Proud Welshman, husband and dad. Love family, friends, music, rugby, architecture & technology. Ex-Director of Systems EDA at @NVIDIA, now retired.
Cardiff / Salcombe, UK
Joined March 2013
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For all those that think re-nationalising everything, giving control back to a growing public sector with no skin in the game, is the only way forward...
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
M&S have wiped the floor with John Lewis in the Christmas advert wars this year.
John Lewis might as well take the decorations down and go home.
This isn’t just a Christmas advert. This is an M&S Christmas advert. 🎄
Sad to hear @BBCCymruWales Wales Today interview with Dewi Lake where he talked about the empty seats in the @principalitysta being 'partly on us – the players'. But that's not true at all. No Welsh rugby fan blames the players. This is 100% down to @WelshRugbyUnion leadership.
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Exc: Evasion of Angela Rayner’s new “tourist tax” will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
The measures, set out in a bill published on Wednesday, target accommodation providers in England who evade the proposed overnight visitor levy.
The new legislation is also designed to prevent property owners offering “mates’ rates” to friends that would reduce the amount of tax paid on temporary stays.
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
SOUTH WALES METRO: £200 MILLION OF TRAINS LARGELY UNUSED FOR THREE YEARS. IS THIS PUBLIC SECTOR MISMANAGEMENT ON A GRAND SCALE?
The latest BBC investigation into the South Wales Metro raises serious questions about financial control, project management and political accountability within the Welsh Government and its publicly owned company, Transport for Wales (TfW).
The figures are extraordinary.
A fleet of 36 tram-trains costing more than £200 million was ordered in 2018. The first arrived in March 2023. Yet, more than three years later, only 16 have completed statutory testing, with just six undergoing passenger testing.
These trains were expected to be fully operational by 2022. We are now told that full deployment may not happen until the end of 2027.
FIVE YEARS LATE. MORE THAN £200 MILLION INVESTED. MOST OF THE FLEET STILL NOT IN NORMAL PASSENGER SERVICE.
And the financial questions go further.
In March 2023, the BBC reported that the estimated cost of Metro infrastructure had increased from £734 million to approximately £1 billion, an increase of more than £260 million.
The wider South Wales Metro investment is now described as a £2 billion project. Although these figures cover different elements and cannot simply be treated as a single cost overrun, they demonstrate the scale of public expenditure involved.
The original £734 million programme was progressed under Labour Transport Minister Ken Skates, with subsequent Welsh Governments overseeing delivery.
WHERE WAS THE OVERSIGHT?
TfW attributes delays to software problems, infrastructure readiness, Covid and supply-chain difficulties.
Complex engineering projects encounter problems, and safety testing must never be compromised.
But surely competent project management should identify risks, establish realistic schedules, monitor contractors and intervene before delays become measured in years?
Why were expensive trains delivered years before they could be fully deployed?
Were technical specifications sufficiently tested before procurement?
Were ministers warned about the growing risks, and when?
What additional costs have taxpayers incurred through storage, maintenance, testing, staff training and delayed deployment?
What contractual protections exist to recover costs from manufacturers or suppliers where responsibility can be established?
WHO IS ULTIMATELY ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE REPEATED FAILURE TO MEET PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED DEADLINES?
TfW's chief executive James Price describes the delays as frustrating but not unexpected.
That statement deserves scrutiny.
If the difficulties were foreseeable, why were the original completion dates presented with such confidence?
The Welsh Government points to improvements already delivered across the Valleys network. Those should be acknowledged. But delivering some benefits does not excuse failures elsewhere in a programme of this magnitude.
PUBLIC MONEY DEMANDS PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY.
This is not about opposing the South Wales Metro. It is about whether the Welsh Government and TfW have demonstrated the competence, financial discipline and oversight expected when spending billions of pounds of taxpayers' money.
The Senedd's Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee should consider an investigation, supported by independent audit, examining procurement, contractual performance, escalating costs, missed deadlines and ministerial oversight.
The public deserves a transparent account of what went wrong, what it cost and who was responsible.
In the private sector, repeated missed deadlines and expensive assets standing idle would trigger serious questions about management performance. Why should publicly funded organisations face any less scrutiny?
The BBC has exposed a deeply troubling situation.
THE WELSH GOVERNMENT MUST NOW PROVIDE ANSWERS.
#SouthWalesMetro #TransportForWales #WelshGovernment #PublicSpending
BBC investigation:
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv62…
@WalesPolitics @KenSkatesMS @DarrenMillarMS
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Our firm’s back of the napkin math shows that Nvidia’s $NVDA ACIE segment could potentially overtake hyperscalers in two to six quarters. This is an important development as it results in Nvidia’s revenue being more resilient as hyperscalers shift capex toward designing and deploying their own custom chips.
