Hermann Hauser: Brexit is 'biggest loss of sovereignty since 1066'
Hermann Hauser, a pioneer of Arm technology, says Britain has no chance of being technologically independent after leaving the EU.
The co-founder of the company that created Arm believes Brexit was a tactical error, and a hi-tech future will force the UK to look to Europe.
Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Acorn Computers, which later span out chip design firm Arm, believes the USA, China and Europe are the only three "technology sovereignty circles" in the world: the groups with the chip-making facilities and 5G expertise required for a modern economy.
"Britain has no chance of being technologically sovereign," Hauser told The Guardian.
"Brexit has been the biggest loss of British sovereignty since 1066."
American chipmaker Intel said last year that it was no longer considering the UK as a possible location for a large new chip factory, due to issues stemming from the decision to leave the EU.
Speaking at a conference organised last month by EIT Digital, the EU-funded innovation network, Hauser said there is a "race going on between the US, China and the EU to create a technology sovereignty circle that other nations can join."
"But Europe is the only one that has a scalable model for incorporating, for welcoming other countries into its technology sovereignty circle."
The US and China are "hegemons" that wish to control the world's technology trade and exert dominance globally.
Europe, however, promotes a paradigm in which technology is developed, exchanged, and traded amongst partners who share the same values.
A note of caution
Hauser amassed a fortune after co-founding ARM Holdings, which designs the microchips found in most of the world's smartphones.
He sold his shares when Japan's SoftBank acquired Arm in 2016, turning to venture capital investment instead.
The SoftBank deal drew harsh criticism for handing over the "crown jewel" of British technology to a foreign firm.
SoftBank is now considering taking Arm public in both New York and London, after a $40 billion deal with US tech giant Nvidia failed earlier this year.
Hauser, who opposed Arm's proposed sale to Nvidia, said the British government was too late to realise the company's strategic significance.
He also cautions against the UK siding entirely with the US, which became an untrustworthy ally under the administration of Donald Trump.
Hauser wants the UK to get back into collaborative work like the EU's Horizon project, which finances scientific research. Horizon is under threat in the UK due to disagreements over the regulations governing trade after Brexit.
"I hope that despite the toxicity that you have with Brexit between Europe and Britain at the moment - which is idiotic - I hope that Britain will join Europe's technology sovereignty circle."
"Britain doesn't want to become the 51st state of the United States."