San Francisco Frontiers - Global tech tensions overshadow Web Summit's AI and robots

Known as the "Davos for geeks", the four-day event in the Portuguese capital is set to welcome over 70,000 visitors, including 2,500 startups and 1,000 investors.

- AI and chips -

With major global players racing to control the supply chains behind generative artificial intelligence, an appearance by chief executive of American chip developer Qualcomm Cristiano Amon will be a hot ticket.

His company recently announced a new range of AI chips designed to compete with sector heavyweight Nvidia and challenger AMD.

Both firms' high-end processors are subject to restrictions from Washington on their export to China on national security grounds.

Several leaders of other top AI players will also appear in Lisbon, including Microsoft President Brad Smith and Joleen Liang, co-founder of Chinese startup Squirrel AI, which is bringing the technology into classrooms.

One of Europe's hottest tickets, Swedish startup Lovable, is sending boss Anton Osika to vaunt its technology that allows users to create apps and websites via a chatbot without coding experience.

British dictionary publisher Collins dubbed this "vibe coding" approach its word of the year for 2025.

- Health and sports -

Almost 30 percent of investment in new sports technology went into AI firms in the first half of this year, investment bank Drake Star found in a study.

In Lisbon, Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova and France's Caroline Garcia will be on stage talking about how AI can improve athletes' performance in their discipline.

Increasingly capable devices ranging from watches and rings able to monitor sleep, heart rate or body temperature mean that tech's ability to detect initial signs of illness will be another hot topic.

- Robots and autonomous cars -

American robotics chiefs in Lisbon will include Amazon Robotics boss Tye Brady and Robert Playter, head of the Boston Dynamics company known from viral videos of its dog-like quadrupeds.

Uber president Andrew Macdonald and Lyft's chief David Risher will for their part talk up schemes to fill the world's streets with robotaxis.

Fired in part by the generative AI surge, competition is heating up to dominate automated driving.

Uber has signed a partnership with chip developer Nvidia to upgrade tens of thousands of cars from different manufacturers with automation tech from 2027.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, has said its driverless vehicles will arrive in London from next year.

And several Chinese manufacturers including Baidu and Pony.ai have Europe in their sights for an automated car rollout.

- Tech sovereignty -

Brussels will make its presence felt at Web Summit by the presence of Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission's digital chief.

The 27-nation EU is increasingly fearful for its technological sovereignty as transatlantic trade and political tensions mount.

"We're more and more dependent, especially from the American hyperscalers" or major data centre operators, said Maya Noel, director general of the France Digitale network of tech companies and investment firms.

She will tell attendees that European options are needed if the continent is to remain in control of its economy.

As the Commission pressures American and Chinese platforms to tighten protections for underage internet users, American games publisher Roblox -- whose eponymous game is vastly popular with minors -- will outline how it plans to verify players' ages.

S.Hall--SFF