ACIE revenue grew faster than hyperscaler revenue last quarter at 138.5% compared to 101.2%, respectively. After reclassifying one company, the QoQ growth for ACIE was 25% compared to hyperscalers at 13%.
Depending on how you model the two-quarter lumpiness, ACIE can conservatively overtake hyperscalers in 5-6 quarters at a 14% QoQ growth rate versus 10% QoQ growth rate for hyperscalers, or as soon as 2 quarters if the Q2 pace continues.
In early September, Dell $DELL was in agreement with Nvidia’s results, stating that enterprises and neoclouds could contribute half of AI data center capacity growth through 2030, creating a $1 trillion total addressable market (TAM):
“We’re expecting AI to be 75% of all data center demand by 2030, adding 200 gigawatts of power over that same time frame. And half of that, we believe, is right in our sweet spot with our customers, the Neoclouds, sovereigns and enterprises. And if you look at that math, we think the opportunity in front of us is more than $1 trillion over that time frame.”
Although it may seem counterintuitive for Nvidia, Dell or Super Micro $SMCI to emphasize enterprise and neocloud customers over the hyperscalers and their $1 trillion capex next year, the reason is simple.
Unlike the hyperscalers, these customers do not have those budgets to splurge tens of billions on custom chips. Instead, demand is more concentrated in ready-to-deploy servers that can immediately be brought online to generate revenue for immediate ROI, which Dell and Super Micro can do in as little as six hours to one day.
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
The UK government has spent years heaping costs, regulation and tax uncertainty onto British food producers, Farmers, and Small businesses - then turns around and tells the public to stockpile three days of tinned food and bottled water because "unexpected events seem to be becoming more common."
Official figures show a net loss of more than 3,000 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses in 2025 alone, the highest on record, with thousands more closures in the years before that. Inheritance tax changes on family farms (even after partial U-turns), soaring energy and inspection costs, labour shortages, post-Brexit trade deals that opened the door to cheaper imports, and chaotic subsidy schemes that left most applicants empty-handed have all piled on the pressure.
Local abattoirs have collapsed from roughly 2,500 in the 1970s to around 200 today; surveys of farmers show large numbers warning they may have to stop producing meat locally or exit entirely if the next one closes.
This week the government launched its "Be Ready" campaign, advising households to keep non-perishable food, litres of bottled water per person, cash, torches and radios in case of cyber attacks, extreme weather or other disruptions. That is sensible basic preparedness.
What is absurd is watching the same state systematically weaken the domestic producers who actually grow and process the food that would make the country more resilient in the first place, while imports fill the gap and rural businesses fold.
You cannot talk seriously about national resilience and food security while watching the infrastructure that produces British food shrink year after year. The contradiction is obvious.
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Stunning front cover of The Bluebird programme for Saturday's match with Birmingham City 💙
The edition is "dedicated to a generation lost – and the courage and determination of the Aberfan survivors and their families."
A big well done to the club for this 👏
Politicians falling over themselves today to write platitudes about the Aberfan community.
Remembrance is important, but no more so than accountability, justice and recompense.
#Aberfan60
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
🧵
On Friday 21st October 1966 one of the 116 children killed in the Aberfan disaster was a nine-year-old boy called Paul Jones.
When his body was recovered, they found a small wallet in his back pocket…
[all images©️ 📷 Viv Jones & @Channel4News]
How is it that some in society resort to criminal damage and looting of local businesses and their cummunity to protest about cost of living, etc? This won't help the local economy or already-stretched funding of public services.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm5y…
This is just disgusting.
How can you accidentally discharge 25,000 litres of kerosene into a local river?
@GE_Aerospace needs to bear the full cost of the cleanup and receive huge fines for their environmental neglect.
Fuel leak spreads more than two miles along River Taff bbc.in/3TZN42j
"...she never past the US bar exam"
@BBCNews past or passed? 🤦🏻♂️
bbc.co.uk/news/live/ck0j3z1q…
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
When the brand synonymous with car safety for almost 100 years teams up with AI, amazing things happen. 🚗
We’re expanding our partnership with Volvo Cars to advance safe automated driving: Volvo’s safety expertise will come together with the NVIDIA Hyperion, Halos OS and Alpamayo Stack driving software, debuting in a next-generation Volvo car.
Read the news: nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/v…
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
BREAKING: Jensen has just announced that @nvidia in investing $1bn+ into 5 UK startups:
>> Boltz which is building biomolecular models and AI agents that helps scientists predict molecular structures and interactions
>> Foresight which helps owners of major infrastructure projects predict completion dates, mitigate risks and accelerate time to revenue.
