Last week, expecting to help a few people, I posted on LinkedIn offering direct introductions for displaced executives from BitMEX and BitMart. What arrived was a flood, and not even from junior employees working their way up! Senior business development professionals, operations leads, regional heads who had spent years building market presence all over the globe, suddenly stranded in a hiring market that has no mechanism to evaluate them.

Two Closures, One Week, AI Hiring

BitMEX announced it would permanently shut down on September 23, 2026, after eleven years. Four days later, BitMart announced an orderly wind-down effective January 31, 2027. Two oldest crypto exchanges went in a single month, each citing some version of market conditions and regulatory pressure.

Sure, AI did not close these exchanges. Collapsing retail volumes, rising compliance costs, and years of over-hiring into a market that normalised unsustainable growth did. But the people now on the market from these firms are walking into a hiring infrastructure that was already broken before their employers folded, and has since been made substantially worse by a different AI story entirely.

More than 165,000 roles have been cut globally in the first seven months of 2026 under AI-related rationales, across technology, finance, logistics, and media. Amazon, Accenture, and dozens of others have cited efficiency gains from AI as the justification for headcount reduction. AI washing is the corporate excuse of the decade: cut the humans to fund the GPU clusters, and call it transformation.

The Bot-vs-Bot War in Job Posting

Here is what happens on the other side of the hiring funnel, happening now at scale.

AI auto-apply tools allow a single candidate to submit between 80 and 1,000 tailored applications per day. LazyApply’s Ultimate tier caps at 1,500 daily submissions. FastApply’s Elite plan processes 1,000 applications a day at $49 per month. The average U.S. job seeker sends 84 applications before landing an interview. These tools claim to do that in two hours. And some of them actually can.

The HR response: automated classifiers. Workday, Greenhouse, and Lever all shipped AI-content detection systems in late 2025, specifically designed to downgrade resumes matching GPT default patterns. 49% of hiring managers automatically dismiss applications they identify as AI-generated, according to a Resume.io survey of 3,000 hiring managers. 62% reject AI-generated content specifically when it lacks personalisation. 82% of those same companies use AI to screen the applications they receive.

Read that last sentence again.

The trust collapse runs deeper than classifiers. A viral image of a woman supposedly getting a company tattoo for a job interview spread across LinkedIn as proof of a dystopian hiring market — until the woman in the photo came forward to explain her image had been used without permission and she had never even applied for any job! The story warning about the collapse of trust became an example of it!

The companies using AI to filter applications are penalising candidates for using AI to write them! An irony after irony that writes itself.

As a result of both sides defending themselves against the other, we now have a system running on spam. For every 180 people who apply to a typical role, approximately five get an interview, down from roughly one in eight a decade ago. Software engineering roles at major companies regularly pass 2,000 applications before screening begins. Only 3% of applications result in an interview, according to CareerPlug data covering more than 10 million applications. When both sides of the funnel are automated, trust disappears.

What the MIT Research Actually Shows

There is a data point that gets quoted constantly regarding this and almost always misread.

An MIT and NBER randomised controlled trial across 480,948 job seekers found that using AI to edit human-written prose increases hire rates by 7.8% and wages by 8.4%. That number travels fast. What travels less far is the other half: using AI to ghostwrite applications from scratch triggers the 49% auto-dismissal. The difference between AI-assisted and AI-generated is not detectable to the casual reader. It is very detectable to a trained classifier, and to a recruiter who has read 2,000 applications that all open with “results-driven professionals with a proven track record.

The AI resume paradox, as it has come to be called, means the tool that helps you if used correctly gets you rejected if used the way most people use it. 29% of job seekers are currently submitting AI-generated keyword-stuffed applications under the mistaken belief that this beats the ATS. It does not. It floods the system further and buries everyone else.

The Human Cost Nobody Is Measuring

The executives messaging me after the BitMEX and BitMart announcements had something in common beyond the industry. Most of them had given an unreasonable amount to their roles. Not metaphorically. Physically. Years of time zone arbitrage, 14-hour days across Hong Kong and European and American hours simultaneously, health deferred in exchange for equity and market position that no longer exists.

“My body gave out before I did.” I heard versions of that sentence more than once. It is not a metaphor. An experienced customer success professional documented applying to 10,000+ jobs over two years, draining savings, taking on credit card debt, and ending up in hospital with chest pain the doctors eventually attributed to stress.

These are not people who need to be told to work harder. They need a hiring infrastructure capable of evaluating what they actually built, and right now that infrastructure does not exist. It is running a spam filter.

Surviving this environment requires moving away from public job boards entirely, building direct peer networks, and creating an owned professional presence that algorithmic filters cannot touch. The full analysis on what that looks like in practice is in our guide on AI job loss protection. The short version: the people who will get through this without losing months to the black hole are the ones who stopped competing in the bot-vs-bot arena before it consumed them.

Does that mean, it’s who you know not what you know? Irish Tech News took that question to Ireland-based recruitment expert Owen Healy and that’s what he had to say: ‘Absolutely not. But, it’s an employer’s market so having somebody on the inside advocating for you is a huge advantage. That may involve reaching out to existing connections or investing in new relationships and showcasing your value’

The AI hiring black hole does not reject you because you lack talent. It rejects you because the system is running hot on spam and has no way to tell the difference.

That is the problem. Nobody built it on purpose. Nobody is fixing it on purpose either.

Iaroslav Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a strategic intelligence firm executing mission-critical engagements for AI, deep tech and frontier technology companies. Strategic partnerships, international expansion, executive positioning, VVIP events and access to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

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ServiceNow, the AI control tower for business reinvention, has announced an acceleration of its Autonomous Security vision with six unified solutions that help deliver prevention-first, AI-native cyber defense across unified exposure management, continuous vulnerability detection, cyber-physical security, identity and access security, and agentic incident response, and cyber risk and compliance. With new AI Specialists that complete security workflows autonomously, including the Vulnerability Resolution AI Specialist, these capabilities enable enterprises to prevent, contain, and remediate risk at machine speed, before threats become breaches.

As enterprises adopt agentic AI, security teams face an emerging challenge: every new agent, identity, and line of code multiplies exposure faster than any human team, or any patchwork of disconnected tools, can respond to. Closing that gap requires governed autonomy at the same machine speed. The average enterprise runs more than 70 security tools, fragmenting insights across the extended attack surface, including endpoints, networks, cloud environments, and identities. Today, ServiceNow becomes one of the most complete and fastest-growing security companies built for the AI era by consolidating this complexity into one unified system where assets, identities, and agents are visible, contextualised, secured, governed and auditable in a single motion.

This is achievable through Shift Zero: the move from fragmented, reactive security to prevention embedded at every layer, where every system, identity, and agent is governed and secured in real-time as threats move at AI speed. In Shift Zero, the goal is zero exposure at all times with an enterprise able to answer, with proof, what every system is doing, why, and who is accountable, while AI moves as fast as the business needs it to.

“As AI exposures compound exponentially, security teams operate on a human clock,” said Yevgeny Dibrov, SVP and GM, cybersecurity and risk, ServiceNow. “Machine identities double every 18 months. Fragmented security tools can’t match the curve AI is creating. Organisations need autonomous security and governance that matches the scale, velocity, and unpredictability of the threats coming: where all assets, identities, AI agents, critical infrastructure, cloud environments and code are protected, and can adapt as fast as the ecosystem moves to detect and remediate threats in real-time. Security becomes an accelerant, not the brake.”

Shift Zero: Prevention embedded at every layer

Autonomous Security moves companies from reactive, fragmented security to prevention-first, autonomously governed security that operates faster than AI creates risk. The Autonomous Security offerings stand on six solutions that integrate into ServiceNow’s AI Control Tower.

Unified Exposure Management: Exposures pile up in silos, with security teams seeing vulnerabilities but not the assets that matter or which ones could be easily exploited. ServiceNow consolidates findings from any source and enriches data with business context and exploitation intelligence, enabling autonomous remediation at scale.

Agentic Exposure Management consolidates vulnerability findings from every source into a single stream enriched by Early Warning threat intelligence and Fix Intelligence prioritised remediation.

Vulnerability Resolution AI Specialist orchestrates triage and remediation at enterprise scale, executes low-risk patches, and turns exposure backlogs into closure pipelines.

Continuous Vulnerability Detection: The attack surface spans code, cloud, and infrastructure, but traditional tools only see one layer at a time. ServiceNow closes these gaps, enabling security teams to govern code, cloud, and infrastructure risks from a unified platform.

Application Security extends threat modeling to AI-generated code and model dependencies with a new version that surfaces supply chain vulnerabilities before deployment.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) validates runtime vulnerabilities in live applications and APIs.

External Attack Surface Management (EASM) surfaces infrastructure exposure that attackers can exploit, showing a footprint the way threat actors see it.

Cyber-Physical Security: OT, medical devices, and IoT systems can be blind spots because legacy tools disrupt production and lack the behavioural understanding needed to catch risky activity. ServiceNow brings continuous visibility and compliance monitoring to operational environments without disruption.

Agentic AI for Cyber Physical Security delivers agentless discovery across OT and medical networks, establishes behavioural baselines, validates compliance continuously in real time, and models attack paths, so security teams understand adversary movement. Automated remediation workflows execute across brownfield environments without custom engineering.

Identity & Access Security: Non-human identities, service accounts, cloud identities, and AI agents are everywhere and almost entirely ungoverned. ServiceNow enables security teams to see, control, and govern every identity across the enterprise under consistent least-privilege principles.

AI Agent Access Security unifies access control for AI agents across any platform or model provider, closing the threat vector of ungoverned agents with escalated permissions.

Non-Human Identity Remediation moves beyond risk scoring into active action: automated key rotation, deprovisioning, and permission revocation at scale across IT, OT, IoT, and medical networks; enables AI agents and service accounts to operate under identical identity governance as human users.

Agentic Incident Response: Incident response teams can lose hours stitching together threat intelligence, asset ownership, and identity data when they should be stopping threats. ServiceNow automates triage and investigation, freeing analysts to focus on sophisticated threats.

Agentic Incident Response enables ServiceNow’s Tier 2 SOC AI Specialist to autonomously build and execute multi-phase response plans for complex incidents, performing actions like enrichment, correlation, containment and blocking while escalating only high-risk decisions to human analysts.

Cyber Risk and Compliance: Compliance remains a pre-audit scramble. Evidence collection is manual, controls are monitored quarterly, and organisations are stuck playing catch-up. ServiceNow transforms compliance from a seasonal event into a continuous operational signal.

Agentic AI for Continuous Control Monitoring transforms control evidence into a continuous operational signal. Automated agents evaluate segregation of duties, access rights, and configuration state across ServiceNow and external systems in real time, surfacing violations the moment they occur. Compliance-ready reports exist on demand across regulatory frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA.

Cryptographic Asset Compliance enables rapid migration from legacy cryptographic algorithms to quantum-resistant standards before the quantum threat window closes. ServiceNow delivers comprehensive discovery, AI-powered risk profiling, and guided migration workflows across on-premises and cloud environments, with full integration to ServiceNow Integrated Risk Management and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (IRM/GRC) products for regulatory compliance evidence at enterprise scale.

“For organisations operating complex industrial environments, effective cybersecurity starts with understanding risk and maintaining visibility across the enterprise,” said Brandon Glaze, Sr. Director, Cybersecurity (OT/ICS) at Baker Hughes. “We’ve appreciated the collaboration and innovation from the ServiceNow (Armis) team as we continue working together to improve cyber resilience and support secure, reliable operations.”

ServiceNow is building the world’s most complete end-to-end security offering. Today’s announcements are powered by ServiceNow’s proven track record in security and risk and the depth of Armis and Veza now inside ServiceNow. Armis provides continuous, non-invasive visibility across every connected asset, tracking billions of devices in real time. Veza’s Access Graph maps effective permissions across human, machine, and AI identities. Together, they feed ServiceNow’s AI Control Tower, Context Engine, and orchestration layer with the unified business and operational intelligence that enables autonomous remediation with full governance and auditability.

Availability

Agentic Exposure Management, Autonomous Remediation Agents, Application Security, Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), External Attack Surface Management (EASM), Agentic AI for Cyber Physical Security, AI Agent Access Security, Non-Human Identity Remediation are available now. Tier 2 SOC AI Specialist, Vulnerability Resolution AI Specialist, Agentic AI for Continuous Control Monitoring, and Cryptography Asset Compliance are expected to be available in December 2026.

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The 31 finalists have each been chosen by their Local Enterprise Office to represent them and their area at the awards, which are in their 26th year. The finalists feature a diverse mix of sectors and founders all competing for a share of the €80,000 prize fund and the chance to be named National Enterprise of the Year. There are also regional awards, and categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, the Innovation Award, Digital Award, Green Award and the Female Entrepreneur award.

I caught up with three of the finalists, and the third finalist I spoke to was Dean Kelly  one of the co-founders of Photo Experience and the Offaly finalist won the Digital Award at the National Enterprise Awards. Dean talks to me about his background, what Photo Experience does, Covid, AI, National Enterprise Awards, LEO and more.

More about Photo Experience:

Photo Experience designs and installs technology-driven photography systems for theme parks, water parks, zoos, museums, and other visitor attractions. The technology combines hardware, software and operational know-how to capture guest experiences in real time and provide instant images. The business currently employees four full time members of staff. Photo Experience is designed to address both guest experience but also the commercial aspect, allowing experience photography to be easily accessed, bought and sold.

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This article is part of a series of articles I am writing for Irish Tech News  to explore the financial, technical, legal aspects of utilizing space solar energized orbital data centers that are rapidly evolving into “AI Factories, designed specifically to convert massive amounts of electrical power into intelligence, measured in tokens”  around the world.

My new series is a follow up to an interview ITN conducted with me in 2020 exploring how space solar energy could sustainably energize the tokenization of the global  financial markets which is projected to grow to multi-trillion dollars by the end of the decade.

The Environmental Impact of Terrestrial Data Centers

The skies were brown once again in  New York  with Air Quality Advisories issued due to the intense smoke and hazardous air quality that choked New York City and the surrounding Northeast region throughout July 2026 originating from massive, uncontrolled wildfires burning in Canada, in tandem with the apocalyptic  wildfires in Europe which began escalating sharply in early July 2026, heavily impacting France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Scottish Highlands and Greece forcing over 330,000 evacuations.  Breathing the hazardous air in New York burnt my lungs, teared my eyes  as I read the hopeful news that Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order New York State Governor Official Website halting state agencies from issuing discretionary permits to new hyperscale data centers (drawing 50 megawatts or more of power) for up to one year to study their environmental and grid impacts.

Hyperscale data centers require massive resource inputs, typically drawing 100 megawatts (MW) or more of electrical power and consuming 1 million to 5 million gallons of water per day for cooling and operations. Recent reports and state data show that New York ranks 12th in the U.S. building data center hubs with roughly 50 massive data centers currently operating, 3 under construction and over 72 additional hyperscale projects actively stalled or proposed in NYS’s power queue.  The pause targets massive energy and water demands, aiming to protect NY’s power grid.

Also see:  https://irishtechnews.ie/sustainable-orbital-data-center-infrastructure/

Ranked: The U.S. States Building the Most Data Centers

Data Center Moratoriums  National Conference of State Legislatures

New York is the first and the only U.S. state to enact a full, statewide moratorium on large data center construction following the leads of Amsterdam, NL which imposed a moratorium on new data center developments in 2019 until at least 2030 and Dublin, Ireland which blocked new data center connections ?that ended  in December 2025.

While no other state in the U.S. has implemented a statewide ban, dozens of state legislatures and municipalities across the country have introduced or passed temporary bans and restrictions.  Maine passed a statewide moratorium bill on large data centers in the spring of 2026, but the legislation was ultimately vetoed by the governor.

At least a dozen other states including Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania have introduced temporary construction bans or permitting moratoriums in their state legislatures to study the impact of these facilities on utility rates. Because zoning and development are heavily localized, many cities and counties have enacted their own restrictions such as Monterey Park, California where residents voted to permanently ban data centers within city limits, marking the first ballot-box ban in the U.S.  Or municipalities in states like Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Michigan that have enacted temporary pauses or bans on new builds.

Pennsylvania which ranks #4,  NYS which ranks #12 and Montana which ranks #40 on the “U.S. States Building the Most Data Centers” list are  special states in the US as they enacted a constitutional green amendments to their state constitutions.   The specific legal term “Green Amendment” is primarily used in the US have added them to their bills of rights. Globally, more than 100 countries  amended their national constitutions to include explicit provisions or rights for a healthy environment, with early adopters like Portugal (1976), Spain (1978), France (2005), Italy (2022) excluding the US, Netherlands and Ireland. They ensure environmental rights environment as a basic civil liberty —like clean air, pure water, and a stable climate.

These rights can require government officials like Governor Kathy Hochul to prioritize environmental protections in energy policy, with courts playing an important role in enforcing environmental rights.  As they are recognized and protected at a fundamental level, setting a legal foundation for environmental protection, often allowing citizens to sue for environmental harm and hold the government accountable for preserving natural resources.

Space solarized orbital data centers present a trade-off to terrestrial data centers as they eliminate land and water use by using solar power and space vacuum cooling, but they risk severe upper-atmosphere pollution from space junk, rocket launches and satellite re-entries.

