3431: AI and Data-Driven Manufacturing with IDA Ireland and Eli Lilly and Company
Release Date: 09/25/2025
3432: GoTo on Making AI Practical for Small and Mid Sized Businesses
Tech Talks Daily
Most conversations about AI are still caught up in the spectacle. We see demos, marvel at copilots, and argue about the latest big model. But what happens when you strip away the hype and focus on AI that simply works? That is exactly the perspective Olga Lagunova brings to this episode. As Chief Product and Technology Officer at GoTo, she has one goal in mind: make AI useful, practical, and almost invisible. Olga believes the real test of AI is whether it integrates seamlessly into workflows. In her view, the most powerful AI is the kind that feels almost boring because it is just part of how...
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3431: AI and Data-Driven Manufacturing with IDA Ireland and Eli Lilly and Company
Tech Talks Daily
I wanted this conversation to do two things at once. First, ground the hype in real practice. Second, show how a small country can punch well above its weight by connecting industry, academia, and government with purpose. With Chantelle Kiernan from IDA Ireland and Stephen Flanagan from Eli Lilly and Company, we explored what digital transformation really looks like on the factory floor in Ireland, why talent is the engine behind it, and how cross-sector collaboration is turning ideas into measurable outcomes. Ireland’s manufacturing base employs hundreds of thousands and fuels exports, yet...
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3430: Broadridge AI, NYFIX, and the New Data Strategy for Financial Services
Tech Talks Daily
What does it really mean to future-proof financial data? That’s the question at the heart of my conversation with George Rosenberger, General Manager of NYFIX at Broadridge. George has spent his career moving through every corner of the capital markets, from trading desks to broker-dealers, and now into the software side where he oversees order routing, post-trade matching, and the adoption of new AI tools. His perspective is uniquely positioned between the history of financial markets and their rapidly accelerating future. This discussion takes inspiration from Broadridge’s fifth annual...
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3429: How Credit Karma Scales GenAI to Power 60 Billion Predictions a Day
Tech Talks Daily
What does it take to deliver personalized financial guidance to more than 140 million people every single day? That is the question I put to Wan Agus, Head of Engineering at Intuit Credit Karma, in this episode of Tech Talks Daily. Most of us open the Credit Karma app to check our credit score, look at a loan option, or browse for a better credit card. What we rarely consider is the technology running behind the curtain. Wan revealed that his teams are powering more than 60 billion daily AI predictions to understand members’ needs, protect their privacy, and guide them toward the right...
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3428: Building Trust in AI: Hitachi Vantara’s Vision for Governance
Tech Talks Daily
AI is quickly moving from boardroom buzzword to boardroom headache. Enterprises are waking up to the fact that bringing large language models in-house is not just about performance or cost, but about control, accountability, and trust. In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Octavian Tanase, Chief Product Officer at Hitachi Vantara, to unpack what this shift really means for business and technology leaders. Octavian explains why governance has become the defining challenge of the AI era. Companies are under pressure not only to innovate but also to meet new regulatory demands and...
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3427: Can Smarter Compression Help Save the Planet? CompressionX Think so
Tech Talks Daily
What if the way we store data is shaping the planet’s future? That thought has been on my mind ever since attending the IT Press Tour in Amsterdam, where I first connected with today’s guest. With global data creation forecast to hit 510 zettabytes by 2030, and data centers already consuming staggering amounts of power, the conversation is no longer about whether change is needed but about how we approach it. Joining me on the podcast is Nicholas Stavrinou, co-founder of CompressionX, a company rethinking lossless compression. Nicholas shares how a mathematical paradox in a university...
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3426: Aura Technology at TechSummit25: XDR, Secure Edge, Real Outcomes
Tech Talks Daily
I recorded this episode at Barracuda TechSummit25 in Alpbach, Austria, a mountain village that looks like a postcard and hosts some of the most grounded security conversations you will hear all year. My guest is Richard Flanders, Commercial Director at Aura Technology, a managed service provider on the south coast of England that supports public sector organisations and tightly regulated commercial clients. Richard arrived as part of Barracuda’s Partner Advisory Board, which means he spends as much time feeding customer reality back into product teams as he does comparing notes with peers in...
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3425: Barracuda XDR: From Football Playbooks to Home Alone Tactics
Tech Talks Daily
I recorded this conversation at Barracuda TechSummit25 in Alpbach, Austria, where the mountains feel close enough to touch and the discussions get very real very quickly. My guests are Adam Khan, VP of Global Security Operations at Barracuda XDR, and Eric Russo, Director of SOC Defensive Security. Together they run the teams that watch, interpret, and act when attacks move across email, identity, network, cloud, and endpoints. Their keynote used the language of sport to make sense of modern defense, and it worked. You will hear why football tactics map cleanly to security, how roles and...
