Technology Now

How do we make artificial intelligence more intelligent? This week, Technology Now dives deep into the world of AI agents and how they interact with large language models. We ask what are some of the current problems with AI, and examine how applying agents can help artificial intelligence to provide better answers to our questions. Jimmy Whitaker, Chief Scientist in the AI Private Cloud Group at HPE, tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

Jimmy Whitaker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmymwhitaker/

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
Today I learned: 
https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/04/29/flares-from-magnetized-stars-can-forge-planets-worth-of-gold-other-heavy-elements/
Anirudh Patel et al., 2025, Direct Evidence for r-process Nucleosynthesis in Delayed MeV Emission from the SGR 1806–20 Magnetar Giant Flare, ApJL 984 L29, DOI 10.3847/2041-8213/adc9b0

This week in history:
Strassburg MA. The global eradication of smallpox. Am J Infect Control. 1982 May;10(2):53-9. doi: 10.1016/0196-6553(82)90003-7. PMID: 7044193.
Muyembe JJ, et al, 2024, Ebola Outbreak Response in the DRC with r-VSV-ZEBOV-GP Ring Vaccination, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024;391:2327-2336, VOL. 391 NO.24, https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1904387
https://www.who.int/health-topics/poliomyelitis#tab=tab_1

Why would someone want a 3D digital twin? This week Technology Now dives into the topic of digital twins, what they are and why they’re used. What are the challenges faced when trying to build and use a SD digital twin, and what are the benefits these twins bring to companies which use them? Sebastian Schwarz, General Manager at NetAllied, tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

Sources:
Today I Learned:
James Fong et al., Novel color via stimulation of individual photoreceptors at population scale.Sci. Adv.11,eadu1052(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adu1052 
https://www.cis.rit.edu/people/faculty/montag/vandplite/pages/chap_9/ch9p1.html#:~:text=Rods%20are%20responsible%20for%20vision,responsible%20for%20high%20spatial%20acuity.

This Week In History:
https://www.postalmuseum.org/collections/highlights/the-first-ever-stamp-the-penny-black/ 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48844278

 What’s the current state of the cybersecurity world? This week, Technology Now explores the biggest threats we currently face, the way companies and businesses are securing themselves, and the future of cybersecurity. Our reporter, Jaye Tillson, is at the RSA Conference in San Francisco where he is joined by Jon Green, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Security Officer at HPE Networking, John Spiegel, CTO of Security and HPE Distinguished Technologist, and Gram Ludlow, a Security Product Line Manager at HPE, to tell us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

About our contributors
Jaye Tillson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaye-tillson/
Jon Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jongreen4
John Spiegel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-spiegel-2011543/
Gram Ludlow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gramludlow/

Sources:
Statista report: https://www.statista.com/statistics/305027/revenue-global-security-technology-and-services-market/
RSA Conference: https://www.rsaconference.com/about/

Today I Learned: Stretchable batteries Mohsen Mohammadi et al., Make it flow from solid to liquid: Redox-active electrofluids for intrinsically stretchable batteries.Sci. Adv.11,eadr9010(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adr9010

This week in history: https://www.pbs.org/transistor/background1/events/icinv.html https://www.americanscientist.org/article/intel-insider3 

 What does it mean for artificial intelligence to be sovereign? This week, Technology Now explores how more than just data can be sovereign, our AI models using the data can be too. We ask what it actually means for AI models to be sovereign and why companies, and indeed entire countries, would be interested in this concept. Andreas Geiss, Vice-President Automotive & Manufacturing at Aleph Alpha tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

Andreas Geiss: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-geiss

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
Data Privacy Framework:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/Program-Overview
https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/en-gb/blog/regulation-and-policy/eu-us-data-transfer-challenges.html

Photonic chips:
Ahmed, S.R., Baghdadi, R., Bernadskiy, M. et al. Universal photonic artificial intelligence acceleration. Nature 640, 368–374 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08854-x
https://www.reuters.com/science/lightmatter-shows-new-type-computer-chip-that-could-reduce-ai-energy-use-2025-04-09/

History of the cordless home phone:
https://www.britishtelephones.com/hawk.htm
http://www.samhallas.co.uk/repository/sales/cp-ms_43.pdf 

How intertwined are AI and sustainability? This week, Technology now explores how we can do more than just use AI in a more sustainable and ethical way, we can harness it as a powerful tool to contribute to sustainability in other industries too. We ask which challenges are facing AI when it comes to sustainability and how can companies build strategies that support more efficient IT. Monica Batchelder, Chief Sustainability Officer at HPE, tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

Monica Batchelder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicabatchelder/

Sources cited in this week’s episode
Raw materials for a computer: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2024_en.pdf
AI water consumption: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about | https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03271

Today I Learned:
Swedish Study: Bignardi, G., Wesseldijk, L.W., Mas-Herrero, E. et al. Twin modelling reveals partly distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment. Nat Commun16, 2904 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58123-8
Norwegian Study: Jacoby, N. et al. Cross-cultural work in music cognition challenges, insights, and recommendations. Music Percept. 37, 185–195 (2020). 