See also:  https://irishtechnews.ie/us-space-race-solarized-data-infrastructure/

Already Japan has had a long running space solar program called Space-Based Solar Power Systems (SSPS) highlighted by the upcoming Ohisama Project led by Japan Space Systems which began in the 1980s through government agencies and academic groups like JAXA. This year China has explicitly integrated Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) into its long-term strategic energy landscape, accelerating development under the core “Zhuri” (Sun-Chasing) project, shifting the technology towards a green industrial policy.  In mid-2026, a consortium of 13 tier-one Chinese green energy and aerospace companies (including GCL Technology and Trina Solar) formed the Space Energy Development Alliance. This alliance directly binds the country’s massive terrestrial solar manufacturing capabilities to the aerospace supply chain.  As “space solar can be beamed to receivers placed anywhere there is space for them and the receivers can be connected directly to large users, or to a local microgrid or the Grid for further distribution” explained Sanjay Vijendran Co-founder & CTO of TerraSpark.

But the real question is will New York remain the Financial Center of the World?

Supporting AI inference and blockchain tokenization of the financial markets requires massive terrestrial data center power.  New York’s statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers will temporarily hinder large-scale infrastructure deployment.

However, the SUNNY Act (Solar Up Now New York Act) is currently on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk awaiting for her signature to legalize window solar panels for commercial and residential buildings including terrestrial data centers. The state legislature passed the bill, and NYC officials are urging her to sign it so that

New York can “remain the financial center of the world by embracing change but also demanding that change uplift our people,” Hochul said at a press conference announcing the order.

About the Author:

Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, is an international digital asset legal expert and author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally.  Her writings are translated into 45 languages and republished in over 200 global publications.  She is recognized as an expert media/TV commentator on global digital asset regulation, tax, and technology matters.

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The Croagh Patrick Immersive Experience, a new visitor attraction that enables people of every age and ability to experience the summit of Croagh Patrick, will be officially opened today at the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre in Murrisk, Co Mayo. It will be launched by the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, this afternoon.

The project has been developed by Mayo North East LEADER Partnership through its social enterprise HeriTech Ventures CLG, in partnership with immersive technology specialists Sunovatech. It represents a significant six-figure investment in the refurbishment and opening of the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre, the creation of the Immersive Experience, and the development of Ireland’s first all-season, all-weather, all-ability visitor attraction at the foot of Croagh Patrick. Award-winning writer, director and storyteller Seamus O’Rourke contributed to the creative interpretation and storytelling within the experience.

Croagh Patrick Immersive Experience

For the first time, people who can’t physically climb Croagh Patrick – because of age, disability, illness, limited mobility, fitness or weather – can still make the journey. A hyper-realistic virtual digital twin of the mountain lets them experience the emotional journey, summit and views over Clew Bay. The experience uses body tracking rather than handsets or gaming controllers, so a visitor’s own movement guides the story, making it intuitive for older visitors and those less familiar with technology.

At its centre is Saint Patrick, brought to life as host and companion, guiding visitors on the climb he made some 1,500 years ago, and connecting that ancient pilgrimage to the personal journey each visitor carries with them.

Rather than replacing the climb, the Immersive Experience complements it, creating a reason to visit Croagh Patrick in any weather and at any time of year, and encouraging visitors to spend more time in Murrisk, Westport and the wider Mayo region. It adds a new layer to Mayo’s tourism offer as promoted through Discover Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way.

The building, owned by Mayo County Council, had been vacant for a number of years. Working with the Council, Mayo North East LEADER Partnership identified the opportunity to bring it back into productive use, creating the Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre as a new visitor attraction and social enterprise asset at the foot of one of Ireland’s most iconic mountains.

Croagh Patrick already attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year to its base. The Visitor Centre is projected to attract up to 50,000 visitors annually once established, including climbers, pilgrims, families, coach tours, schools, and domestic and international tourists. As a year-round, all-weather attraction, alongside its café, retail and visitor information offer, it is expected to increase visitor dwell time and spend across hospitality, accommodation, retail, transport and tourism services in the area.

The project has created nine full-time posts, with further indirect benefit for local suppliers, makers, contractors, tradespeople and tourism businesses in the area.

As a social enterprise, HeriTech Ventures reinvests surpluses from the attraction into community development and future heritage initiatives. Croagh Patrick is the first project in a wider programme HeriTech Ventures is developing to combine storytelling and emerging technology in support of rural heritage sites.

Speaking ahead of the official opening of the Visitor Centre, Dara Calleary TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, said: “The view from the summit, taking in the archipelago of Clew Bay, Clare Island and the Mayo coastline, is unforgettable. This new experience gives people who may never be able to complete the physical climb an opportunity to share in that sense of wonder.

“It is also an excellent example of how social enterprise, innovation and collaboration can create employment, bring a rural building back into productive use and strengthen an already important destination.”

Orlagh Denneny, Senior Project Manager at Mayo North East LEADER, explained: “This started as a derelict building at the foot of Croagh Patrick. Now, people who never thought they’d get the chance, can experience the mountain in all its glory. Whether that’s someone who can’t manage the climb anymore, a child too young for it, or a visitor who arrives on a day the summit disappears into cloud, they can now stand on top of Croagh Patrick and understand why it’s mattered to people for 1,500 years. That’s what we set out to deliver, and it’s why HeriTech Ventures exists.”

Rishi Ahuja, founder and MD, Sunovatech, added: “Croagh Patrick has drawn people to it for more than 1,500 years. Our ambition was to let the technology disappear and the story lead, so that everyone, whatever their age or ability, can walk beside Saint Patrick and perhaps reflect on the mountains in their own lives. We are proud to partner with HeriTech Ventures in bringing this experience home to the community to which Croagh Patrick truly belongs.”

About Mayo North East LEADER Partnership

Mayo North East LEADER was established in June 2008 as an integrated LEADER Partnership company. It manages various programmes on behalf of several Government Departments and the EU for the collective benefit of the people and communities of North and East Mayo. Mayo North East is a company limited by guarantee, not having share capital, and with charitable status.

About HeriTech Ventures CLG

HeriTech Ventures CLG is a social enterprise established by Mayo North East LEADER Partnership Company to develop and operate immersive heritage tourism experiences which use digital storytelling and emerging technology to create sustainable jobs, regenerate rural places and reinvest surpluses into community and cultural projects.

About Sunovatech

Sunovatech is a creative technology company specialising in immersive experiences, including virtual reality, animation, digital twins and immersive environments. Founded in 2000, it operates from global studios in London, Dubai, Doha, New Delhi and Bangkok. The company has delivered more than 850 projects worldwide, among them the Croagh Patrick Experience. For more information, visit www.sunovatech.com.

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Your attention is under attack. Here’s how to reclaim it.

Knowledge workers today face a constant stream of notifications, open browser tabs and shifting priorities. By mid-morning, your head feels heavy, your concentration is fractured and the simple act of choosing what to work on next feels exhausting.

Uncluttered

It is easy to assume this is a time management failure. You tell yourself that if you just organized your calendar more effectively or woke up an hour earlier, you would finally get ahead. But the problem isn’t a lack of time. The problem is that your attention is constantly being pulled in a dozen directions at once.

Feeling overwhelmed by this constant noise is a direct consequence of operating in an environment designed to steal your focus. You cannot solve this problem with sheer willpower or a new calendar app. To get your focus back, you need to set clear boundaries around how you interact with the digital world.

Why traditional productivity advice fails

Most productivity advice focuses on managing workload, the sheer volume of tasks, projects and deadlines on your plate. While a heavy workload is challenging, it is rarely what causes the deep, burning exhaustion that leaves you staring blankly at your screen and mindlessly reaching for a distraction to scroll through.

That fatigue comes from mental clutter. It is the invisible cognitive overload caused by the pressure of never-ending incoming messages, open loops, uncaptured thoughts and vague priorities running quietly in the background of your mind.

Adding another software tool to manage this issue often backfires. When you introduce a new platform without changing your habits, you simply create more digital volume. Instead of a single source of truth, you end up checking email, two chat applications, and a task management tool just to figure out what you need to do before lunch.

Reduce digital clutter

Your attention is most vulnerable at the entry points where information arrives in your workspace. To protect your focus, you must limit how and when these entry points reach you.

• Batch digital communications: turn off real-time notifications for messaging apps and email. Set dedicated windows during the day to process and reply to messages.
• Standardize your inputs: pick one primary place where work is recorded and tracked. If a task comes in via email or a verbal request, move it into that central space immediately so you do not have to check multiple platforms later.
• Close unused tabs and apps: keep only the tools required for your current task visible. Every visible badge, unread icon or extra tab act as a minor visual distraction that draws your mind away from deep thinking.

Clear physical clutter and workspace distractions

Your physical environment directly affects your ability to concentrate. Physical clutter, the physical items scattered across your desk or workspace, creates ongoing background noise for your brain.

When your desk is covered in loose papers, unread notes or remnants from previous tasks, your eyes register those items even when you try to ignore them. That ongoing visual stimulation wears down your mental energy over the course of the day.

End every workday with a simple two-minute ritual: reset your desk. Clear away rubbish, file away notes and leave your primary workspace blank. When you sit down the following morning, you eliminate the friction of starting your first task.

Close open loops to relieve mental load

Your brain is designed to solve problems, not to store information. When you try to remember five different follow-ups, an urgent email and a project deadline, your mind treats every item as an immediate priority. This internal dialogue burns through energy fast. To clear mental clutter, you need an external system you trust completely.

First, capture everything. Get every thought, task or commitment out of your head and into a single list or system. Do not filter it while capturing; simply write it down so your brain knows the detail is safe.

Second, define concrete next actions. Vague project titles like “Handle budget” create friction because your brain has to re-evaluate the project every time you look at it. Instead, break it down into an actionable step: “Call the finance team to request the Q3 expense report.” When the action is obvious, taking the first step becomes simple.

Focus as a deliberate practice

Reclaiming your focus is not about working harder or pushing through fatigue. It is about building a quieter, simpler environment so that your brain can actually process information properly and efficiently.

You do not need to rewrite your entire routine overnight. Choose one boundary to put in place today, whether that means closing your messaging app for two hours of quiet work or clearing your workspace before you stop for the day. Over time, these simple boundaries will make a real difference, helping you to protect your focus and bring calm back to your workday.

Ingrid Pope is an executive coach, expert declutter and author of  Uncluttered: How to Create Space to Think, Work and Live, shortlisted for the 2026 Business Book Awards. 

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• Study provides some of the industry’s first data on managing 800 VDC safety risks and safely adopting new power architectures for AI data centers
• Simulations and arc flash risk analyses assessed two representative 800 VDC architectures reflecting common designs informed by industry leaders
• Evaluating risks with ETAP’s advanced software and digital twins accurately model fault scenarios, supporting effective protection strategies at rack and facility levels

Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, announced a first-of-its-kind analysis that provides practical guidance on how to assess and manage arc flash risk in 800 VDC power architectures. Based on deployment scenarios informed by hyperscaler design patterns, the analysis compares two emerging 800 VDC architectures with varying configurations. Findings demonstrate that arc flash outcomes depend strongly on architecture, capacitor placement, and fault-clearing behavior.

New 800 VDC architectures announced by Schneider Electric

A key result of the research is that even under the most demanding capacitor-dominated assumptions, arc flash risk in 800 VDC systems can be managed, and in many cases, is comparable to typical AC systems. Additionally, better modeling using advanced software and digital twins can help accurately portray arc flash risk.

The findings come at a critical time when 800 VDC architectures are being adopted to support denser racks in AI data centers. Led by NVIDIA, together with energy technology partners such as Schneider Electric, the transition to 800 VDC data center power infrastructure will enable large-scale data centers and AI Factories to support 400 kW IT racks and beyond.

As the industry accelerates toward these higher power densities, 800 VDC distribution has emerged as the practical path to power megawatt-scale racks efficiently. At the same time, higher operating voltages require a deeper understanding of fault behavior, protection coordination, and safe work practices.

“800 VDC power distribution represents a significant shift in data center design, but it also introduces safety considerations that need to be studied extensively” said Manish Kumar, EVP Secure Power & Data Centers, Schneider Electric. “Our work with some of the world’s leading hyperscalers provides engineers and safety professionals with one of the first practical frameworks for evaluating arc flash risks, providing a structured approach to understanding fault behavior, establishing safe work practices, and designing effective protection schemes. Our goal is to help the industry move toward higher-voltage architectures with confidence and safety.”

Arc flash analysis is already a standard practice in AC data centers, but no industry-wide standard or guidance currently exists to manage electrical hazards that personnel may encounter in converter-fed 800 VDC systems, making this latest research important to evaluating and managing arc flash hazards, but also ensuring 800 VDC systems achieve comparable safety levels to existing power systems. Current standards are shown to overestimate arc flash risk, whereas Schneider Electric’s simulation analysis demonstrates that advanced software and digital twins more accurately model risk.

Assessment Performed for Two Distinct 800 VDC Architectures

Schneider Electric’s work establishes the first practical arc flash analysis of rack-level and facility-level 800 VDC architectures, reflecting the major implementation paths emerging across the industry. The analysis evaluates standards-based methods, transient simulation, and system-level modeling. The findings demonstrate that existing arc flash frameworks can be applied to 800 VDC systems when used in an architecture-aware, time-dependent way, and that design choices impact outcomes:

• Rack-level 800 VDC architectures: In a sidecar (also called power rack) case study using conservative methods and assumptions, results showed incident energy well below the referenced 1.2 cal/cm² PPE threshold, even without protection devices.
• Centralized 800 VDC architectures: The facility-level case study shows potential for slightly higher incident energy than rack-level designs when, again, considering a conservative, less realistic architecture with no overcurrent protection. The analysis also assesses the effect of system topology and demonstrates how fault locations both upstream and downstream of reverse-blocking diodes influence back-feed, peak current, and arc flash outcomes. When fault contribution is time-limited with standard protection devices, arc flash energy is reduced to appropriate levels for the work environments and generally aligned with common AC architectures.

Design and protection strategies are important factors for reducing arc flash risks in 800 VDC architectures. The study shows that overall risks remain low, and in many cases are comparable to typical AC distribution. Even with time standard protection devices, incident energy can remain below key thresholds.  The research also established that:

• Transient behavior matters: In 800 VDC systems, arc flash is driven by time-dependent fault currents, with capacitor discharge dominating the first milliseconds of an event.
• Simulation improves accuracy: Software (such as transient simulation and power system analysis tools) shows that simplified arc flash analysis methods for DC systems often overestimate arc flash risk in capacitor-dominated systems. Operators can significantly reduce arc flash risk by informing their protection strategy with advanced software and digital twins like ETAP.
• Design choices reduce risk: Arc flash outcomes depend on architecture and system configuration, not on DC distribution alone, where capacitor placement, reverse-blocking devices, and millisecond-scale protection are key levers for safe 800 VDC deployments.

“Industry standards remain essential for arc flash and electrical safety, but traditional methods can be overly conservative because they do not fully reflect how complex DC systems operate,” said Tanuj Khandelwal, CEO of ETAP. “To understand real risk, engineers must evaluate system topology, fault behavior, protection coordination, converter response, switching logic, and active protection schemes. ETAP enables teams to model and validate 800V DC systems as they perform, helping move from conservative assumptions to more accurate, AI augmented, physics-based safety and operational decisions.”

This work builds on Schneider Electric’s decades-long history of arc flash safety testing and bolsters its commitment to supporting the industry’s transition to 800 VDC power architectures, which are a critical requirement for emerging high-density rack systems being adopted for AI data centers. Schneider Electric has also performed extensive testing on live swap power capabilities in 800 VDC systems to enable safe maintenance.

The findings are now available in a white paper titled, “DC Arc Flash Analysis: A Practical Study on 800 VDC in Data Centers.”

Related resources:

• DC Arc Flash Analysis: A Practical Study on 800 VDC Data Centers
• Schneider Electric Highlights Innovation in 800 VDC Power Systems in support of NVIDIA’s next generation GPUs
• 5 Principles for 800 VDC in AI Data Centers: Rack-level Architectures as the Immediate Enabler
• Necessary Considerations for Designing DC Architectures in Data Centers
• Arc Flash Considerations for Data Center IT Space

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory. With 160,000 employees and 1 million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric is consistently ranked among the world’s most sustainable companies.

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Zens Qi2.2 Semi Solid State Powerbank

Out of the box, this is small, light, easy to charge, and comes pre-packed with charge too. For our teenager testers, as well as the rest of the crew, there was a lot of enthusiasm for taking it out with them, just in case. The design is sleek, minimal, will fit easily into a pocket or a pouch without you really even noticing it. Within a waterproof bag it would also be a good addition for an overnight kayaking trip onto uninhabited islands too.

Our team liked it, debating who gets to use it post review, the ability to charge both Android and iPhone ecosystem phones is always going to be a winner with friends when you are out and about too. Perhaps it is even too small, you could almost fit it into your wallet, but it does mean that small pouches, handbags or top rucksack pockets would all work well. The product was definitely a hit, and the pricing is very reasonable too.

More about the powerbank here

Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Zens, the market leader in wireless charging unveils the world’s thinnest Semi Solid State Powerbank with Qi2.2. At just 8 mm thin and 5,000 mAh, it sets a new standard in portable power. Ultra-thin, lightweight, and designed with a clean, minimalist finish that pairs seamlessly with iPhone and Android devices.

This next-generation powerbank combines semi solid state battery technology with Qi2.2 magnetic fast charging up to 25W for iPhone 16 and newer. Slim enough to carry anywhere, powerful enough to rely on every day. For those who need more capacity, Zens also introduces a 10,000 mAh version at 14 mm thin. Ideal for frequent top-ups throughout the day, while maintaining the same clean look and feel.

