DSEI 2025: A CEO’s Digest

DSEI 2025 was more than just another showcase - it was a marker of where Defence is heading, and Whitespace was right in the middle of it.

Conversations That Count

Across four days, we held over 100 meetings - from 1-stars to 5-stars and everything in between. Those conversations reinforced a clear theme: AI is no longer on the periphery. It’s central to operational planning, capability development, and the way future forces will operate.‍

Partnerships in Motion‍

What stood out this year was the shift from talking about AI to showing AI in action.

Alongside our partners, Whitespace:‍

- Demonstrated our AI applications with Fujitsu, showing how Defence can capture and scale lessons learned faster than ever before.

- Joined EY and Babcock on panels, contributing to the debate on human–machine teaming and how AI can deliver a trusted decision advantage.

These weren’t one-off showcases - they highlighted how collaborative ecosystems are forming around real-world use cases, where AI is deployed to solve today’s operational challenges.

A Defining Announcement

Google’s £400M contract, spotlighted even by the Prime Minister, set the tone for the week. For Whitespace, it opens a path to deliver AI applications at pace and scale into the most secure MOD and Government environments, a true step-change in capability.

The Real Signal

Compared with DSEI two years ago, the difference was stark.

The hardware was impressive - especially in counter-drone and autonomous systems - but the real signal was cultural. There is now an appetite and urgency for rapid adoption of AI across Defence.

DSEI 2025 made one thing clear: the momentum is here, and Whitespace is ready to help turn it into operational impact.

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Paul Jenkinson, CEO at Whitespace