Building Data at Scale: Engineering for Speed, Reliability and Accuracy
Details
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Event details
📆 Date: Wednesday 4th November 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM GMT
💡 Topic: Building Data at Scale: Engineering for Speed, Reliability and Accuracy
🗣️ Speakers: Tim Renton, Antonio Alvarez Caballero, Matt Bailey, Yijie Hsieh and Yong Ren
How do you build a data platform that delivers pricing decisions in under a minute, supports machine learning models and still provides accurate, auditable data for financial reporting?
Join Data Science Festival and tem at Battersea Power Station for an evening exploring the real-world engineering challenges behind building and scaling a modern data platform.
We'll hear how tem's data function has evolved from Google Sheets to a modern technology stack featuring ClickHouse, dbt, Omni and AWS, including the technical decisions, challenges and lessons learned along the way.
The evening will feature a keynote from tem's Head of Data, a panel discussion bringing together practitioners from across data engineering, analytics and machine learning,
and plenty of opportunities to network over food and drinks.
Check out the full session details below!
KEYNOTE SESSION
From Google Sheets to Sub-Minute Pricing: Lessons in Scaling a Data Platform
Speaker: Tim Renton, Head of Data @ tem
When you're building the data function at a growing technology company, how do you know which foundations to invest in, which shortcuts are worth taking and when it's time to rethink your approach?
At tem, the data platform has evolved from Google Sheets to a modern stack supporting complex energy transactions, with pricing decisions delivered in under a minute.
In this session, Tim Renton shares the journey of building and scaling tem's data function, exploring the architectural decisions, technical challenges and lessons learned along the way.
Discover how the team's approach to data engineering, analytics and infrastructure has evolved as the business has grown, the trade-offs involved in balancing speed with reliability, and what Tim would do differently if he were starting again.
PANEL SESSION
Speed vs Accuracy: The Hidden Trade Offs of Modern Data Engineering
What happens when the same data needs to support real-time decisions, financial reporting, machine learning and regulatory compliance, all with different expectations around speed, accuracy and reliability?
At tem, these aren't hypothetical challenges. The data platform supports energy pricing decisions in under a minute while also providing consistent, reconciled and auditable information across the wider business.
Bringing together practitioners from across data engineering, machine learning and analytics, this panel explores the technical and organisational challenges of building a shared data platform that works for everyone.
We'll explore questions including:
- How do you balance low-latency requirements with data quality and accuracy?
- Where should responsibility for data quality, definitions and ownership sit?
- How do you design a platform that supports both operational decisions and financial reporting?
- What happens when different teams have conflicting requirements?
- How do data engineering, analytics engineering and machine learning teams work together to solve these problems?
Expect a practical discussion about the trade-offs, architectural choices and collaboration required to build trustworthy data systems at scale, with lessons relevant well beyond the energy industry.
Panellists:
Antonio Alvarez Caballero – Staff Data Engineer @ tem
Matt Bailey – Senior Machine Learning Engineer @ tem
Yijie Hsieh – Staff Analytics Engineer @ tem
Yong Ren – Staff Data Analyst @ tem
Hosted by: David Loughlan, Founder
@ Data Science Festival and Data Idols
EVENING SCHEDULE
6:00 PM – Doors open, food, drinks and networking
6:45 PM – Welcome from Data Science Festival
6:50 PM – Keynote session
7:20 PM – Short break
7:30 PM – Panel discussion
8:10 PM – Drinks and networking
9:00 PM – Event close
ABOUT TEM
tem is building new transactions infrastructure for a modern energy market, with the aim of making access to lower-cost electricity simpler and more transparent.
Using AI and technology, tem is rethinking how businesses and generators transact energy. Today, its RED platform powers more than 6,000 UK customers, with a focus on creating a more transparent energy market.
Find out more about tem: tem.energy
TICKETING INFORMATION
Please note: Due to expected demand and limited capacity, this event will be run as a ballot. The exact venue location will be shared with successful applicants when tickets are issued.
Applying for the event does not guarantee a ticket. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you have not received a ticket by Thursday 29th October, unfortunately your application has not been successful.
Please note that adding the event to your calendar does not confirm your place. Your place is only confirmed once you receive your ticket by email.
You can find out more about how our ballot works in the DSF Ticketing 101.
HOW TO REGISTER
To apply for a ticket, click the registration link below and complete the ticket ballot form.
Successful applicants will receive their tickets via email, along with further details about the event location.
PLEASE NOTE: Clicking 'attend' on Meetup does not register you for the event. You must enter the ticket ballot using the link below to be considered for a place.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE TICKET BALLOT!
Please note the time zone when booking this event.