The semi solid state battery architecture enhances thermal stability, improves resistance to shock and temperature changes, and extends overall battery lifespan. The result is a lighter, more durable powerbank with a longer lifecycle. Qi2.2 certification ensures safe, reliable magnetic wireless charging. It also supports up to 15W for iPhone 12–15 and compatible Android devices.

“At Zens, we design products that make life easier,” says Johan Plasmans, CEO of Zens. “With an ultra-thin lightweight design, and semi solid state battery innovation, we are delivering longer lifecycle performance. One outlet is all you need to charge both your phone and powerbank overnight, while Qi2.2 enables fast magnetic top-ups during the day. The result is the freedom and confidence to stay powered on the move.”

Key features:

World’s thinnest 5,000 mAh semi solid state powerbank at 8 mm
10,000 mAh version at 14 mm for extended use
Qi2.2 wireless charging up to 25W (iPhone 16 and newer)
Up to 15W for iPhone 12–15 and compatible Android devices

Power Pass-Through: charge both your phone and powerbank overnight with one cable
Charge two devices at once

Enhanced durability and extended battery lifespan

The Zens Semi Solid State Powerbanks are available as pre-order via zens.tech and selected partners worldwide.

About Zens

We are innovators. Inspirers. Pioneers. We’ve been pushing the boundaries of wireless charging since 2011. We are dedicated, passionate specialists who believe in the power of wireless. No more messy wires, multiple chargers, or overloaded sockets. Our mission is to empower people to connect and charge easily and everywhere.

Zens is located at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the heart of Europe’s ‘Silicon Valley’. From this hub of technology and innovation, we work toward our vision: Always a Zens nearby, guided by our core values that shape everything we do.

See more reviews here.

The 31 finalists have each been chosen by their Local Enterprise Office to represent them and their area at the awards, which are in their 26th year. The finalists feature a diverse mix of sectors and founders all competing for a share of the €80,000 prize fund and the chance to be named National Enterprise of the Year. There are also regional awards, and categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, the Innovation Award, Digital Award, Green Award and the Female Entrepreneur award.

I caught up with three of the finalists, and the second finalist I spoke to was Stephen O’Sullivan the founder of I left you a note and the Tipperary finalist. Stephen talks to me about his background, what I left you a note does, digital concierge, AI, National Enterprise Awards, LEO and more 

More about  I left you a note:

I left you a note was founded by Stephen O’Sullivan, a former Deputy Chief Actuary at Met Life, Stephen wanted to address the problem modern hotels are having in the fact that customers ‘no longer complain to the front desk’ but rather are quick to write a bad review online. Stephen estimates that a bad review can cost hotels up to €15,000 in lost bookings per month.

I Left You A Note aims to address that gap in communication to an online B2B SaaS platform which allows guests to connect with the front desk of hotels instantly through scanning QR codes located across the hotel. The portal opens instantly on any phone and allows guests to submit feedback, raise service requests, interact with an AI concierge, and access hotel facilities and room service with one click. When an issue is raised, AI triages it, creates a service ticket and routes it automatically to the correct department.

See more podcasts here.

Compact 3kWh Backup Power for the Home and Road

We have been taking a look at the BLUETTI Elite 300 for the last few weeks. The Elite 300 is a feature-packed and power-packed portable power station suitable for both home use and when you want to bring home levels of power on the road with you!

BLUETTI is offering the capacity of a 3kWh power station in a footprint much closer to a typical 2kWh model. The question is whether that balance of capacity, output and portability works in real-world use.

Introduction

Portable power stations have moved beyond being oversized power banks for camping. Larger models are now capable of keeping essential appliances running during a power cut, supporting a home office, powering tools away from the mains or acting as the centre of a compact off-grid setup.

The BLUETTI Elite 300 sits in an interesting part of this market. It provides 3kWh of battery capacity and a continuous AC output of 2,400W, but BLUETTI has placed this in a chassis measuring just 366 x 305 x 297.5mm. The company says it is the world’s smallest 3kWh portable power station, a claim it says has been certified by Frost & Sullivan.

Alongside the compact design, the main selling points include a 12V/30A DC output, up to 1,200W of solar input, a 10ms UPS function and remote monitoring and scheduling through the BLUETTI app. It uses LiFePO4 battery cells rated for more than 6,000 charge cycles and is backed by a five-year warranty.

BLUETTI offers a number of different packages and accessories, which include solar panels and connections for charging via an alternator, but it is the base version we will be reviewing here, which at the time of publishing is on offer for €1649.

BLUETTI Elite 300 specifications

The North American version has a different socket arrangement, including a TT-30R connection. That socket is not fitted to the Irish/EU model.

Design and Portability

The most obvious reason to consider the Elite 300 over many other power stations in this capacity class is its size. At 366mm wide and just under 300mm high, it should be easier to store in a home, campervan or workshop than many conventional 3kWh units.

Compact does not mean lightweight, though. The Elite 300 weighs approximately 26.3kg, so this is a movable power station rather than something most people will want to carry for long distances. The quality and position of the handles, the balance of the unit and how easily it can be lifted in and out of a vehicle therefore matter as much as the headline dimensions.

There are two handles worked into the top of the device, which are easy to get a firm grip with, and it never feels like you might drop it. Correct manual handling is required with a 26KG weight, though.

The unit itself is very well made and put together. It feels sturdy, and it feels like it will stand up to being taken on the road.

The front of the device has most of the controls and power connections. There are some buttons for turning the device on and enabling AC or DC. There is a large, clear screen which shows battery capacity and gives info on power in or power out usage. There are two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports, along with two 3-pin. IE/UK domestic sockets and then 3 connections for DC input and output.

The right-hand side of the device has an earthing connection, the AC input port for connecting the device to the grid, and a 20A circuit breaker reset button. There are some vents on the rear of the device for the unit’s cooling fan.

3kWh capacity in practical terms

A nominal capacity of 3,014.4Wh gives the Elite 300 enough stored energy to be genuinely useful for more than charging phones and laptops. It can keep a router, lighting and a home office running through an outage, operate a fridge or freezer, or provide useful runtime for lower-powered appliances in a campervan or cabin.

As with every power station, the full headline capacity will not reach an appliance. Conversion losses, inverter overhead and the battery-management reserve reduce the usable energy available at the AC sockets. The most useful figure is therefore the amount of energy delivered during a controlled discharge rather than a manufacturer runtime estimate.

The first thing we checked was how much the battery drains when the system is turned on but is idle. After leaving the power station for a whole day to check, the unit still reported 100% battery capacity, so this should bode well for anyone who wants to leave this in a remote location but would still like the ability to switch on connected devices if needed.

While the Elite 300 is a truly powerful device that can power everything from a smartphone to a kettle, if you power high-load devices with it, even 3kWh of battery will run down quickly.

Smartphones, tablets, lights or other light loads will probably have weeks, if not months, worth of capacity available, so in reality on a camping trip, you could keep you and all your family’s equipment powered for an extended period. If you add in some portable solar panels, you can sustain this indefinitely.

Higher loads, which we will talk about in the next section, are suited to very occasional use if you would like to maintain battery capacity, but it is certainly a great feature to be able to power these loads when needed.

Output and Appliance Testing

The inverter is rated for 2,400W of continuous AC output, with up to 2,640W available across AC and DC outputs combined. That is enough for most household essentials and many power tools, but it is worth remembering that some Irish kettles, heaters and other high-demand appliances are rated at or close to 3,000W.

Power Lifting Mode raises the quoted ceiling to 4,800W for compatible resistive loads. It should not be treated as 4,800W of continuous inverter output, and it is not intended for sensitive electronics or appliances with complex motors and compressors. Its value is in allowing simple heating appliances to operate when they would otherwise exceed the normal output limit.

To test how the Elite 300 coped with some higher loads, we connected a toaster and a kettle to test it out. Certainly in Ireland, boiling the kettle for a cup of tea either during a power outage or when you are out in the wilds is a very popular feature to have!

Connecting the toaster first, the unit showed a draw of around 950 watts, which the power station delivered with no issues until the toast popped. During the load, the battery capacity showed that it has 3.5 hours’ worth of battery at this level of output.

Next up was the kettle. We half-filled the kettle and enabled heavy lifting mode via the app. The power station showed a peak of around 2800 watts while boiling the water. At that output level, the unit showed enough power for 58 minutes.

It is an impressive showing from the Elite 300. It handled the highest load most people use in their home, and it can deliver enough power to something like an air fryer to keep you fed during a power outage or prevent your freezer from thawing out. It is an impressive amount of power in a small footprint.

When boiling the kettle, the display initially showed a peak load of around 2,750W–2,800W before the Power Lifting Mode stabilised the power draw to run the high-wattage appliance safely.

Ports and the 12V/30A output

The Irish/EU Elite 300 can power or charge up to eight devices at once. There are two 230V AC sockets, two USB-A ports, 100W and 140W USB-C ports, a conventional 12V car socket and a dedicated 12V/30A DC output.

The 12V/30A connection is one of the more useful features for campervan and off-grid users. It can feed higher-current 12V equipment such as water pumps, portable fridges, diesel heaters, fans and a vehicle’s DC system directly, avoiding the conversion losses involved in running them through an AC inverter.

The USB-C ports are also well specified. The 140W connection can fast-charge a compatible high-performance laptop, while the separate 100W port leaves enough capacity for another laptop, tablet or other USB-C device.

Given the size of the device, I think they have done a great job of including the vast majority of the connections you will need. The two 3-Pin domestic sockets may be a bit limiting depending on how you plan to use the device, but they were aiming for a small-sized unit with the Elite 300, and it would have to increase in size to accommodate more sockets.

While the power station has been on my desk for testing, I have used it to charge all of my devices, and it has worked perfectly to keep my laptop, tablet and phone powered up. I have also been using it to power a desk fan during the heatwaves, and most of this stuff barely makes a dent in the capacity.

Charging options

The Elite 300 can be recharged from a wall socket, solar panels, a vehicle or a generator, with combined AC and solar charging also supported. The EU/UK version accepts up to 2,300W from AC, while solar input is rated at up to 1,200W.

BLUETTI quotes approximately 4.1 hours for a full solar recharge at the maximum supported input under ideal conditions. Real solar performance will depend on the panels, weather, angle and temperature. Faster charging from a vehicle is possible with the optional BLUETTI Charger 2, which can make use of alternator charging.

There are a number of different charging modes available which let you decide how aggressively you want to charge the battery and whether you want silent charging or can tolerate some noise from the fan. These include “Standard”, “Turbo”, and “Silent”.

“Standard” is the most battery-friendly option. It limits the input power to 1200 watts on AC and will charge the battery fully in around 2.8 hours.

“Turbo”, as the name may suggest, is for fast charging. It limits the AC input to 2300 watts, but when combined with solar charging too, it pushes that to 2400 watts. You can get an 80% charge in 78 minutes with this mode.

“Silent” keeps the noise from the fan down and is the slowest charging speed as a result. A full charge takes 4.2 hours with this option, but it is ideal for charging at night or when you are watching a movie, for example.

To be clear, the fans do not make a huge amount of noise when they are on but it is noticeable, so it is nice to be able to limit them when needed.

For such high capacity, the device charges quickly if needed and offers lots of different options for charging away from the grid.

UPS and Home-Backup use

When connected between the mains and a device, the Elite 300 can switch to battery power in 10ms or less. This is intended to keep equipment such as Wi-Fi routers, home-office hardware and security systems running through a power cut without an obvious interruption.

A 10ms transfer is fast enough for many consumer devices, although it is not the same as the zero-transfer operation offered by some online UPS systems. Anyone protecting particularly sensitive or critical equipment should confirm that its power supply can tolerate the transfer time.

With that said, though, it is sufficiently fast for most general use cases and a really nice feature to have included.

There are several different modes also available to select, which adds broader functionality than just power switchover.

The “Standard” mode performs as you would expect from a UPS. You plug the Elite 300 into the mains and plug in the devices you want to cover with UPS to the power station. The Elite 300 uses the grid to power the devices attached, and when it detects a drop in the grid, it switches to its internal battery within 10ms.

We tested this function with various items to see how it performs. I started with an LED lamp in a dark room to see if we could notice any flicker as it switched over. Once we isolated the grid supply, you could hear the Elite 300 switch to the battery internally, but there was no noticeable dip in the light.

We then moved to a number of NAS drives we have on test from UGREEN and Synology, and all of these switched over without reporting an issue. We tried a Wi-Fi router and then an OLED TV, and it worked perfectly every time. I think for most users, this will be all they need from a UPS.

The other modes include “Time Control”, which allows you to schedule a switch over to battery power if you know the grid will go down at a certain time.

“PV Priority” allows you to charge from the grid to a certain level and then switches over to solar charging.

“Grid Self Adaptation” is for use with an unstable or fluctuating grid. It swaps over to internal battery if there are dips or spikes to maintain supply and protect attached equipment.

There is also a “Custom” mode which allows you to set your own schedules or charging/discharging preferences, etc.

BLUETTI App and Controls

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity allow the Elite 300 to be monitored and controlled through the BLUETTI app. The app provides real-time input and output data, remote on/off control, charging-mode selection and energy-use information.

Remote wake-up and scheduling are more useful here than they might initially sound. A user can schedule lights, heating, cooling or pumps, or wake the power station before arriving at a cabin or campervan. It also allows a noisy high-speed charge to be avoided when quieter operation is preferable.

Setting up the app is straightforward, as is pairing the power station and giving it access to the internet.

Firmware updates are handled from the app also, and there were three different updates available after we connected the device for the first time.

The app has a lot of functionality built in, and it has very granular controls for most functions. BLUETTI have put a lot of thought into what functions users may want and how they may want to adjust those functions when in use.

All of the information you need to see is presented clearly with a nice animation showing how AC and DC are charging or discharging, along with the battery percentage left.

Any setting you can toggle on the device is available to toggle in the app, and as I mentioned above, all of the in-depth settings for each function, such as the UPS, power lifting and charging modes, along with a host of other settings, are all present and easy to find. Interacting with an app is a lot better UX in my opinion than trying to go through settings on the device.

Noise, heat and efficiency

A power station of this size has to manage significant heat when charging quickly or supplying a heavy load. Fan behaviour can be the difference between a unit that is easy to live with and one that becomes intrusive in a home office, bedroom or campervan.

When I was testing this first in the office, the background noise was always higher than the noise coming from the unit. I took the Elite 300 home then to test it there, and the fan noise became more apparent.

I have covered in the review already how BLUETTI have included many features to mitigate the noise. To be honest, for me, I have no issues at all with the fan noise, but I need to cover it as some people may. I don’t think you can expect to use a device like this to both charge quickly and discharge high loads with some heat and noise being generated.

The Elite 300 can perform near silently when you are powering or charging lower-load devices like your smartphone or tablet, but clearly if you want to boil a kettle of water, there is going to be an impact. Under these conditions and when using the fastest charging modes, the fans in the unit ramp up and are audible. But they also ramp down when not under such loads.

I think the one situation where the noise may become an issue is if you have access to cheap nighttime electricity from the grid which you want to use to top up the battery in the unit while you are sleeping (near the unit). In this case, you can select Silent charging, and the device will fully charge in 4.2 hours. If the window for cheaper electricity was shorter, you may have to use a more aggressive charging mode, and noise levels would rise, but other than that I can’t see it being much of an issue.

For the most part, if you are using it lightly, then expect little noise. If it is under high load, expect the noise to increase, but then also remember there are functions to mitigate.

Who is the Elite 300 for?

The Elite 300 makes the most sense for someone who wants substantially more capacity than a typical camping power station but does not need an expandable whole-home battery system. Its compact footprint suits a campervan, cabin, workshop or home where storage space is limited, while the 3kWh battery gives it enough reserve to be useful during a meaningful power cut.

It is less suitable for anyone who needs easy one-handed portability, more than 2,400W of continuous AC output or the option to add expansion batteries later. The Elite 300 is a self-contained system: that simplicity is part of its appeal, but it also defines its limits.

Pros and cons

Pros

• 3,014.4Wh capacity in a notably compact footprint
• Useful 2,400W continuous output for most household and off-grid loads
• Dedicated 12V/30A output for campervan and DC equipment
• Up to 1,200W solar input and flexible charging options
• 10ms UPS function with app monitoring, remote wake-up and scheduling
• Comprehensive app, settings and modes
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Well thought out for end users
• LiFePO4 cells rated for 6,000+ cycles and a five-year warranty

Cons

• At 26.3kg, compact does not mean light
• Only two AC sockets on the Irish/EU version
• The battery capacity is fixed rather than expandable
• Power Lifting Mode is limited to compatible resistive loads
• Fast vehicle charging and solar hardware require optional accessories

Conclusion

The BLUETTI Elite 300 makes its strongest case by fitting a genuinely useful 3kWh battery into a chassis that is easier to store and move than many products with similar capacity. Its 2,400W inverter is sufficient for most everyday appliances, while the 12V/30A output, 1,200W solar input and app scheduling give it particular appeal for campervan, cabin and off-grid use.

It also works as a straightforward home-backup option for users who want to keep a fridge, router, lighting or a home office operating without installing a fixed battery system.

We have found the Elite 300 to be a well-thought-out device that has functioned flawlessly during our testing.  It is clear BLUETTI has spent a lot of time thinking about what features people will want, and once those features were included, they have made them easy to use and adjust to suit the end user.

For more information, visit the BLUETTI Elite 300 product page.

Exclusive Discount Code:  Irish Tech News readers can get 5% off BLUETTI prodcuts by using the following code at checkout: ITNB300.

(This is not a paid promotion and we do not earn or receive anything from any related product sales)

Brian, Calor has implemented tech innovations and new approaches to drive sustainable growth and ensure the business remains competitive in a changing market can you tell me more about this?

