Tech Trends 2025–2026: Key Insights from Tech Glögg in Gothenburg
- Ida Martinsson
- 10 dec. 2025
- 4 min läsning
A big thank you to TechSverige, the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce and Business Region Gothenburg for hosting such an inspiring Tech Glögg event yesterday. It was an afternoon of warm glögg, great conversations – and insights that stayed with me long after I left the building.
One small detail that stuck with me was this: the most common job in Gothenburg is engineer. That says a lot about the strength of our region and the tech ecosystem we’re building here.
Below are my personal reflections and key takeaways from the presentations and panels – especially around AI, data, cybersecurity, OT and the future of talent.
The State of the Swedish Tech Sector – and Where the Biggest Potential Lies
Christina Ramm-Ericson, Chief Economist at TechSverige, presented their latest report on the Swedish tech sector. One part that really caught my attention was the breakdown of which industries buy the most – and the least – tech today.
Highest share of tech spend:
Airlines
Food industry
Private healthcare
Lowest share of tech spend:
Public authorities
Insurance companies
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
What struck me most was Christina’s emphasis that the industries at the bottom of this list actually represent the biggest opportunities. These are markets that could accelerate dramatically once digitalisation catches up.
Skills and Talent – The Most Critical Factor Moving Forward
Ahmad Raja from the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce highlighted that securing the right talent is one of the most crucial challenges ahead. And I couldn’t agree more.
We can already feel how quickly skill requirements shift — especially with AI reshaping roles and responsibilities. Companies that don’t adapt risk falling behind faster than ever before.
The Panel Discussion: Slow Giants, Data Blind Spots and the Need for Business Value
The panel with Mattias Liljenberg (Nexer), Sara Ingvarsson (Knowit Solutions CoCreate) and Olof Ottossson (Telia Cygate) was, for me, the highlight of the event.
A point that resonated deeply was the observation that Gothenburg has many large, traditional companies that move too slowly. We encounter this often in our work — organisations sitting on massive amounts of data, but lacking clarity on how to use it, the core question raised during the panel was: “What business value do we actually want to create?”
It sounds simple, but many companies still struggle to answer it when it comes to their data, digitalisation and AI initiatives.
The discussion covered:
using AI and data correctly, not just enthusiastically
knowing how the data is used
understanding what value the data should drive
protecting the data throughout its lifecycle
The term sovereign infrastructure also came up — and I expect we’ll hear much more about this in the coming years as organisations demand more control over their data.
Cybersecurity: A Growing Threat Landscape – and a Reality We See Daily
When Olof shared his perspective on the current cyber threat landscape, it felt like he was describing exactly what we at Cyber Instincts have witnessed this year.
He spoke about:
a clear increase in attacks
a higher pressure on SOC operations
the need to truly understand what happens across your network
a wave of new EU security directives coming faster than many organisations expect
One comment stood out to me:
“We need to look more at OT – no one has even touched it yet.”
This aligns completely with my own top insight going into 2026. OT security is going to move from being overlooked to being absolutely critical. We’ve already seen examples in the industry — including the incident at Jaguar Land Rover earlier this year — that show what happens when OT is not protected.
AI as a Tool – and the Operators We’re Now Creating for It
I appreciated the analogy shared during the panel:AI tools in the office today are like robots in manufacturing. Now we’re creating the operators for them.
It’s an elegant way to describe where we’re heading.
Mattias also brought up something that lingered with me: organic source code — the idea that we’re moving from static code with manual updates to continuously generated code. Whether this shift takes three years or ten, it’s a trajectory that will reshape the software industry entirely.
The AI Talent Shift – Where Did the Juniors Go?
Another conversation that hit home was the impact AI is having on the talent pipeline. The panel described how many companies now only want to hire senior talent because AI has taken over many of the tasks junior employees used to start with.
Sara captured this perfectly with a bit of humour:
“The client wants senior consultants with 15 years of AI experience.”
Behind the humour, though, lies a real concern:If we don’t bring junior talent into the industry, we lose diversity of perspective — and we stagnate.
Sara emphasised the importance of new viewpoints, of young people entering the industry, and the risks of a tech sector driven only by senior Swedish men. I couldn’t agree more.
Emedl – Bringing LLMs Into Vehicles
The pitch from Emedl was another energising moment. Their work on integrating LLMs into vehicles shows just how fast the automotive sector is evolving.
Imagine:
saying “I’m too warm” and the temperature adjusts automatically
a dashboard warning light appears, and instead of guessing, you get clear, contextual information
Anyone curious to learn more can visit their website Embedl.
Seven Tech Trends Shaping 2026
Finally, Andreas Göthberg from Business Region Gothenburg presented seven tech trends shaping 2026.
Two stood out to me:
AI strategies will become standard practice, not a niche initiative
Cybersecurity will move from an IT issue to a leadership issue, driven by the enormous financial and operational costs companies face when security fails
The full article is available online here, and I highly recommend the section on cybersecurity.
Final Reflections
Leaving Tech Glögg, I felt both energised and thoughtful. West Sweden has enormous strength — but also complex challenges ahead. Whether it’s AI, data, OT security, or the talent landscape, the pace of change is only accelerating.
Events like this remind me why I love working in this field: the technology changes fast, but the conversations shape how we navigate that change together.
Author
Ida Martinsson - Business Development Lead, Cyber Instincts