This Week In History:
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, 2019. First M87 event horizon telescope results. I. The shadow of the supermassive black hole. arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.11238.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47873592
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/horse/the-evolution-of-horses

How can cloud computing be completely isolated from the internet? This week, Technology Now explores the next step in data storage and processing: the concept of a disconnected cloud. Why would someone want their cloud cut off like this? From a single building to an entire country, what are the security and regulatory compliance benefits?! Rich Bird, Worldwide Hybrid Cloud Marketing at HPE tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
Gartner Report on cloud usage and spending:
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-11-19-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-total-723-billion-dollars-in-2025

History of the Cloud: https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/history-of-the-cloud/

Dark Matter and Dark Energy (Today I Learnt):
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/topic/dark-energy-and-dark-matter
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01273-4
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471743-dark-energy-isnt-what-we-thought-and-that-may-transform-the-cosmos/

History of Daylight Savings in the US (This Week in History):
https://unrememberedhistory.com/tag/march-31-1918-daylight-saving-time/
https://www.thecongressproject.com/standard-time-act-of-1918

How can we minimize the energy waste from data centers? This week, Technology Now explores a potential avenue to harness a large untapped source of energy: excess heat. How much of a problem is the excess heat in the world? How much do data centers actually contribute to the problem? What, if anything, can we do to combat this? Malte Matthies, Business Development Lead for Modular Data Center - at Hewlett Packard Enterprise tells us more.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what can be learnt from it.

About this week's guest, Malte Matthies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malte-matthies-38704660/

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
International Energy Agency Report: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/6b2fd954-2017-408e-bf08-952fdd62118a/Electricity2024-Analysisandforecastto2026.pdf
Danfoss Whitepaper Summary: https://www.danfoss.com/en/about-danfoss/news/cf/excess-heat-is-world-s-largest-untapped-source-of-energy/

New Dinosaur Discovered:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7v3eln56no
Didactyl therizinosaur with a preserved keratinous claw from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia | Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu et al., iScience, Volume 0, Issue 0, 112141

Charles Glen King, Albert Szent- Szent-Györgyi and Vitamin C
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23183299/
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/11807/chapter/12#218

In this episode we are looking at a sector where IT and tech innovation is taking efficiency to a whole new level - manufacturing.

Manufacturing is in a precarious position as an industry. In the global north, growth is largely stagnant, according to those same UN statistics. Even in high-growth economies like China, it’s slowing down. It’s also notoriously inefficient. So, can tech help? And if so, what does that look like?

Joining us to discuss is Dan Klein, an advisor on data and digital transformation with a special interest in the manufacturing sector.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week we look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what we can learn from it.

About this week's guest, Dan Klein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dplklein/?originalSubdomain=uk

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
UN stats on the state of global manufacturing: https://stat.unido.org/portal/storage/file/publications/qiip/World_Manufacturing_Production_2024_Q1.pdf
Statista report on global manufacturing and efficiency: https://www.statista.com/outlook/io/manufacturing/worldwide
Water on Mars: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/52/12/939/648640/Seismic-discontinuity-in-the-Martian-crust

In this episode we are looking once again at our digital security, particularly around the state of the industry in 2025, and the way threats and consumer behaviours are evolving.

We’ll be looking at the adoption of new kinds of security, how VPNs are still an evolving part of the security equation, and how Security Service Edge (SSE) is beginning to be taken more seriously. Joining us to discuss is Jaye Tillson, Field CTO and Distinguished Technologist at HPE.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week we look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what we can learn from it.

About this week's guest, Jaye Tillson: https://jayetillson.tech/

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
WEF 2025 cyber security report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-cybersecurity-outlook-2025/
Nuclear batteries: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590147825000038?via%3Dihub
Statistics on nuclear energy: https://www.iea.org/energy-system/electricity/nuclear-power

In this episode we are taking a fresh look at how AI is affecting the world of cybersecurity. As we’ve explored on the podcast in previous episodes, artificial intelligence has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for our organizations, but it also brings fresh challenges for cybersecurity professionals.

We’ll be looking at the current state of play, and asking whether AI as a tool to defend us can match AI as a weapon to attack us, with guest Simon Leech, Director of the Cyber Security Centre of Excellence at HPE.

This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week we look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations and what we can learn from it.

About this week's guest, Simon Leech: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonleech/?originalSubdomain=nl

Sources cited in this week’s episode:
McKinsey report into AI use: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
Statista report into cybercrime costs:  https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1280009/cost-cybercrime-worldwide 
Improvements to swarm robot insects: https://news.mit.edu/2025/fast-agile-robotic-insect-could-someday-aid-mechanical-pollination-0115