I’ve been with Calor for just over 2 years, my role, the CIO role, was a new role in Calor when I joined. So, it was part of the organisation reflecting a need to kind of reflect how important technology was becoming for the business and how we move forward into the future.

We’re almost 90 years old and next year is our 90th anniversary. So, we’ve gone through lots of changes and transitions during that time, but there’s a strong feeling now that we really are going through a big transformation.

Essentially a digital transformation that’s starting to come and hit our industry, where, customer expectations have moved on pretty dramatically. The digital experience expected by customers has changed dramatically and our customer demographics have changed as well.

So, our need to continue to evolve and change our offers on how we support and deal with our customers is more important than ever, and that was part of why my role kind of came into being here in the organisation.

You’ve been around for 90 years, and I’m thinking, for example, in the early days, you’d have used the horse and cart for a while, and then seeing that that then became a truck, a pickup and various other vehicles. And nowadays, that vehicle could now be one that’s electric or uses renewable energy?

Sustainability obviously is very important in our industry. We are dealing with a fossil fuel product, but we do have sustainability in mind all the time. One of our product offerings is BioLPG, which only has 15% of the pollutants of standard LPG, so it’s a much more environmentally friendly solution.

All our trucks that deliver use HVO  which is hydro-treated vegetable oil. So, we do take sustainability very seriously and corporately our parent organisation is the same. We report our sustainability KPIs the same way as we do our financial KPIs and it’s very important  core to how we operate. 

The technology we see being used a lot now is AI and how does Calor implement AI into its systems?

So, one of the things that I noticed when I joined Calor was we have a really strong experimental culture. We recently completed a hackathon where we took a cross-functional group of people out of the organisation. We spent 3 days working with some external partners to kind of hack out some ideas which ultimately we have productionalized and brought into our customer offering now.

But, from an AI point of view, I think the pace of change is really starting to heat up and increase. We started off with some experimental proof of concepts, in the AI space, and then we started to formalise it with making Copilot part of what we do all the time.

But we’re now at a point where we can see there’s numerous players in the AI race, and backing one horse, as in Copilot, is not going to probably be the answer. So, we’re now looking at broadening out our experimentation into a stack of AI solutions. So, we will continue to use Copilot, we’re also going to start using Claude. We’re going to use n8n for automation and kind of orchestration and Lovable for vibe coding and rapidly developing prototypes. So, we’re broadening out our AI journey. It’s probably a little bit different to what people would imagine Calor do from a technology point of view.

One of the beautiful things about Calor is we have, a very long-term brand association and part of the good thing about having conversations like this is it gives us an opportunity to talk about the fact that we’re a modern technology company as well even though that mightn’t be what your perception will be looking at it from the outside.

For me also with AI, the problem you have with Claude is Claude’s a great product, but at the moment in America, they’ve brought a new rule that the latest version of Claude cannot be used abroad. So, in fact, you’ve got multiple choices of AI products you’re using, if one has an issue like Claude does, you’ve got a backup plan, which is good.

Exactly, I think that’s exactly why we’ve got to be very careful not to back one horse in this race, because it’s so emergent that it’s very hard, anybody that has a very defined AI strategy. I’m not sure how they’re doing that because it evolves so quickly that really it’s more a direction of travel and your ability to experiment, learn, move on quickly, pivot. That’s really important for the future, more so than having a predefined strategy of how you’re going to get to the get to your goal because the goalposts are going to continue to shift wildly.

Yeah, you might have a scenario that you got to think because of AI regulation in the EU, if you’re using an AI product that’s American-based, they might not like being over-regulated. So, they might decide, okay, we’re not going to work here anymore, we’re not going to give you the latest features because of that.

Yeah, I think that’s a risk, and that’s why we do need to have a reasonably diversified approach to the tools that we use, and I do think in three years’ time, we’ll look back and I’m sure we’ll be using different tools. I’m pretty confident of that, but our ability and I think our success depends on our ability to get value out of what we use in the moment, and make the right decisions, and pivot quickly when we need to.

How did Calor decide what tech they’re going to use to implement? Because I’m thinking over the years, when you first moved from a horse drawn cart into a truck, and then so forth, and then when you moved. with computers, it would have been one that was the size of a big room, and now they’re so small and portable that technologies changed so much over the years. What do you decide what you’re going to use next?

I think the way I’d answer that is we never start with technology, even though I’m a technologist. I’m one of the less technical people maybe within our team, but we have plenty of technology depth in the team. We really start with what is the problem that we’re trying to solve? What’s the reason? And that comes from two spaces. One is we’re a 360–370-person organisation. It’s a small enough and tight enough organisation that you know everybody and you know what they do.

That’s why when we do bring cross-functional groups together, the real insights into how we need to improve, or where we can improve, is from the people that are operating at the coalface. They have vast ideas of how to transform; it doesn’t come out of a leadership conversation or a senior leadership team meeting. It comes from working directly with the people that are impacted. So, I’m not sure if I’ve really answered your question there.

Yeah, you have in a way because, I mean, that’s because to me, I find that a lot of guys in business now, when they’re looking at new technologies and they all hear the AI buzz. So, they’ve got to implement it into the business, and they go ahead and try and do that. But I’d be asking them, well, everyone’s using AI, so we have to get it in. that’s their excuse. But why?

For me, we really don’t do things without a purpose, and because we’re a relatively small organisation, the purpose needs to be aligned with our strategy. So, we don’t have the luxury of making huge bets that sit outside of the strategy in the hope that something might work out. So generally, when we take something on, whether it’s AI or whether it’s a change, a business change initiative, it’s because it’s moving us towards the realisation of our strategy.

But we do experiment, so, we will take on things that we think will move the dial or move the needle, we will experiment with them, we’ll try out proofs of concept. In a lot of cases, it’ll work out and we’ll see it into production, and it becomes part of our technology estate. In other cases, we don’t and we back away from it, and that there are hard things to do, but we need to get better at doing. I think all organisations need to get better at doing that, experimenting, failing, failing fast, pivoting, moving on. Essentially, you’ve got a 90-year legacy, but we need to be able to operate and act like a start-up would.

Yeah, for me, because you’re a small company, it’s easier to go about doing this and seeing how it works. Whereas if you’re a company with thousands of employees, it’s a lot different, and, as I said earlier about guys who decide the AI buzz, we have to do it, and I guess that’s great. But how it’s going to help you in your business? What, is it going to solve? And you’ve got to look at the competitors, how they’re using AI, and see how it works for them, and if you see what it does for them. How can that work for us? And see what they’re doing wrong. And what they’re doing wrong is what we don’t do.

It is one of those things that AI, I don’t want to call it a bubble, but the movement is evolving and moving quickly. So, I understand the sentiment from somebody who says, well everyone is doing it, so we have to do it, because if you don’t start to experiment, you could be so far behind by the time you start that you will never catch up. That is probably a genuine fear, but for us, how we try and insulate ourselves on that is we only focus the experiments on things that align with our strategy. But we do experiment, and I think that’s important, even from a learning point of view, we’ve done some good things as an organisation.

So, all the senior leadership in Calor and also all the other business units that are part of the SHV Energy Group have all been through the Digital and Transformation Academy in the IESE Institute in Barcelona. That’s a good high-end, leadership leveller for setting the playing field for digital and transformation. Which is great, it’s great for me to know that the rest of our team here has been through that and they understand. They’ve seen all the use cases, they understand where the technology is potentially leading us, and why it’s important that we are really focused on, and transforming, and maybe less so on building the technical skills, because that’s not the most important thing.  

It’s almost more the soft skills that become critical now as we move forward. Our ability to be curious, to always try and find a different way or a new way of doing something, to be resilient, and then also to be agile, that’s going to be really important for us moving forward.

Yeah, because if you’re agile, you can adapt and change and pivot very quickly without any real issues. You know, okay, we’ll try this, if it doesn’t work, we’ll pivot to another way and we can do that, and we’re not going to lose too much downtime, because downtime can be critical.

I think to do that successfully, you do need the right leadership culture in the business, and I’m actually very comfortable that we do have that here. So, when we experiment and we try something out, as long as we learn from it and don’t do it again, the feeling is great. We’ve now learned one way to not achieve that as opposed to why did that go wrong? What happened? So, we do have the right culture around experimentation and the permission, to fail or the permission to kill something that’s not going to deliver a business value is seen as a positive thing, and not all organisations have that.

Earlier you said about startup mind, your idea, as working, I think, like, a startup mind.that means you’re, quick to be agile and change, and you can move, as soon as it doesn’t work out, you can move on. Which is what you want. Stay fresh, stay hungry, and stay foolish.

Exactly, as a famous previous CEO once said, that comment has aged well. I think it’s more relevant now than it ever was.

Yeah, two comments I can think of in tech world is that and Moore’s Law, but Moore’s Law is certainly not what it once was, but what Steve Jobs said is always going to be relevant, because if you look back through his life story, what he went through, and where he ended up. Before he passed away, he had been to the mill and back, but he survived and came back, and he had this Damascus moment where he suddenly realised what he’d done wrong. He says, I’m going to go back and do things differently.

One of the most powerful sessions that I attended before when you go to these Gartner briefings. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the symposium, but I was at one a few years ago in Barcelona, and there was an MIT lecturer, Andrew McAfee, who spoke at it. He was talking about the pace of change of technology, and bear in mind, this is about six years ago, and he was using the example of the chessboard.

There was a parable of the chessboard. A guy that did a job for the local king asked for one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, but for every other square you would double what was on it. So, it’s one square one grain of rice, two, four, eight, etc. With the idea being that he was a humble person, he wasn’t going to ask for too much, but obviously, with the exponential effect of that.

So, his point in the talk was this is all, based on Moore’s Law. So, if you imagine the first square of the chessboard is in the late 50s, maybe 1958, and then every 18 months you’re applying another instance of Moore’s Law so, you’re moving to the next square. We’re now getting to the point where we’re into the second half of the chessboard. Kind of onto the 33rd square. The impact of that is utterly mind-boggling and it will always be mind-boggling moving forward.

So, in the 33rd square you have as much rice as you have in the previous 32 squares. So, his point was the pace of change of technology is just going to feel like it gets so out of control and that was 6 years ago. Now I look where we are with AI and I’m thinking,he was very much right in that, but it also makes me think if you look further ahead again into the future. That’s why we need a different set of skills, a different way of working, to make sure you can ride the wave, of technology change as we go forward.

Yeah, because if you’re not prepared for that, and if you look at AI, and you don’t decide to implement AI agents, you’re going to be left behind, and you’ve got to think, if I do how do I go about doing it?

We have done a bit of that, so, we do have some AI agents across the business. I think though you do need to bring some traditional thinking back to that, though. So, once you start to deploy agents and they become the norm, across the business, and people are empowered to go and build their own agents. You do need a mechanism to have some level of governance over that. Otherwise, it becomes unmanageable into the future, so, that is something that’s a focus area for us now. We’re trying to drive that the governance almost has to follow the experimentation.

Traditionally, you do all that up front before you release this, whereas now we just need to experiment and then catch up with the governance after, and make sure that we don’t leave it too late to do that.

You’ve got technology changing so fast. Years ago, for example, you could send somebody a legal document it could be sent via Telex or a fax. And then suddenly, that changed to becoming, basically, like a DocuSign, or it could be an email. Then suddenly now it’s done online, so they’ve always adapted. But AI is changing so fast, what’s relevant today isn’t relevant tomorrow.

Exactly, and that is a bit of a mindset shift for us, but also for other organisations, that you need to be willing to throw away some of your previous investments because it makes sense to now pivot and do something different. And that’s not something that comes naturally because you’re used to building something that endures and driving the value out of it.

We’ve done some good, I mentioned the hackathons earlier, and we’ve done some good experimentation with those. One of the ideas that came out of our last hackathon was, we built an augmented reality tank sighting application, but the idea was to take that customer, say you were a new customer coming to Calor, to take that kind of customer onboarding journey and make it digital and transparent for the customer.

So, everything was online form-based, whereas before it was kind of written up in triplicate documents. We brought in a third party to work with us on the augmented reality side where you could visualise the tank in your garden, and you could walk around it and take pictures of it. But it was useful because it meant previously we put the tank over there [and asked the customer] ” is that okay?” Whereas they now have an evidence trail of what was promised what got delivered, and it was just much better.

See more stories here.

Shokz OpenFit Pro Open-Ear Earbuds reviewed

Our team were pleased to see the latest iteration from Shokz, as previous versions have worked well, and some are still being used  by members of the team. The noise reduction continues to evolve and work well. The size and colour are sleek and work pretty well with most users and ears too. Battery time is good, the manufacturers claim it is a solid 12 hours, which should keep most everyone for a day’s usage – afterall, you don’t need it in 247 do you?

The pricing is reasonable while edging towards the climate where you would want them to be delivering for the amount you have paid for them. Shokz earbuds have been good before, and the OpenFit Pro continue this progression as our testers enjoyed using them, including running, walking and cycling in them too. You will get longer battery life too if you disable noise reduction, so, as always, depending on the trade offs you are willing to tolerate you will get longer listening if you are stuck at the airport or on a long bus journey too.

More about Shokz OpenFit Pro

Premium open-ear listening meets immersive sound, all-day comfort and smarter connectivity
Whether you’re running through the park, commuting to work, taking calls between meetings or simply enjoying your favourite playlist at home, the new Shokz OpenFit Pro has been designed to deliver premium audio without disconnecting you from the world around you.

Combining Shokz’s renowned open-ear technology with an all-new premium design, OpenFit Pro offers exceptional sound quality, outstanding comfort and intelligent features that make it the ideal everyday earbud for work, fitness and life.

Unlike traditional in-ear headphones that completely seal the ear canal, the OpenFit Pro sits comfortably outside the ear, allowing users to stay aware of traffic, conversations and their surroundings while still enjoying rich, immersive audio.

Powered by the new Shokz SuperBoost acoustic system, OpenFit Pro delivers deeper bass, crisp highs and impressive detail, while Dolby Atmos optimisation with head tracking creates a more immersive listening experience for music, films and podcasts.

Designed for all-day wear, lightweight titanium ear hooks and Ultra-Soft Silicone 2.0 provide a secure, pressure-free fit that remains comfortable from morning workouts through to evening commutes. Whether you’re exercising, travelling or spending hours on video calls, the ergonomic design stays comfortably in place.

OpenFit Pro also introduces Shokz’s first Open-Ear Noise Reduction technology, helping to minimise surrounding noise while preserving the benefits of open-ear listening. Combined with AI-enhanced triple microphones that reduce background noise during calls, users can enjoy clearer conversations wherever they are.

Battery life has also been designed to keep pace with busy lifestyles. Users can enjoy up to 12 hours of listening from a single charge and up to 50 hours in total with the charging case, while a quick 10-minute charge delivers up to four hours of playback. Wireless charging support adds further everyday convenience.

Built for active lifestyles, OpenFit Pro features an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, Bluetooth® 6.1 connectivity, multipoint pairing for two devices simultaneously, physical multifunction buttons and smart wear detection that automatically plays and pauses audio as the earbuds are worn or removed.

As more consumers look for headphones that support both productivity and wellbeing, open-ear technology is becoming an increasingly popular choice. It allows runners and cyclists to remain aware of their surroundings, professionals to stay connected during the working day and everyday listeners to enjoy entertainment without feeling isolated. Recent expert reviews have praised OpenFit Pro for combining premium sound quality with exceptional comfort and versatility.

About Shokz

Shokz is at the forefront of open-ear audio, committed to blending cutting-edge acoustics with comfortable, safe design. With OpenDots ONE, Shokz expands its open-ear innovation into a lighter, more minimal form—perfect for those who want powerful sound, unparalleled awareness, and absolute comfort in one elegant package.

Available from Harvey Norman – 219 EURO

See more product reviews here.

New research from the Compliance Institute, the professional body for compliance professionals in Ireland, has revealed concern amongst compliance professionals about the role artificial intelligence is playing in scams targeting Irish consumers, with fraudsters increasingly using the technology to impersonate banks, family members and even well-known public figures.

The findings come from a survey of 125 compliance professionals working across Irish financial services organisations, who were asked to identify the top 3 scams, the highest risk channels and the business impacts they consider the biggest threat to Irish consumers this year.

AI-powered scams to watch out for

Top 3 Scams identified by the Compliance Institute Scams Survey include:

1. AI-enabled impersonation scams, including voice cloning, deepfake video, and fake identity use (e.g. pretending to be a bank, regulator, or family member) (70%);
2. Phishing and smishing (text message scams) impersonating trusted brands, delivery companies, banks or government bodies ranked second in the highest risk to consider (50%);
3. AI-generated social media and advertising scams, including fake celebrity endorsements and fraudulent influencer content, came third (45%)

Commenting on the findings, Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute,

“Scams have come a long way from the badly spelled emails or overseas Princes that many of us learned to spot years ago. Fraudsters are now using artificial intelligence to clone voices, generate convincing video and build entire fake identities in order to trick people into handing over their money or personal information.

What makes this wave of fraud so dangerous is how convincing it has become. A phone call that sounds exactly like your bank, or a video that appears to show a celebrity endorsing an investment, can be very difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Criminals don’t need to be technically sophisticated themselves anymore because AI tools can do the heavy lifting for them in that regard.”