>> Hiverge which is building an AI discovery engine that automatically writes and optimizes algorithms for tasks such as faster AI training and complex logistics planning.
>> Prima Mente which focuses on building biological foundation models to decode complex diseases and identify novel therapeutic targets, starting with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.
>> Riverlane which builds real-time error correction hardware and software that work across all major qubit types, helping quantum computers become reliable enough for practical use.
He announced the news in London this evening.
Apologies for the terrible pic which includes @rowlsmanthorpe’s side profile
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Excellent article in the Wall Street Journal on Britain's unsustainable welfare spending:
— 7 million people (over 10% of the UK population) now claim at least one or more sickness or disability benefit. This is up 60% in the past 6 years.
— The UK will spend over £100 billion pound this year on sickness and disability benefits. This is projected to increase to £130 billion a year by 2030.
— No other Western country has seen such a rise in disability claims. In the US, 10.6 million people claim some form of federal disability payment, despite the population being 5x larger.
— 1 in 7 new cars sold in the UK are under the Motability scheme; however, only 10% of cars are modified for a disability. In one dealership, 25 out of 26 cars they sold in August were all under the Motability scheme.
— Charities, consultants, YouTubers and TikTokers have all sprung up, telling people how to maximise benefit access. Some of these videos receive hundreds of thousands of views. Over 1,000 people a day are signing on for PIP.
— According to a Government survey from 2024, 25% of the UK's working age population could theoretically be classed as disabled under the current criteria and access these benefits.
— A minimum wage worker who works 40 hours per week would take home around £1,880 per month after tax; however, if you are classed as too sick to work and claim PIP, you can take home £2,000 tax free per month.
wsj.com/world/uk/united-king…
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Nine year old Dylan Cope died from sepsis. His GP had suspected appendicitis and sent him to hospital.
A paediatric nurse practitioner assessed him in A&E without reading the GP’s referral. His abdominal pain was attributed to flu and he was discharged without a documented examination by a doctor.
The coroner concluded that his death could have been avoided.
Dylan’s family have suffered an unimaginable loss. As a doctor working in general practice, what stands out to me is that his GP had recognised the possibility of appendicitis and referred him for further assessment. That concern needed to be heard and acted on.
When we refer a patient with a suspected serious illness, we need to know that the concern prompting that referral will be properly assessed. A different diagnosis may emerge, but the referral’s findings must be considered before a patient is sent home.
Dylan’s father told the inquest that he believed the practitioner assessing his son was a doctor. He also repeatedly raised concerns about appendicitis. Families deserve clarity about who is treating their child and to have their concerns heard.
This case raises serious questions about how referrals are handled and when an examination by a doctor must take place. Employers must ensure that supervision arrangements translate into the assessment a patient actually needs.
There is also a wider discussion about advanced practitioner roles. The BMA recognises their valuable contribution within healthcare teams. It calls for nationally agreed limits of practice and clear supervision requirements, with advanced practitioners supporting medical teams rather than replacing doctors on clinical rotas. Its position is that they should not independently diagnose or manage patients whose underlying condition has not yet been established.
I support those safeguards. Clear responsibilities protect patients and support staff to practise safely.
Dylan’s parents are asking for children referred to A&E by a GP with suspected serious illness to receive a documented, face to face examination by a senior doctor before discharge.
That is a call we should take seriously. They should not have had to lose their son to ask for it.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10…
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Burnhams plan to end rough sleeping
Homeless people now have full view of the cheapest rents in their area on google maps 🤣
Simon Thomas 🏴 retweeted
Isn’t that quite telling? Nvidia’s market cap sits above the entire UK equity market, Microsoft’s above France and Germany. A few American companies now outweigh the entire stock markets of major European states.
Europe still trains strong engineers and scientists. What systematically discourages growth and innovation is the business environment. Layered regulation, data rules, the AI Act, sector-specific mandates, and slow permitting raise the fixed cost of trying anything large. High marginal taxes and repeated calls for wealth or “excess profit” levies shift capital from investment and innovation toward preservation and exit. A redistribution-first instinct treats outsized returns as a problem to be corrected rather than evidence that customers valued what was built.
Founders and capital notice, they incorporate, innovate, and hire where upside is allowed to compound, not punished by overregulation and taxation. The chart is the cumulative result of those choices, not a one-off accident of the last business cycle.
The AI revolution will only widen the gap between the US and Europe, which will become an open-air museum for wealthy Americans and Asians.