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3424: Barracuda TechSummit 25: Secure Today, Ready Tomorrow
Tech Talks Daily
I recorded this conversation in Alpbach, Austria, a village that looks like a postcard and hosts a very serious tech gathering. TechSummit25 is Barracuda’s deeply technical event, and it shows. The rooms are packed with solution architects, product managers, and engineers comparing notes with customers who run these systems every day. It is the kind of environment where product direction and real-world pain points meet over a coffee, then head straight into a lab to test an idea. My guest today is Neal Bradbury, Chief Product Officer at Barracuda, who leads engineering, product management,...
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3423: Johnson Controls Explains How to Cut Data Center Cooling Energy by 40%
Tech Talks Daily
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I’m joined by Todd Grabowski from Johnson Controls to unpack the physics, products, and design choices shaping the next generation of data center cooling. It’s a practical conversation that moves from chips and compressors to water, power, and land constraints, and what it really takes to keep modern infrastructure reliable at scale. Todd brings three decades of experience to the table and a front-row view of how Johnson Controls and the York brand have kept their focus on energy efficiency, reliability, and sustainability for more than a century. That...
info_outlineI wanted this conversation to do two things at once. First, ground the hype in real practice. Second, show how a small country can punch well above its weight by connecting industry, academia, and government with purpose. With Chantelle Kiernan from IDA Ireland and Stephen Flanagan from Eli Lilly and Company, we explored what digital transformation really looks like on the factory floor in Ireland, why talent is the engine behind it, and how cross-sector collaboration is turning ideas into measurable outcomes.
Ireland’s manufacturing base employs hundreds of thousands and fuels exports, yet what stands out is the shared mindset. The shift toward Industry 5.0 puts people at the center while using digital, disruptive, and sustainable technologies to rethink production. Eli Lilly’s experience shows how a digital-first culture changes everything. New sites start paperless by default. Established plants raise their game through micro-learning, data-driven problem solving, and champions who model the behavior. The message is simple. Technology only sticks when people see clear value and have the skills to act on it.
From pilots to site-wide change
Here’s the thing. The strongest wins come from a strategic, site-wide approach rather than isolated pilots. Maturity assessments across pharma sites in Ireland revealed common patterns, shared bottlenecks, and repeatable opportunities. That insight helps teams justify investment, sharpen ROI arguments, and accelerate adoption without slowing production. Reinvestment in legacy facilities becomes a long-term advantage when you connect equipment, data, and people with a clear plan.
This is where Ireland’s ecosystem shows its class. Purpose-built centers like Digital Manufacturing Ireland, NIBRT, IMR, and I-FORM give teams a place to test before they invest. Indigenous tech SMEs sit at the same table as global pharma leaders and large tech firms, which means collaboration moves faster. When 50 percent or more of new R&D projects cite academic partnerships, you know something healthy is happening.
Skills, STEM, and the mindset shift
Upskilling came through as the decisive enabler. IDA Ireland supports companies with skills needs analysis and access to training. Universities co-create relevant courses. Micro-credentials and immersive apprenticeships build confidence on the shop floor. Stephen’s point about micro-learning hit home. People learn best when they can apply knowledge to a problem they care about, right now. That keeps momentum high and spreads digital competence across teams without waiting on giant projects.
Barriers still exist. Defining ROI, coping with regulatory complexity, and balancing change with daily production are real challenges. Culture is the swing factor. Leaders who set the tone, create space for experiments, and reward progress see faster results. GenAI is already shifting attitudes by improving personal productivity, which naturally opens minds to operational use cases like predictive maintenance, knowledge capture, and quality improvements.
What comes next
If the last decade was about connecting machines, the next decade will be about connecting knowledge. Expect smarter, greener, and more multidisciplinary manufacturing. AI will sit alongside advanced materials and sustainable design. The most resilient sites will combine agile infrastructure with strong learning cultures, so they can absorb change rather than resist it. Ireland’s model of collaboration gives a useful signal. When industry, government, and academia align around shared outcomes, the runway gets longer and the takeoff gets smoother.
This episode is about the practical choices that make transformation real. Strategic assessments. Shared R&D spaces. Cohorts of digital champions. And a relentless commitment to skills. It is a story of steady progress that scales, and a reminder that the future belongs to teams who can learn faster together.
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