The Compliance Institute findings echo wider trends emerging in Ireland. Recent research from the Central Bank of Ireland found that more than one in three adults in Ireland have experienced fraud, with almost two-thirds of those losing money as a result, while over a third of victims did not report the incident to any authority. Separately, telecoms provider Three Ireland has said recently that it blocked more than 26 million suspected scam calls and intercepted over 455,000 fraudulent text messages in 2025 alone, while a recent report from the Irish Internet Hotline identified more than 200 fake websites set up to target Irish consumers last year, with confirmed financial scams up 52% on the previous year.

The Impact

The Compliance Institute survey also examined how scams are affecting Irish financial organisations directly. While half (50%) of respondents said their organisation had not been impacted by a scam in the last year, the other half reported a range of impacts including:

• Almost a quarter (24%) reported an increase in regulatory reporting and compliance workload
• Over one in five (21%) said their organisation had incurred significant costs from fraud prevention and supporting affected customers
• One in five (20%) reported an increase in fraud-related complaints and case handling
• Almost one in five (18%) said their customers had lost money and/or had their data compromised

Mr Kavanagh continued,

“Though half of those we asked said they hadn’t been directly impacted by scams this year, the reality is that scams are now a live, day-to-day cost for almost every financial service organisation, whether that’s in direct financial terms, extra compliance workload, or the time and resources spent supporting customers who’ve been targeted.”

Consumer Exposed

Asked where they believe consumers are most commonly exposed to scams, compliance professionals identified the following as the top 3:

1. Social media adverts and pop-up promotions (65%)
2. Email phishing campaigns (64%)
3. SMS or messaging apps such as WhatsApp (64%)

Mr. Kavanagh, went on to say,

“Consumers are being targeted through the platforms they use every single day whether it’s their social media feed, their inbox, their phone. That’s why this isn’t just an issue for banks and regulators to solve. Everyone, from individuals, families, businesses, tech platforms, and regulators, has a role to play in staying alert and stopping these scams in their tracks.”

The Compliance Institute is the professional body for compliance professionals.   With over 3,850 members, it is the premier provider of education and professional development in compliance offering the largest suite of compliance programmes anywhere in the world.  The Licentiate of Compliance Institute (LCI) designation is seen as the benchmark qualification for compliance professionals working in the financial services industry. The Institute provides a balanced and authoritative voice on matters relating to regulatory compliance and business ethics in industry in Ireland.

Appendix

Which of the following scam types do you currently believe presents the highest risk to consumers in 2026? (Select top 3)

AI-enabled impersonation scams, including voice cloning, deepfake video, and fake identity use (e.g. pretending to be a bank, regulator, or family member)  70pc

Phishing and smishing attacks, impersonating trusted brands, delivery companies, banks, or government bodies 50pc

AI-generated social media and advertising scams, including fake celebrity endorsements and fraudulent influencer content   45pc

Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, including impersonation scams and invoice/redirection fraud   30pc

Crypto-asset investment scams, including fraudulent trading platforms and “get-rich-quick” schemes    20pc

Online rental and accommodation scams, including holiday lets and student/back-to-college housing fraud    15pc

How have scams impacted your organisation and customer base over the last year? (multi select)

Customers have lost money   18pc

Customers have had their data compromised    18pc

The business has incurred significant costs arising from fraud prevention and financial support to impacted customers    21pc

Company reputation has been damaged and customer trust eroded    7pc

Increase in regulatory reporting and compliance workload   24pc

Regulatory fine has been imposed  3pc

Business profits have been hit    1pc

Increase in volume of fraud-related complaints and case handling    20pc

None of the above as our business has not been impacted by a scam   50pc

Through which channels do you believe consumers are most commonly exposed to these scams? Please select all that apply.

• Social media adverts and/or “pop-up” promotions                                                  65pc
• Online retailers                                                                                                                   26pc
• Search engine advertising                                                                                                26pc
• Email phishing campaigns                                                                                               64pc
• SMS or messaging apps                                                                                                   64pc
• Dating websites                                                                                                                  12pc
• Online marketplaces or rental platforms                                                                     27pc
• Influencer or video content platforms                                                                          23pc

See more breaking stories here.

The space race of the 20th century between the United States and the Soviet Union had some finite goals: reach space, launch satellites, plant flag on the moon, boost security, surveillance, have a space station, and so forth. There was already knowledge that it was not a race to the nearest star or a manned flight to some distant planet within the solar system. So, even though some wins seemed exponential, it was not beyond what the other team could attempt.

Open-weight: will China undercut U.S. AI  Safety?

The AI race between the United States and China is infinite. There is no boundary to possibilities with intelligence. So, if the goal is to keep improving intelligence, eventually, it will be possible to make extreme strides beyond what the competition can match.

The United States appears way ahead of China in the AI race. But it looks like what seems to be naive corporate businesses with venture capital, research publications, academic adjacent ethics, and so forth, could become a global leadership crisis, if there is no classified national strategy to win the AI race.

Even as OpenAI and Anthropic have formidable models, it does not seem like the United States has a clear, un-tailed path to staying ahead of China, beyond export controls for GPUs, and maybe sanctions.

This is clearly not enough against China that has shown that near-latest GPUs can still be potent and then native talents in math and computer science can devolve into complexities and sweep benchmarks.

There are lots of criticisms that power should not be concentrated within a few companies. This is even the smaller problem. The bigger problem is that the approach [optimization algorithms] of Anthropic to improving AI model capabilities are the same with OpenAI, Meta, DeepMind and the rest.

They are all expanding through existing architectures, squeezing more out of parameters, tokens and compute, forgetting that they have to detour at basic research to take off in a way that would take China another decade or more to close in.

This means that the National Laboratories of the United States, should pursue fundamental research that would even exceed those of the U.S. AI industry, since their goal is to chase enterprise token revenues.

So, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Savannah River National Laboratory and others can look into fundamental science, in a way to have models from the U.S. pursue and achieve artificial general intelligence [AGI], with superintelligence capabilities and ability to make a lot of difference on any objective.

Michael Kratsios, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; Chris Wright, the Secretary for the US Department of Energy; and Emil Michael, the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering, at the Department of War, should not just be looking at regulation or other concerns, but how to build what would win, from as soon as August 5, 2026.

This indicates that what AI model would match the human brain first in general intelligence, to become as creative and be able to do encompassing problem-solving?

So, conceptual brain science is the focus, what postulates are possible to kick off a new basis for architectures that would surpass large language models [LLMs] and reach multiple types broad AGI? This is not just about saying that video models would be used as training data to achieve AGI. The aim is that even if the data type is changed the form which data is stored is still the same.

This says that digital memory is stored the same way, so even if spatial intelligence or world models are sought, they might not leap as much, since the memory is not stored as human memory.

Humans have generalized memory hence generalized intelligence. AI uses digital memory with bytes representation the same way that had always been. So, memory is an angle to pursue AGI, just like several other paths that can be extricated from the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

The United States can win but must avoid sprinting with China where China is strong [math and coding]. Conceptual Brain Science is a promising direction, which must be thoroughly exhausted.

There is a recent [July 28, 2026] report on the AP, Workplaces look for cheaper AI as ‘tokenmaxxing’ fades as a corporate fad, stating that, “A corporate fad of “tokenmaxxing” on artificial intelligence technology is hitting its limits as workplaces throwing AI at everything are seeing the costs rise without a similar spike in productivity.”

“What started as tech industry-fueled springtime hype over squeezing as much AI-generated work as possible out of products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude has shifted to a summertime backlash.”

““Tokenmaxxing” refers to maximizing usage of tokens — the building blocks of generative AI that correspond to small pieces of text that an AI system reads or writes. Each token is about three quarters of a word. And there’s typically a limit to how many you can use, with pricier versions of AI products offering higher caps.”

“At the same time, those who favor racking up as many tokens as possible are having a field day with new open-source models from Chinese startups like Moonshot’s Kimi or Zhipu’s GLM, which nearly match the capabilities of top U.S. models at a fraction of the price.”

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

A new pilot programme designed to equip graduates with practical artificial intelligence skills has been launched by the Tech Industry Alliance and the RDI Hub, bringing together graduates, employers and industry in a collaboration aimed at preparing the South West’s future workforce for an increasingly AI driven workplace.

Graduate AI Launchpad Pilot

Graduate AI Launchpad welcomed its inaugural cohort this week at the RDI Hub in Killorglin. Developed jointly by the Tech Industry Alliance and the RDI Hub, the four week pilot programme gives graduates the opportunity to work on real industry challenges, learn from experienced professionals and build the confidence to apply AI in practical workplace settings.

The inaugural cohort includes graduates nominated by Astellas, Aspengrove, Fexco, Stingray Labs, TLI Group, ViClarity and MTU. Representing disciplines including engineering, quantity surveying, business, psychology and technology, the programme reflects the growing importance of AI skills across every profession rather than within the technology sector alone.

Over the coming four weeks, participants will work alongside industry mentors, collaborate on practical projects and hear from experienced speakers before presenting their work at a showcase event at the conclusion of the programme. Rather than focusing on theory, Graduate AI Launchpad is built around practical learning, giving participants the opportunity to develop skills they can immediately apply as they begin their careers.

Juliette Crowley, Chief Operating Officer of the Tech Industry Alliance, said:
“One of the Tech Industry Alliance’s core objectives is to strengthen the technology ecosystem across Cork and Kerry by creating meaningful collaboration between industry, education and the wider community. Graduate AI Launchpad is a wonderful example of that in action. By working alongside the RDI Hub and employers from across the South West, we are creating opportunities that help graduates develop practical AI skills while giving businesses the talent they will need for the future. We hope this pilot will become the foundation for a programme that will support many more graduates across Cork and Kerry in the years ahead.”

Fergal Brosnan, CEO, RDI Hub said:
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping every sector of the economy, creating opportunities for regions that are prepared to embrace change. Building AI capability is therefore not just a business priority, but a regional one. Graduate AI Launchpad demonstrates the power of collaboration between industry, education and innovation organisations to develop the talent needed for the future. We are delighted to partner with the Tech Industry Alliance on an initiative that will help strengthen the South West’s competitiveness and support sustainable economic growth for years to come.”

Maeve Lyons, Programme Manager, RDI Hub said:
“AI is one of the RDI Hub’s key focus areas, and for years we have been helping organizations understand, adopt and apply AI to solve real business challenges. Graduate AI Launchpad is a natural extension of that work, giving graduates the opportunity to learn directly from industry, work on practical projects and build confidence using AI in real-world settings. We are delighted to partner with the Tech Industry Alliance on a programme that combines industry expertise with hands-on experience, helping participants develop skills they can apply from day one in their careers.”

Among the participants are Fiachra Ennis, a graduate of University College Cork with qualifications in Work Psychology and Business Information Systems, nominated by Aspengrove; Rachel Reynolds, a recent Quantity Surveying graduate nominated by TLI Group; and Caren Karamagi, an MTU Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering student nominated by Astellas. Their diverse academic and professional backgrounds demonstrate that AI is becoming an important skill across every sector of the economy.

Graduate AI Launchpad is being delivered as a pilot programme during 2026. Feedback from participants, employers and mentors will help shape its future development, with the ambition of expanding the programme across Cork and Kerry in 2027.

See more breaking stories here.

EU energy-labelling requirements

Missing energy labels and product information were among the principal issues identified, limiting consumers’ ability to compare products’ energy performance before purchasing.

SEAI inspected more than 25,000 products across 110 retail stores, recording an overall in-store non-compliance rate of 16%, compared with 13% in 2024.  Tumble dryers recorded the lowest compliance rate, with almost half of the products examined failing to meet the relevant requirements. The overall result was significantly affected by changes to tumble-dryer energy-labelling requirements that came into effect on 1 July 2025.

The MSA also reviewed 55 websites directed at consumers in Ireland, assessing the availability and presentation of required energy-labelling information. Of these, one in five were classified as having good levels of compliance, down from just over one in four the previous year. The result was influenced by the inclusion of solid-fuel local space heaters, a category not previously examined in detail and which recorded low compliance.

Separately, one in three of the 42 retail promotional materials reviewed met energy-labelling requirements.

Tim Stokes, Market Surveillance Authority Programme Manager at SEAI, said: “Energy labels help consumers compare the potential running costs and energy performance of different product models. When labels are missing or incorrect, it can make it more difficult for consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.”

“While compliance was strong in several major categories, we need to see a big improvement in the results for tumble dryers, online retail and advertising.  SEAI will carry out further inspections in 2026 to assess whether the problems identified have been corrected and will engage with the businesses concerned where issues remain. We continue to support retailers and other stakeholders through guidance, training and ongoing engagement to help ensure consumers have access to clear, reliable energy-performance information when making purchasing decisions.”

A range of resources, including retailer guidance documents, regulatory updates and training materials, is available on the SEAI website, MSA web section for Retailers.

Retailers seeking further information can contact the MSA at MSA@seai.ie.

MSA energy labelling gives customers clear, independently regulated information on a product’s energy efficiency, consumption and performance, helping them compare options and make more informed, cost-effective purchases.

About SEAI

SEAI is the expert authority on decarbonising Ireland’s energy system, using robust, objective data and an evidence-based approach to help inform policy development and energy user behaviours. SEAI empowers households, businesses, motorists and the public sector to move away from fossil fuels with practical advice and financial supports. We encourage positive changes in how Ireland uses energy to deliver a more prosperous, energy efficient and cleaner environment.

SEAI is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

SEAI is the Market Surveillance Authority for the energy labelling and Ecodesign of energy-related products, and for the tyre-labelling regime, in Ireland. SEAI carries out inspections across the country each year to monitor compliance with EU energy-labelling regulations and address non-compliance. Its inspections cover products displayed in stores and online, as well as advertising and promotional materials.

The websites inspected were directed at consumers in Ireland. However, this does not necessarily mean that every website operator was established in Ireland. The MSA’s enforcement powers may differ depending on whether the retailer is based in Ireland, elsewhere in the EU or outside the EU.

From 1 January 2027, household tumble dryers will be required to display updated energy labels that include a repairability-class pictogram. The new A-to-E rating will indicate how easily a product can be repaired during its lifetime, based on factors including the availability of spare parts, ease of disassembly and access to repair information. The measure is intended to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions, extend product lifespans and support wider environmental and EU climate objectives

See more breaking stories here.

Drawing on a survey of 48 CISOs from global firms, the report reveals the extent to which attackers are weaponising AI to undermine defenders during live engagements, regularly target confidential market information and compromise financial institutions’ infrastructure – turning it against its customers.

Cyber attack trends to watch out for

Survey callouts include (all stats year-on-year):

67% of CISOs say their firm experienced counter incident response (where attackers actively work to undermine defenders during live engagements)
55% of CISOs report increased API-based attacks
37% of CISOs confirm being targeted by Island-hopping (where adversaries compromise an institution’s infrastructure to pivot against its customers)

The report also features contemporary analysis from Trend’s Forward Threat Research team:

The five Remote Access Trojans (RATs) that pose the greatest threat to financial institutions

A warning on the rise of Steganography to target financial institutions
An apt security architecture response to the new normal: attackers chaining together specialised AI agents under a central orchestrator to run end-to-end campaigns — phishing, fraud, exploitation – at machine speed

TrendAI research reveals cybercriminals are using

AI to outpace financial institutions

Nearly nine in ten organisations report a surge in AI-enabled attacks as cybercrime cartels industrialise operations

Financial institutions are facing an unprecedented wave of AI-powered cyberattacks as cybercrime groups increasingly automate fraud, ransomware and intrusion campaigns, according to new research from TrendAI.

The Modern Bank Heists in 2026?report, based on a survey of 48 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from financial institutions worldwide, reveals that attackers are no longer simply stealing data. Instead, they are actively disrupting defenders during live incidents, using artificial intelligence to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of attacks.

Among the report’s key findings:

89% of organisations reported a year-on-year increase in AI-enabled attacks.
67% experienced “counter incident response”, where attackers actively interfered with security teams during live investigations.
41%?suffered destructive cyberattacks over the past year.
55%?reported an increase in API-based attacks.
46%?experienced attempts to steal non-public market intelligence or investment strategies.
More than half (54%) saw no increase in cybersecurity budgets despite the worsening threat landscape.

The report also highlights how cybercrime groups are rapidly adopting agentic AI to automate phishing, fraud and exploitation at machine speed. Rather than relying on individual operators, attackers are increasingly orchestrating specialised AI agents capable of running multiple stages of an attack simultaneously.

TrendAI researchers also identified growing use of advanced techniques including steganography, where malicious commands are hidden inside seemingly harmless images, allowing malware to evade traditional security controls. At the same time, commercially available Remote Access Trojans (RATs) continue to evolve, offering cybercriminals sophisticated capabilities once reserved for nation-state actors.
The report concludes that financial institutions must shift from reactive cybersecurity to proactive intrusion suppression by combining AI-powered detection, threat intelligence, virtual patching, managed detection and response, and executive-level security leadership.

“Cybercrime has entered its industrial age. Criminal organisations are chaining together AI agents that can conduct reconnaissance, launch phishing campaigns, evade detection and exploit vulnerabilities with minimal human intervention. Financial institutions are no longer facing isolated attacks, they are confronting highly automated adversaries operating at machine speed.” – Bharat Mistry, Field CTO at TrendAI

Additional recommendations from TrendAI

To counter increasingly autonomous attacks, TrendAI recommends financial institutions:
Adopt an intrusion suppression strategy that combines virtual patching, proactive threat hunting and managed detection and response.
Build AI-enabled security operations capable of responding at machine speed.
Strengthen protection against prompt injection, deepfake-enabled fraud and business email compromise.

