How to Win the Global AI Race – Dr. Orna Berry, Technical Director, Google Cloud

Filmed at the A5X Conference, Singapore - This interview forms part of a wider series we filmed in collaboration with NUSX, who invited us to Singapore to speak with founders, investors and academics from across the globe about shared challenges, the developing bridge between Europe and Asia, and the lessons we can learn from each other. In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Orna Berry, Technical Director at Google Cloud and former Chief Scientist of Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade, whose career spans national R&D policy, venture capital, cybersecurity, cloud and AI. We explore the themes from her A5X panel sessions: AI, systems and DeepTech for national innovation, and talent supply chains for AI, biotech and quantum. She shares what her different roles have taught her about what actually makes an innovation ecosystem work, and what separates countries that successfully turn scientific strength into economic impact from those that struggle to move beyond the lab. Dr. Berry explains where she sees the biggest bottlenecks today, what "the talent supply chain" really means, and whether countries can realistically build highly specialised expertise in AI, BioTech and quantum themselves, or whether the strongest ecosystems will depend on attracting global talent. Finally, having watched several major technology waves over her career, she offers her view on this AI wave — and what Europe can to do to turn its research strength into globally competitive DeepTech companies. Key points: - Working across government, venture capital, large technology companies and national research programmes reveals what truly makes an innovation ecosystem function - The biggest bottleneck in AI today often lies not in the models themselves, but in the slower-moving underlying systems of compute, infrastructure, data and talent - The "talent supply chain" has weak links, and understanding them is essential for national competitiveness in AI - Building specialised expertise in AI, biotech and quantum domestically is only part of the answer — the strongest ecosystems increasingly depend on attracting global talent