in 2015, the Porto Tech Hub Conference has been a key event in the city’s technology sector. According to Luís Silva, president of Porto Tech Hub, “the creation of Porto Tech Hub in 2015 was with the aim of promoting Porto as a center of technological excellence and innovation, both nationally and internationally, creating and promoting an atmosphere conducive to growth”. The event has been a space for sharing knowledge and networking, bringing together companies such as Google, Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Netflix, as well as renowned experts, reinforcing Porto’s image as a growing technological center.