Elevate CISOs to independent executive leadership with direct responsibility for organisational cyber resilience

About the research

TrendAI surveyed 48 CISOs from financial institutions in June 2026 to better understand how AI, organised cybercrime and evolving attacker techniques are reshaping the threat landscape for the financial sector. Findings are published in the Modern Bank Heists in 2026?report.

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What is the theory behind the necessity to map the brain, in connectomics research, as a solution to the unknowns about the brain?

Simply, what makes it necessary to continue to map the whole brain to understand how the brain works, if as much as is known about the brain [already] has yet to be explained in any encompassing theory, by those involved?

The Future of Brain Science?

What neuroscience needs now, for psychiatry, neurology and human intelligence is a central theory of how the brain mechanizes functions.

Just an explanation, based on evidence, not about prediction for now or anything else. Just use established evidence to explain functions, mental disorders, neurological disorders and human intelligence.

Connectomics, the research to map the entire human brain, is at least 30 years away on a fair estimate but close to 100 years or more, on an extreme estimate.

While it is true that new useful information will emerge from clarity about paths, distances and more across the brain, there is nothing that says that there should not be a mature theory at present, of how the brain works to explain disorders, or prospect what may be important in mapping of the brain.

It does not matter if connectomics research is funded in the academe or in the industry, there is no theory, from them, of how the brain works to make certain determinations. Just a theory, a sweeping explanation that exceeds, labels and descriptions to use what is already obtainable to tell a new direction to go.

There is a recent [July 24, 2026] report in The Transmitter, Neuroscientists weigh in on White House proposal for ‘moonshot infrastructure’ for connectomics, stating that, “A White House report on U.S. scientific priorities released this week recommends a “moonshot infrastructure” to map connections in mammalian brains.”

“The initiative would seed collaborations between industry and academia to increase the translational benefit from connectome research, “much as the Human Genome Project commoditized genetic sequencing,” according to the report, titled “Science: A New Golden Age,” published 21 July by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. “For medicine, these circuit diagrams would offer a way to map the circuitry implicated in depression, addiction, and autism.””

“The report’s author, Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, told members of Congress in a hearing earlier this week that the guidelines in the 72-page report “ensure that taxpayer-supported science produces the largest returns possible for the benefit of all Americans.””

“The report’s section on budget recommendations for the fiscal year 2028 outlines several core research missions, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, fusion energy, space, robotics and semiconductors.”

“The report says that startups and not just universities are performing basic research, giving early-career scientists a new path.”

Conceptual Brain Science

What exactly is depression in the brain? This question means that what components are closest to the function of depression, what do they do in the episode, differently from when there isn’t a depression?

What exactly is an emotion in the brain? This means that if an emotion is identified as a function, there should be a difference between an emotion and a feeling or an emotion and a memory, what is that difference?

What is an addiction in the brain? Like how does addiction work? This means that if someone with a substance use disorder were to be told what is happening in the mind, what are the components in the events and what are their mechanisms?

This is where neuroscience is, today, for psychiatry, at least. It is also connected with functional aberrations from structural anomalies in neurological disorders. In a neurodegenerative disease, when there is lack of motor control or steadiness, what went wrong, conceptually? If there is a lack of self in a situation, what got blocked? Was it just in one part or in every part?

What is the postulation of how subjectivity arises in the brain? The same for intent or free will, the same for attention and so on. Just how should these be explained, given how much neuroscience has come in the last century.

The first option is neurons, established across the central nervous system to be responsible for functions. But neurons never work without their electrical and chemical signals. Also, whatever the connection, network, or whatever is said about the brain, electrical and chemical signals are at work.

So, for over a century there has not been an overall theory of how the brain works, by neurons, in spite of the number of academic and industry experts on it: psychology, psychiatry, cognitive science, neurology, neurosurgery, and others.

This indicates that while it is possible to keep waiting to develop an explanation of how the brain works by neurons, it is possible to move on to electrical and chemical signals, to explain functions, disorders, as well as features of functions, like attention, subjectivity and intent.

This would be a great leap forward in the direction of progress, just to explain first, while other efforts follow, towards exploring areas that are yet to be understood.

This is what should be focused on, not just seeking connectomics that has had several investments, experiments, and so forth, but has been unable to make much difference in basic understanding of brain disorders.

The postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology, extends around electrochemical psychiatry, as well as electrochemical neurology and electrochemical intelligence.

The objective is to at least have the signals as components in the brain, then present some mechanisms and have those take leads in how the brain is understood towards better care.

The human mind is defined as the collection of all the electrical and chemical signals with their interaction and features, in sets — in clusters of neurons — across the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Simply, for functions to occur, electrical and chemical signals, in sets, have to interact. However, attributes for those interactions are obtained by the states of electrical and chemical signals at the time of the interactions.

This is the direction for to win the future of brain science at least going ahead from August, 2026, not connectomics.

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

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Building on five years of successful collaboration across North America, the expanded relationship will broaden UK and Irish reseller access to N-able’s established security portfolio at a pivotal time for the market, as organisations face heightened cyber risk and growing pressure to improve preparedness, keep critical services running, and recover quickly from disruption.

“Organisations today face relentless cyberthreats, rising regulatory scrutiny, and increasing pressure to maintain operations,” said Jon Bartholomew, Vice President, Global Channel Sales at N-able. “As the UK’s regulatory landscape evolves, businesses need practical ways to help customers stay ahead of risk and respond with confidence when incidents occur. Together with Climb, we’re making it easier for UK and Irish resellers to access the solutions, expertise, and support they need to protect customers, minimise downtime, and restore operations faster.”

The N-able platform helps protect businesses throughout the full security lifecycle, delivering true business resilience before, during, and after an attack. As organisations face higher expectations from customers, insurers, and regulators, UK resellers will gain access through Climb to N-able’s portfolio of cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management technologies, alongside enablement, training, and go-to-market support designed to accelerate growth and profitability.

“Following strong momentum with N-able in North America, we’re excited to extend that success to the UK and Irish markets,” said Gerard Brophy, Chief Revenue Officer at Climb. “N-able’s business resilience vision, combined with its channel-first approach and comprehensive portfolio, creates a compelling opportunity for our reseller community to grow revenue while helping customers navigate today’s more demanding security and compliance landscape. N-able’s platform and partner-first approach make it an ideal addition to our portfolio, enabling partners to deliver greater customer value while accelerating long-term growth.”

Reseller partners will also benefit from N-able’s investment in enablement resources, dedicated channel expertise, partner incentives, and business development programs designed to support profitable growth and long-term success.

For more information about the N-able Partner Program, visit N-able Partner Program.

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To support rapid business growth, Yuno Group – which includes Yuno Energy, PrepayPower, Yuno Energy Heat, and Firmus Energy – wanted to migrate its data from an on-site disaster recovery (DR) solution to a Tier 3 data centre. Servecentric implemented a co-location DR solution which is securely hosted at Servecentric’s Irish-based data centre.

The solution supports enhanced site and data security, boosted capacity, and improved resiliency for Yuno Group. Servecentric’s platform is flexible and scalable in line with changing business needs and is supporting continued expansion for the company.

In addition, Servecentric provides a round-the-clock support service to the company’s employees based in Dublin and Belfast should any issues arise, which ensures maximum uptime for the group.

Michael Gallagher, Head of IT Operations, Yuno Group: “Servecentric provides a reliable hosting solution which enhances resilience and supports our operations as we continue to expand. They also provide excellent support and responsiveness, which are very important to us.”

Brian Roe, CEO, Servecentric: “This solution enables Yuno Group, a quickly scaling business, to continue to grow and innovate with complete flexibility into the future. Reliable technology has never been more crucial in our increasinglydigital world, and our solution will support the smooth day-to-day running of the business. We also deliver speedy resolution in the event of an incident to reduce downtime and interruptions and allow the Yuno Group team to focus on core business tasks.”

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Through this renewed agreement, Ryanair will continue to leverage AWS’s cloud computing and AI technologies, including Amazon Quick, Amazon Bedrock, and Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, across its business, from powering Europe’s largest airline website and optimising schedules across its fleet of 647 aircraft and 3,900 daily flights, to enhancing operational efficiency through advanced AI tools, digitalising pilot workflows, and supporting employees with innovative apps that improve productivity, communication, and access to real-time information. Ryanair and AWS will build on this momentum and continue to raise the digital innovation bar in aviation using advanced technologies such as agentic AI.

Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said:

“In addition to our unrivalled low fares, operational performance, and network, Ryanair also leads the air travel industry in digital transformation. AWS has been a key partner in helping us deliver a seamless experience for our customers from booking to boarding, while supporting the efficiency that underpins Ryanair’s low-cost model.

“As we continue to grow to 300m passengers by 2034, having the right technology partners is critical. With that, we’re pleased to renew our long-standing agreement with AWS for another 5 years and look forward to working together to deliver further innovation, enhanced customer experience, and even greater efficiency across the Ryanair Group.”

Tanuja Randery, Vice President and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at AWS, said:

“At AWS, we’re proud to deepen our long-standing relationship with Ryanair, and support them as they reimagine the future of aviation. The industry is at a pivotal moment where cloud technology, AI, and data analytics are revolutionising both operational efficiency and customer experiences. Whether it’s using conversational AI to help passengers search for their next holiday, giving employees an AI assistant that provides actionable insights, or putting real-time information at the fingertips of pilots and crew, Ryanair is accelerating innovation across its business and for the millions of passengers that fly with the airline every week. We’re excited about what’s next.”

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The new portfolio brings together three complementary services under the threat intelligence umbrella, available individually or collectively:

• Managed threat investigation and reporting: Providing threat intelligence as a service to help organisations remain aware of relevant cyber threats affecting their business and inform strategic and operational cyber decision making.
• Managed digital risk and brand protection: Helping organisations detect and respond to external risks including brand impersonation, leaked corporate data, exposed infrastructure and threats targeting senior executives.
• Fraud detection and investigation: Delivering bespoke investigations to identify, analyse and respond to fraud activity linked to cybercrime.

Together, the services help organisations monitor the external threat landscape, uncover criminal activity targeting their business and respond to risks including brand impersonation, leaked credentials, exposed data, executive targeting and cyber-enabled fraud.

Brian Martin, Director of Product Management at Integrity360, notes that most organisations have invested heavily in protecting what’s inside their network, but many still have limited visibility of the threats developing outside it.

“Cyber criminals leave digital footprints long before an attack succeeds. By combining threat intelligence with specialist investigations and digital risk monitoring, we’re helping organisations spot those warning signs earlier, understand what they mean and act before they become business incidents,” he says.

Unlike traditional threat intelligence feeds that can overwhelm security teams with technical data, Integrity360’s managed service is designed to provide customers with context and expert analysis. The service delivers strategic and operational intelligence, supports targeted investigations into specific threats and gives organisations direct access to threat intelligence specialists when emerging risks require deeper analysis.

Threat intelligence has become an increasingly important part of modern cyber security as organisations seek evidence-based insight to improve security decision making, prioritise risk and respond more effectively to an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Integrity360 works with customers through an engagement process that includes executive briefings, threat exposure workshops, targeted intelligence assessments and tailored recommendations to strengthen their cyber resilience.

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This is according to research amongst 250 Irish businesses by leading Irish insurance broker, Gallagher and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The research provides a unique insight into the impact of cybercrime on Irish companies, and just how common cyber-attacks on Irish firms are.

Asked about the impact of cybercrime incidents on their organisation over the last year:

• Three in ten (30%) Irish businesses said they had incurred legal costs
• Almost three in ten (29%) lost revenue
• More than one in five (22%) of those who experienced a cyber-attack were fined by a regulator
• A third (32%) said they were unable to service customers in the downtime that arose following a cyber incident.

Commenting on the research, Michael Cunningham, Head of Financial Lines at Gallagher said: “The frequency, severity and intensity of cyber-attacks has increased in recent years and our research reflects that – with two-thirds of Irish businesses experiencing at least one attack in the last year. The huge repercussions that these can have on businesses should not be underestimated. Businesses can face substantial hits to their profit, or even bankruptcy, after a breach.

“Legal costs that arise from a cyber-attack can put a huge financial strain on businesses, as can reputational damage. As well as leading to a loss of trust and confidence in the company amongst customers, investors and partners, reputational damage can lead to negative media attention. Revenue can be lost when customers cancel contracts, reduce spending, or switch to alternative suppliers after a cyber-attack. It can take a company years to rebuild trust – and revenue – after an incident.”

Misplaced confidence?

Despite the significant number of Irish businesses that have experienced a cyber-attack, most (95%) are confident that they could detect and contain a cyber breach, even if the intruder remains hidden for some time, with more than half (55%) of Irish businesses saying they are “very confident” of this.

Growing threat of litigation

According to the Gallagher research, Irish businesses are keenly aware that they could face litigation following a cyber-attack:

• Seven in ten (70%) Irish businesses expect a serious cybercrime incident to lead to legal or shareholder/investor action for their company, with three in ten (30%) believing this prospect to be “very likely”.
• The vast majority (84%) of businesses are aware that company directors could face personal liability or legal actions in the event of a cyber breach.

Mr Cunningham added: “Shareholder litigation costs are emerging as one of the costliest consequence of cyber-attacks for businesses. This is something which Irish businesses need to be increasingly mindful of and to prepare for.

“As the high-profile attacks on high street retailers last year show, the legal, financial and reputational fallout from cyber-attacks can drag on for months, even years. In the US, breaches have gone even further, triggering costly shareholder lawsuits focused entirely onboard oversight and disclosure.”

Taking action

The Gallagher research also shows that Irish businesses have taken steps to combat cybercrime, with more than seven in ten (72%) Irish businesses having a standalone cyber-insurance policy in place. However, with costs emerging from cyber-attacks, evolving businesses need to be aware of what these policies do and don’t cover.

According to the Gallagher survey, the main costs covered by the cyber insurance policies held by Irish businesses are:

• Business interruption costs, with 56% of firms saying these costs are covered by their cyber insurance policy
• Third-party legal costs (50% of firms said these costs are covered by their cyber insurance),
• Data recovery and forensic payments (46%)
• Ransomware payments (42%).

Mr Cunningham concluded: “While it’s encouraging to see businesses investing in cyber insurance, directors need to understand this does not cover every single aspect of a cyber-attack. Cyber insurance covers the operational fallout, system damage, and liability caused by a digital attack. Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance will usually be needed to cover costs relating to directors not adequately protecting the business and being held liable by shareholders, whilst commercial crime insurance reimburses firms for direct financial losses resulting from theft and fraud. Firms should engage the support of a specialist insurance broker who can advise them how to protect against the fallout from cyber issues such as those we see today.

“It is important for firms to remember security measures should also go beyond just financial protection. Many businesses are still vulnerable due to gaps in employee training, system monitoring, and access controls. For Irish businesses to be able to withstand and recover from cyberattacks, putting all the necessary guardrails in place ahead of time is paramount”.

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SOWISE

SOWISE+ “Solid Organic Waste Into Sustainable End-products” aims to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind multipurpose biorefinery for the valorisation of urban biowaste and post-consumer absorbent hygiene products into advanced bio-based materials and products.

Kick-off meeting overview

The kick-off meeting brought together the SOWISE+ consortium to align on the project’s shared vision, technical approach, work plan and first implementation steps. During the two days, partners discussed the project’s scientific, technical, industrial and societal dimensions, setting the foundations for the five-year collaboration.

Throughout the meeting, the consortium:

• Presented the SOWISE+ concept, value chains and expected contribution to circular bio-based innovation.
• Discussed the technical pathway for the development, start-up and operation of the SOWISE+ flagship plant.
• Visited the Contarina plant in Trevignano and the i-Foria plant in Spresiano, strengthening partners’ understanding of the project’s industrial and operational context.
• Reviewed the project’s Work Packages, covering permits and engineering, flagship plant realisation, bio-based polymers (PHBV) and cellulose-based material production, product validation, sustainability assessment, stakeholder engagement, communication, exploitation, replication and project management.
• Defined the first implementation phase and next steps for the months ahead.

The agenda also included an inspiring intervention by the CBE JU Project Officer, Ms Paola Paiano, as well as dedicated sessions for partner presentations, technical concept discussions and financing overview.

SOWISE+ objectives

SOWISE+ will demonstrate how urban waste streams can be transformed into sustainable end-products through a flagship biorefinery model. The project will:

• Scale up the production of bio-vased polymers (PHBV) from urban biowaste to industrially relevant level.
• Integrate the valorisation of cellulose recovered from post-consumer absorbent hygiene products.
• Develop and validate advanced bio-based materials and products using bio-based polymers (PHBV), cellulose and related formulations.
• Assess safety, sustainability and circularity through the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Safe and Sustainable by Design frameworks.
• Engage stakeholders, citizens, waste operators, industry representatives and policy actors to support social acceptance and long-term uptake.
• Evaluate the replication potential of the SOWISE+ model in other European regions.

By combining waste management, biotechnology, material science, industrial demonstration and stakeholder engagement, SOWISE+ aims to create a lighthouse example for integrated urban-industrial symbiosis across Europe.

“SOWISE+ brings together the expertise needed to turn urban waste into sustainable bio-based materials at industrially relevant scale,” said Marco Mattielo, project manager at Contarina and coordinator of SOWISE+. “By integrating innovative technologies with real waste management systems, the project will support a new model of circular urban-industrial symbiosis for Europe.”

Next steps

In the coming months, SOWISE+ partners will focus on the first implementation phase, including permitting, engineering and design activities for the flagship plant, the development of the project’s communication and dissemination strategy, stakeholder mapping, sustainability scoping, and the preparation of the technical work required for future scale-up and validation activities.

The project will also begin building its stakeholder community, creating synergies with relevant European initiatives and preparing the foundations for exploitation and replication.

Project consortium

Coordinator: Contarina SpA

Partners:
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia; Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia; SiPHA Società a Responsabilità Limitata; i-Foria Italia SRL; Paques Biomaterials BV; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology; ena Development Consultants; Novamont SpA; SPRING – Sustainable Processes and Resources for Innovation and National Growth; AquaInSilico LDA; Soprema; CSI – Soprema; SMC Group SRL; Združenie obcí Holeška na triedenie a nakladanie s odpadmi; Empresa Municipal de la Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico SA; Ponikve Eko Otok Krk d.o.o.; Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management; Bionanopharma Sociedad Limitada; Normec OWS; Biotrend – Inovação e Engenharia em Biotecnologia SA; Pezy Group; Renewi; Sabio; Ecorys.

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Applications have officially opened for the second cohort of the InsTech.ie Foundry following the success of its inaugural programme, which has already helped participating start-ups secure international recognition, commercial partnerships, customer validation and significant business growth.

Delivered by InsTech.ie in partnership with Furthr, the Foundry was established to position Ireland as a leading testbed for insurance innovation by supporting ambitious founders developing technologies capable of transforming the insurance industry. Through a structured programme combining expert mentoring, industry engagement and practical commercial support, the initiative connects entrepreneurs directly with leading insurers and industry organisations including Allianz, Aviva, AXA, FBD, Irish Life and Canada Life, alongside brokers, investors and experienced founders.

The first Foundry cohort attracted more than 30 applications, with ten companies selected to participate. The cohort forms part of a rapidly growing Irish insurtech ecosystem, with InsTech.ie now tracking more than 120 Irish insurtech companies and bringing together 23 insurance industry members. By connecting founders directly with established insurers, the Foundry is helping bridge Ireland’s technology and insurance sectors and create new pathways for collaboration and commercial growth.

Among the programme’s success stories is Solvera Underwriting, founded by former AXA XL Country Head David Gallagher and former Hiscox Europe Chief Underwriting Officer Stuart Middleton. Solvera has developed an innovative parametric insurance product providing a “sunshine guarantee” for solar installations, helping remove uncertainty around renewable energy investment. The company has already received positive feedback from installers across Ireland and the UK and is now preparing to commercialise the product more widely.

Another standout participant, ITUS Secure Technologies, has continued its rapid growth following the programme. The company was recently selected as one of just 20 companies worldwide to present at Lloyd’s Lab Accelerator Pitch Day after being chosen from a record 220 international applicants. The company is now participating in the current Lloyd’s Lab Accelerator programme, providing significant international exposure and direct access to global insurance leaders and potential partners.

The inaugural cohort also included Finerty, Halo, Protostars AI, Suredocs, Amethyst Care, BlueDot, ICE ID and Regzact, with founders tackling challenges ranging from pension automation and cyber resilience to AI-powered eldercare, ESG reporting, claims management and regulatory compliance.

The Foundry programme combines eight in-person sessions with six intensive learning modules delivered between September and April. Founders receive practical support covering opportunity validation, value proposition development, product design, business modelling, financing, commercialisation and investment readiness before presenting to insurers, investors and industry leaders at the Foundry Showcase Day.

Gary Leyden, CEO of InsTech.ie, said, “The success of our first Foundry cohort has demonstrated both the strength of insurance innovation emerging in Ireland and the value of bringing founders together with the people who can help accelerate their businesses. We’ve seen founders validate products, build commercial relationships and gain exposure to industry decision-makers in a relatively short period. As applications open for Cohort 2, we’re looking for ambitious founders who want to solve real challenges facing the insurance sector and scale their businesses with the support of Ireland’s insurance ecosystem.”

Dr Clare Ryan, Founder and CEO, ITUS Secure Technologies said, “The Foundry gave us access to experienced mentors and direct engagement with insurers and industry experts who understood both the challenges and opportunities facing our business. The programme helped us refine our proposition, expand our network and accelerate our commercial journey. The relationships we built through the programme have continued beyond the cohort and have supported the next stage of our growth.”

Applications for Cohort 2 are now open to founders developing products, services and technologies capable of improving every stage of the insurance value chain. The programme is designed to support both first-time founders and experienced entrepreneurs through direct access to industry mentors, insurers, investors and the wider InsTech.ie community.

Applications will close on August 5th, with founder interviews taking place during August ahead of the programme commencing in September. The second cohort will once again be delivered in partnership with Furthr and hosted at the FINEOS offices in Dublin.

Building on the momentum of its inaugural programme, InsTech.ie is now inviting applications from the next generation of founders developing innovative solutions for the insurance industry.

Founders interested in applying for the InsTech.ie Foundry Cohort 2 programme can submit their applications via the InsTech.ie website.

A podcast with Gary Leyden, CEO of InsTech.ie will be published next week.

About InsTech.ie

InsTech.ie is backed by a powerful coalition of founding members including AA, Allianz, Aviva, Axa, FBD, Irish Life, VHI, Laya, William Fry, KPMG, RSA/123.ie, CNP Santander, Greenlight Re, Greenval, and Ayvens. InsTech.ie connects startups, insurers, investors, and policymakers to create a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates growth, supports emerging technologies, and drives international partnerships.

Led by CEO Gary Leyden, InsTech.ie supports incumbent insurers on their transformation journeys while helping Irish insurtechs scale globally. Key initiatives include the Irish Insurtech Map and the Foundry pre-accelerator programme. Its mission is to foster innovation, unlock scale-up potential, and position Irish insurtech as a world-leading cluster of digital insurance excellence.

For more information, visit www.InsTech.ie

A podcast with Gary Leyden was published yesterday and can be heard here.

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Why Modern Apps Run So Fast

The main reason apps feel so slick nowadays is that developers stopped building heavy, bloated software. Everything is optimized to talk directly to your phone’s processor. That means when you tap a button, the screen reacts instantly without any awkward delay.

You really notice this speed when you check out modern gaming platforms. They have to process live odds, high-definition video feeds, and user taps all at the exact same time. For anyone who wants to see how fast responsive web software has gotten, taking a look at a top-tier online casino Ireland is a great example. The site loads up your dashboard in a fraction of a second, adjusts perfectly to whatever screen size you have, and streams live tables without lag or stuttering.

No More Downloading Huge Files

Modern web technologies have almost entirely eliminated the need for large file downloads or frequent app updates in order to simply access an app or play a game.

Since today’s web browsers have become so advanced they now allow for complex graphic rendering and real-time streaming within a website without requiring users to download additional software. This reduces the amount of memory and data that is being consumed by mobile devices allowing for greater use of other features (i.e. photo libraries) while also ensuring that all users will be accessing the most current, secure versions of sites.

Goodbye Lag and Freezes

There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a live match or a quick card game and having the screen freeze up right at the best part. Thankfully, faster home Wi-Fi and 5G networks have pretty much fixed that for good.

With low-latency connections, information travels back and forth between your phone and the server in milliseconds. Whether you’re putting down a live sports bet while watching the game or chatting with a live dealer at a virtual blackjack table, the action happens in real time.

Smart Batteries and Keep-Cool Tech

High-end graphics used to turn smartphones into boiling hot bricks that died in less than an hour. Modern phone operating systems are much smarter about how they use power now.

When you open a game, your phone directs all its energy to keeping that specific app running smooth, while putting unnecessary background stuff to sleep. That means you can enjoy a full evening of gaming on the couch without having to sit right next to a wall charger the whole time.

Quick Logins and Bank-Grade Security

Security tech has quietly made massive leaps forward, too. Logging into your account used to mean typing out long, annoying passwords on a tiny keyboard over and over again.

Now, facial recognition and fingerprint sensors let you log in instantly and safely. On top of that, modern platforms use high-level encryption—the exact same kind banks use—to make sure your personal info and balance stay completely locked down while you enjoy yourself.

Getting Straight to the Fun

The key to a great piece of tech is that it should simply get out of your way as soon as possible. So after a long day, you shouldn’t be looking through endless pages in a user guide or setting options for hours to play one game.

Your modern smartphone will figure out which games you enjoy most, remove the noise, and then put them directly on your home page where they are easily accessible. This makes turning an evening at home into something enjoyable and fun very simple and hassle free.

Tech That Fits Your Mood

Another cool thing about modern gaming sites is how easily they figure out what you’re in the mood for. Instead of making you search through hundreds of games, the app organizes things based on what you actually like to play. If you just want a quick, easy game to blow off steam after work, it’s right there on your home screen ready to go. No searching, no hassle—just instant fun.

Phones Are the New Gaming Consoles

Mobile gaming has changed from being very low quality, visually inexpensive and inferior to console systems. Now with mobile screens often matching or surpassing the video quality of expensive TV setups, mobile gaming offers stunning graphics, superior sound, and fluid motion all at your fingertips. That allows gamers to have access to premium content anytime — whether it is while lying in bed, sitting on the couch, or waiting for an afternoon storm.

Why security needs a new Cyber Stack — Introducing Project Perception

A new nationwide survey of 1,000 adults commissioned by people specialists NFP Ireland and conducted by IReach (See Appendix), examined how workers expect Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation to affect their jobs in the years ahead.

Of those asked, a further 7% believe their role may not even exist in its current form within 10 years, as a result of advances in AI. However, the remaining 40% take a more measured view, saying some tasks within their role are likely to become automated, but their job as a whole will remain in place

The findings come as recent ESRI research highlights the potential impact of AI on the Irish labour market, estimating that around 7% of current jobs could be displaced in the short to medium term.

Colm Power, Managing Director NFP Ireland, commented on the findings:

“Workers are uncertain about what AI means for their future. Just 30% of workers believe their role is safe from AI or automation, which suggests most people expect some level of disruption to how they currently work.

“What stands out is the number of workers who believe large parts of their role could disappear. That reflects a concern not just about job losses, but about roles being gradually reshaped, with day-to-day tasks reduced or fundamentally changing over time.

“In practice, while routine and administrative tasks are likely to become more automated, the skills that are uniquely human, such as judgement, communication, creativity, relationship-building and leadership will become even more important.

“While AI presents real opportunity to improve productivity and efficiency, it’s understandable for employees to be concerned that it could gradually take over elements of their role to the point where they feel less secure in their day-to-day work”.

Job Impact Concerns

• Concern is highest among younger workers, with 39% of those aged 18 – 24 and 32% of those aged 25 – 34 saying large parts of their role could disappear, compared to 15% of those aged over 55.
• Men are more likely than women to express this view, at 27% compared to 20%.

Confidence and perceived job security

• Those aged 35 – 44 are most likely to feel that their job is not replaceable by AI (39%)
• By contrast, only 13% of those aged 25 – 34 say their role is not replaceable.

Regional and socio-economic differences

• Workers in Dublin are least likely to believe their role is not replaceable, at 25%, compared with 32% in Munster.
• Those in the C2DE socio-economic group are more likely to say their role is not replaceable (40%), compared with ABC1 workers.

Mr Power continued,

“Our research suggests attitudes towards the potential impact of AI are influenced by age and so possibly, career stage and how secure people already feel in their role are also influencing factors. Younger workers are significantly more likely to believe that large parts of their job could disappear, which is understandable given they are still building experience, progressing through the early stages of their careers and trying to establish long-term stability in the workplace.

“For many younger employees, there may be a concern that entry-level and junior roles, which often involve administrative, process-driven or repetitive tasks, are the very areas most likely to be automated first. Those roles have traditionally been an important route for gaining experience, learning from colleagues and progressing into more senior positions. If employees feel those stepping-stone opportunities are being reduced, it can create understandable concern about future career paths.

“Older and more established workers appear more confident that their role will remain relevant, likely due to having greater experience, stronger specialist knowledge or leadership responsibilities that are more difficult to replicate through technology alone.

“Employers need to communicate with their teams, and where applicable they must help their employees to understand how AI tools can support their work. Businesses that involve employees early and invest in practical upskilling are far more likely to build trust and help people see AI as something that can assist their role rather than threaten it”.

See more stories here.

Attendees will hear from Dell Technologies executives and specialists, experience live demonstrations and connect with peers. The Forum will examine how modern infrastructure, intelligent devices, data-ready architecture and AI expertise can support the next phase of business growth.

Why It Matters

For many organisations in Ireland, AI is no longer an experimental priority. It is becoming a major driver of enterprise technology strategy. IDC forecasts that AI spending in EMEA will reach $319 billion in 2026, growing 19.2% year over year and more than three times faster than total IT spending, underscoring how quickly AI is reshaping budgets, infrastructure decisions and business priorities across the region.

These conversations are especially relevant as organisations across various industries look to modernise operations, improve productivity, strengthen resilience and support more demanding digital and AI-driven workloads.

This makes Dell Technologies Forum Dublin timely for local business and technology audiences. The event is designed to help organisations address the infrastructure, workplace and security decisions that will determine whether AI and digital transformation can scale effectively in real-world business environments.

Joe Siegal, Vice President of Product Marketing at Dell Technologies, will outline the shifts reshaping the enterprise innovation landscape, while Mark Hopkins, Managing Director of Dell Technologies Ireland, will deliver a keynote address on how organisations can move from AI pilots to measurable business impact and successfully embed AI within their core business strategy.

Several themes are expected to shape discussions at the Forum:

• Scaling AI in the real world: What organisations need to put in place so AI can operate securely, responsibly and effectively across the business.
• Infrastructure without complexity: Why organisations need faster, more resilient and easier-to-manage technology foundations that can support AI, analytics and data-intensive workloads while keeping modernisation tied to business outcomes.
• Sovereign AI and trusted data: How organisations can pursue AI strategies that support greater control over data, infrastructure, governance and compliance, especially in Ireland where sovereignty, privacy and regulatory requirements are shaping technology decisions.
• AI-ready workplaces and intelligent devices: How modern endpoints, AI PCs and intelligent devices can improve productivity, collaboration, security and employee experience.
• Cyber resilience by design: Why data protection, recovery, security and governance need to be embedded across infrastructure, devices and AI environments from the start.

Colin Boyd, Data Centre Solutions Sales Director at Dell Technologies said, “AI adoption has entered a new phase. For organisations in Ireland, the priority is no longer exploring what AI could make possible, but making sure the infrastructure, data, devices, security and governance foundations are ready to support it at scale.

As conversations around sovereign AI, cyber resilience and trusted data become more important across Europe, Dell Technologies Forum Dublin will help customers focus on the decisions that matter – how to modernise with confidence, reduce complexity and build technology environments that can support long-term business value.”

A growing focus on digital sovereignty is driving demand for infrastructure and operating models that provide organisations with greater control over their data and AI workloads. Irish-founded TensorX is one of the companies helping to build a sovereign AI future for organisations across Europe.

TensorX will be among the expert speakers at this year’s Dell Tech Forum where they will be sharing insights on building the infrastructure, governance and operating models that allow organisations to use AI with confidence.

Event registration

The Dell Technologies Forum is run in collaboration with Intel, Microsoft and NVIDIA. To register for Dell Technologies Forum Dublin 2026, visit: Dell Technologies Forum Ireland 2026.

The 31 finalists have each been chosen by their Local Enterprise Office to represent them and their area at the awards, which are in their 26th year. The finalists feature a diverse mix of sectors and founders all competing for a share of the €80,000 prize fund and the chance to be named National Enterprise of the Year. There are also regional awards, and categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, the Innovation Award, Digital Award, Green Award and the Female Entrepreneur award.

I caught up with three of the finalists, and the first finalist I spoke to was John Cleary, the founder of Eventmaster and the Limerick finalist. John talks to me about his background, what Eventmaster does, the Local enterprise awards and more.

More about Eventmaster:

John Cleary, Founder of Eventmaster set up the company in 2010 while working as Race Director of the Great Limerick Run. John could not find a ticket participation system in Ireland capable of managing large-scale sporting events – so he set out to design one. Eventmaster operates a one-system approach for ticketing, fundraising, real time data and scalable digital infrastructure for events.

Since 2010, Eventmaster technology has supported over 3,000 events including the Dublin Marathon, Very Pink Run, Cork City Marathon and many more charity-based events. Eventmaster is now looking to target markets internationally through exporting the technology used.

See more podcasts here.

AI is changing the rules of web browsing. Instead of comparing multiple sources, users are asking AI answer engines for recommendations and acting on the responses they receive.

History shows that criminals exploit every major shift in how people use technology, and the move from traditional web browsing to AI-generated answers is no exception.

The security industry has not yet settled on a specific name for these techniques. Terms such as AI search poisoning, answer-engine manipulation, AI/SEO poisoning, and malicious generative engine optimisation (GEO) are all used to describe attempts to influence AI-generated recommendations. Regardless of the label, the objective is to become the source an AI system recommends and that users inadvertently trust.

Attack methods vary, but each one works by making a malicious source look trustworthy.

The many shapes of a malicious software recommendation

People routinely ask AI engines where to find software they need. If an attacker can shape that answer, malware lands directly in front of someone who is actively looking to install something, and the resulting download could be anything from a completely fake application to a legitimate one.

A fake installer is the simplest case. A recent real-world example involved a user searching Bing for the AI assistant OpenClaw. They were then directed by Bing’s AI-generated response to a newly created GitHub repository posing as the official download. What it delivered in place of OpenClaw was information-stealing malware that turned the victim’s machine into a proxy for later attacks. Nothing about the underlying software was genuine.

Another case is a trojanised installer, which is much harder to catch because part of what a user receives is very much real. Microsoft investigated more than 150 domains impersonating utilities such as CrystalDiskInfo, HWMonitor, FurMark, and PDFgear, some of which surfaced through poisoned search results and others through AI chatbot answers. The downloaded packages contained the genuine utility, running normally, alongside a hidden file installing remote-access tools and cryptocurrency miners in the background. A user grows suspicious when a promised application never runs. A trojanised installer removes that signal. It hands over exactly what was requested, plus something never agreed to.

Lastly, the third type of case involves entirely original apps that provide a legitimate service while hiding a malicious payload. Free VPN apps marketed under names like MaskVPN and DewVPN, for instance, worked exactly as advertised. What they didn’t disclose was that installing one also enrolled the device in a residential proxy network that spanned more than 19 million IP addresses and was rented out for large-scale fraud. There was no fake wrapper or trojanised download. The VPN worked, and that was the point.

When the recommendation becomes the attack

Software attacks do not always arrive through a download button. Users now rely on AI-generated technical guidance to solve problems. Attackers are finding ways to place harmful instructions within seemingly helpful content.

This approach shares many characteristics with ClickFix attacks. A user searching for troubleshooting advice may be told to execute commands, modify system settings, or install additional tools. If those instructions have been manipulated by an attacker, the victim may effectively compromise their own system while believing they are fixing an issue.

The same risk extends to developers, who ask AI tools to recommend APIs and code samples, sometimes from a fraudulent source an attacker has spent months making look established. GitHub repositories, blog posts, forum answers, and developer profiles can all be used to give a malicious API or service an artificially positive track record. Developers who rely on AI-generated recommendations without validating the source could unknowingly introduce risk into their environments.

For a developer under pressure to solve a problem quickly, a confident answer backed by several matching sources can appear persuasive. In some cases, all those sources may trace back to the same attacker in the end.

A website can also target the AI

An ill-intentioned webpage doesn’t need a human visitor to fall for anything. It can leave instructions for whatever AI system reads the page on that person’s behalf, a technique known as indirect prompt injection. Those instructions get buried in a page’s metadata, HTML comments, or other text no visitor would ever see.

When an AI system reads and summarises the page, it may interpret those hidden phrases as instructions. Those commands might include prompts to agentic AI to install malware or exfiltrate data.

Zero Trust is built to fight manipulation

This is exactly the situation Zero Trust is designed for. It assumes a user, developer, or AI agent will eventually follow an ill-meaning recommendation, so instead of depending on everyone to catch every new attack technique, controls are implemented that keep working after trust has already been misplaced.

Application allowlisting stops two different problems. Unapproved software doesn’t run just because it arrived through a source that looked trustworthy, including one an answer engine recommended. A modified version of an already-approved utility doesn’t run either, since altering the file changes what allowlisting is checking against.

What happens after something does run matters just as much. A compromised system utility does not need unrestricted access to PowerShell, scripting tools, or a company’s sensitive files, and limiting what approved software is allowed to do keeps one infected application from becoming a route into everything else. The same logic applies to both people and AI agents to ensure tight access, narrow permissions, and separate approval for anything sensitive. Least privilege keeps an attacker who has gained a single foothold from moving freely through the rest of the environment.

Trust has become the target

The underlying objectives of cybercriminals have not changed, but they are always developing new tactics.

Users cannot assume that a recommendation is safe simply because it was delivered confidently by an AI system.

As answer engines become a primary interface between users and information, trust itself is becoming a target. Zero Trust provides a practical response by enforcing security at the point where software executes and access is granted.

See more stories here.

The Impact Lending Fund is being made available to support businesses across a range of environmental and social sectors including Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Healthcare and Female Entrepreneurship. SMEs who meet the criteria for the fund can make an application, subject to normal credit terms and conditions.

New Impact Lending Fund

The fund will lend to a wide range of environmental or social projects including investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency measures, sustainable agriculture and sustainable transport. It will also support businesses with a focus on healthcare and education services, female led and inclusive businesses, as well as projects that create jobs and support economic development in local communities.

Reflecting Business Research

The launch of the Impact Lending Fund is underpinned by new research findings today from PTSB’s latest Reflecting Business Report 2026 which highlights a renewed confidence for growth amongst Irish SMEs with sustainability emerging as a standout commercial growth opportunity.

Key research findings:

• Irish SMEs have a significantly more positive outlook than they held a year ago. More than half of businesses (57%) believe the Irish economy will improve over the next 12 months, up from 24% in 2025, while 68% expect conditions for their own business to improve, compared with 31% last year.
• More than eight in ten businesses (82%) expect their business to grow over the coming year, compared with 45% in 2025, while just 1% anticipate a decline.
• 72% of businesses now identify sustainability as a top commercial growth opportunity for their business, up from 28% in 2025.
• Findings show a surge in businesses planning energy efficiency upgrades and other sustainability initiatives as SMEs respond to recent global energy price shocks (62% v 33% in 2025)
• While businesses are increasingly optimistic, they continue to face significant barriers to growth. The biggest challenges identified by SMEs are increased costs of goods (76%), inflation (71%) and turbulence in the global economy (49%).

PTSB NovaUCD New Partnership

To support the next wave of Irish start-ups maximise sustainability growth opportunities, PTSB is also announcing a new Energy Futures Accelerator Programme in partnership with NovaUCD. The programme which will open for applications this Autumn and will provide financial advisory and mentoring support to early-stage Irish companies operating in climate technology and renewable energy, helping them to grow and scale.

The programme will draw on NovaUCD’s expertise in innovation and start-up development and growth, alongside PTSB’s financial and business advisory capabilities to help accelerate commercialisation and business scaling for the global stage.

Patrick Farrell, Chief Retail Banking Officer at PTSB, said:

“The launch of our €250 million Impact Lending Fund is a significant milestone for PTSB and reflects our ambition to deepen our support for Irish SMEs. We know that businesses increasingly see sustainability not just as a responsibility, but as a commercial opportunity.

Through this Fund, we want to help businesses invest in projects that deliver positive environmental and social impact while supporting their future growth and competitiveness. PTSB is already seeing strong and growing demand from businesses in this area, and we expect this trend to continue in the years ahead.

We are also delighted to partner with NovaUCD to launch the Energy Futures Accelerator Programme helping emerging businesses maximise new opportunities for growth as demand for sustainable solutions continues to increase.’’

Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation at University College Dublin, said:

“We are very pleased to be partnering with PTSB, as part of our corporate engagement strategy, and to announce the launch of the exciting new Energy Futures Accelerator Programme. The focus of this dedicated programme, delivered by NovaUCD in collaboration with PTSB, will be to support emerging and young Irish start-ups, focused on addressing key climate and sustainability challenges, to fast-track their commercial viability to meet their global ambitions, drawing on UCD’s expertise in this area including the UCD Energy Institute. Applications for the programme will open this Autumn and the programme is planned to commence in early 2027.”

Reflecting Business Research

The Reflecting Business 2026 Research was conducted by Core Research in May and June 2026 with 515 Businesses surveyed. The full report and research can be found at www.ptsb.ie/blog/.

About NovaUCD

NovaUCD, named by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs for the last three years in a row, has been nurturing and supporting high-tech start-ups with global potential since 2003.

During the last 20+ years NovaUCD has developed an excellent and expanded infrastructure and a suite of comprehensive business support programmes, dedicated accelerator programmes, and an ecosystem of mentors, investors and industry partners that help to nurture an enthusiastic and dynamic community of start-ups and established companies, to grow and scale on the global stage.

NovaUCD’s reach and influence has also expanded since 2003 as NovaUCD, which includes UCD’s Knowledge Transfer team, now also manages and operates NexusUCD, the University’s Industry Partnership Centre, ConsultUCD, the University’s managed consultancy service, and the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre, which is located at UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare.

NovaUCD was originally funded through a unique public-private partnership that included, AIB; AMD; Arthur Cox; Deloitte; Enterprise Ireland; Ericsson; Goodbody and UCD. www.novaucd.ie

See more business stories here.

On July 22 at Galaxy Unpacked in London, Samsung put a stablecoin balance next to your boarding pass. That sentence sounds small. It isn’t.

Samsung Wallet is adding native stablecoin support, with a live demo showing Circle’s USDC sitting inside the same screen where you already keep payment cards, hotel keys, and loyalty points. Not a separate app you have to download, forget the password to, and eventually delete. The wallet already on your phone. The one you open to tap your card at a coffee shop. That one now, apparently, holds MiCA compliant digital dollars.

Is Samsung Pioneering Mass Adoption of USDC?

Stablecoins are tokens pegged one-to-one to the dollar, backed by cash reserves. The technology is not new. What is new is a company with a billion-device install base deciding to treat one like a current account balance. Apple hasn’t done it. Google hasn’t done it. Samsung just did, or at least announced it intends to. Those are different things, and the difference matters, and I’ll get to it.

What Lee Dinham Actually Said on Stage

Product manager Lee Dinham told the Unpacked audience Samsung Wallet will move beyond cash and savings to support new forms of digital value. The demo showed USDC with send, receive, and top-up flows, secured behind Samsung Knox, the company’s on-device encryption chip. It looked polished. It looked ready.

It isn’t ready. Not yet.

No launch date. No confirmed stablecoin issuers. No list of which blockchains will be supported. USDC appeared on the demo screen and Circle has not been publicly named as a partner. What Samsung announced is a strategic direction, which is meaningfully different from a product you can use next Tuesday. Worth holding that distinction clearly before anyone starts making decisions based on this.

What gives the announcement weight is the history behind it. Samsung has been building this infrastructure since 2019, when Knox-based crypto storage first appeared in Galaxy phones. Hardware wallet support followed in 2021. Then in October 2025, a Coinbase integration landed for 75 million U.S. Galaxy users. The stablecoin announcement did not come from nowhere. It is the next step in a build that has been running quietly for six years, which is why I take it more seriously than a typical conference announcement.

The Galaxy Card also launched the same day, issued by Barclays on Visa, with 5% cashback on direct purchases. Stablecoins plus a proprietary credit card plus six years of crypto infrastructure. This is ecosystem construction, not a feature drop.

The Distribution Problem Nobody Else Has Solved

USDC ended 2025 with $75.3 billion in circulation, up 72% year over year, and $33.3 trillion in on-chain transaction volume. Those are genuinely large numbers. They are also almost entirely institutional. Crypto rails. Settlement flows between exchanges. Not a single person at a Tuesday evening dinner splitting the bill in digital dollars.

Every app, every wallet, every exchange has taken a run at the gap between what stablecoins can do and what ordinary people actually use them for. None of them cracked mainstream because they all required the user to come to them.

But Samsung doesn’t have that problem. The wallet is already there,already used daily for completely boring things like paying for parking and storing your gym membership. If USDC lands on that same screen, the barrier to a first interaction drops to almost nothing.

That is genuinely different from anything the crypto industry has managed to build from scratch. Whether Samsung executes it is another question entirely.

Irish and EU Users: The Realistic Version

For Irish users, the honest medium-term case is this: freelancers invoicing in dollars who currently eat a 2-3% FX conversion on every payment have a real problem that stablecoins solve well. Remote workers juggling multi-currency income from a single device have the same problem. Cross-border transfers that settle in seconds rather than two banking days are genuinely useful, not theoretically useful. These are the use cases that make sense here, once the feature arrives, if the compliance layer is built correctly, and if Samsung actually follows through on what it demoed in London.

Three big ifs. Worth tracking rather than acting on yet.

What Apple and Google Do Next

They’re watching. If the rollout goes cleanly, expect a response within a year. Apple in particular has the financial infrastructure (Apple Cash, Apple Card, the Wallet app) to move quickly once it decides to. Google is messier organizationally but has the same distribution advantage. The race does not end with Samsung’s announcement. In some ways it just started.

The demo was convincing. The six-year infrastructure track record behind it is real. The regulatory timing in the U.S., with the GENIUS Act giving stablecoin issuers a clear legal path, is better than it has ever been.

Whether your next phone upgrade becomes your next banking decision depends entirely on what Samsung ships, not what it showed on stage in London. But for the first time, that question is worth asking seriously.

Iaroslav Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a strategic intelligence firm executing mission-critical engagements for AI, deep tech and frontier technology companies. Strategic partnerships, international expansion, executive positioning, VVIP events and access to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

See more breaking stories here.

Team Ireland earned one silver and two bronze medals at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the world championship in mathematics for second-level students.

The six Irish students – Owen Barron (Cork), Vitalii Halushko (Dublin/Ukraine), Angyang Li (Dublin), Jack McAuliffe (Clare), Ben Maguire (Dublin), Tianci Yan (Dublin) – were selected as Ireland’s most outstanding second-level mathematicians. They competed with 666 of the world’s brightest young minds from 117 countries in Shanghai, China, on July 15th and 16th.

Irish success at International Maths Olympiad

Each participant is given 4.5 hours per day to solve six highly complex mathematical problems. Each question is worth a maximum of seven points, making the maximum possible individual score 42 points. Two of the (easier!) 2026 questions are included below. The threshold in 2026 for a bronze was 16 points, 23 for silver, and 29 for gold. Gold medals are awarded to only the top 16% of competitors.

Ben Maguire earned Ireland’s 5th-ever Silver medal. Angyang Li and Jack McAuliffe got Bronze medals. This is only the second time Ireland has won three medals, after last year’s historic high, and cemented the team’s status as Ireland’s best ever. Owen Barron, Tianci Yan and Vitalii Halushko, who remarkably each medalled at last year’s IMO, all earned Honorable Mentions for a complete and correct solution to at least one problem. The team was led by Prof. Steve Buckley (Maynooth University), Tianyiwa Xie (U. Münster) and Dr Mark Flanagan (UCD).

Following last year’s two silvers and a bronze, Team Ireland’s sustained excellence at this year’s edition of the IMO showcased the level of talent and commitment to mathematics in Ireland. Irish Mathematical Trust (IMT) volunteers provide extracurricular maths training and coaching across the country, with recent expansion enabled by Stripe’s sponsorship of the Irish Maths Trust.

“Maths is the cornerstone of future success in fields as diverse as engineering, finance, medicine, and software development,” said Alison Ahern, Head of Education Partnerships at Stripe. “We are dedicated at Stripe to supporting excellence in maths and STEM education in Ireland, and we are hugely proud of this year’s International Maths Olympiad team, who represent Ireland’s sharpest mathematical minds at secondary level.”

Dr Neil Dobbs, Lecturer in Mathematics at University College Dublin and Chair of the IMT, said: “That all six team members have medalled at the IMO either this year or last is simply extraordinary. The dreams, the hard work and the sense of community throughout the wider squad has been wonderful to witness.”

Team Ireland’s success at IMO is the product of years of work, backed by more than 80 volunteer mathematicians from the Irish Mathematical Trust, many of them former IMO competitors themselves, who ran a rigorous selection process and packed training calendar. Funding was provided by the Department of Education and Youth and our sponsors, Stripe, The Society of Actuaries in Ireland, Abbey Capital, Laminar Shock, Nebular, Emma Waldron Chen, the Irish Maths Teachers’ Association and Susquehanna.

Prior to the IMO, the team participated in the prestigious International Mathematics Summer Camp in Beijing, which incorporated an Olympiad-style contest where Tianci Yan, Vitalii Halushko and Jack McAuliffe got Bronze medals and Owen Barron a Silver. This followed strong performances by Irish Teams at the Junior Balkan Maths Olympiad in Romania in June, the 1st European Maths Olympiad in Lithuania in late April and the European Girls Maths Olympiad in France in early April.

Problem 1

There are 2026 integers greater than 1 written on a blackboard, not necessarily different. In a move, Confucius chooses two integers m > 1 and n > 1 from different places on the blackboard and replaces these two integers with

gcd(m,n)   and   lcm(m,n)gcd(m,n).

He continues to make moves while it is possible to do so.

1. Prove that, regardless of the choices of Confucius, after finitely many moves, exactly one integer M on the blackboard is greater than 1.

2. Prove that the value of M does not depend on the choices of Confucius.

(Note that gcd(m,n) denotes the greatest common divisor of positive integers m and n, and lcm(m,n) denotes the least common multiple of m and n.)

Problem 4

Shan-Yu and Mulan are playing a game. Let ? be an angle with 0º < ? < 180º known to both players. Initially, Shan-Yu makes a paper triangle T with measurements of his choice. Then, they repeatedly perform the following steps:

If T has at least one angle measuring exactly ?, then the game stops and Mulan wins.

Otherwise, Mulan chooses a point P on the perimeter of T, different from its three vertices. She then makes a straight cut from P to the opposite vertex of T, splitting it into two triangles.

Shan-Yu discards one of the two triangles. The remaining triangle becomes the new T.

For which real values of ? can Mulan guarantee her victory in finitely many steps, no matter how Shan-Yu plays?

Full list of problems: https://www.imo-official.org/problems/2026/

Ireland’s IMO results year-by-year: https://www.imo-official.org/results/team/country/IRL/

About the Irish Maths Trust

The Irish Mathematical Trust is a charitable organisation of more than eighty mathematicians from across Ireland, dedicated to inspiring and training Ireland’s next generation of creative thinkers.

For more information on the Irish Mathematical Olympiad and to register interest in Maths Enrichment classes, see www.irmo.ie

See more breaking stories here.

The Gambling Regulation Act 2024, signed into law on 23 October 2024, writes identity and age checking into statute for the first time rather than leaving it to a regulator’s code of practice or an operator’s risk appetite. That has consequences for anyone building, buying or integrating identity software in Ireland, and it changes what a player sees on screen.

Consumer guides have begun tracking the same transition from the player’s side. Tech-Insider keeps a reference page on the Irish market, filed under online casino ireland, setting out what has come into force and what is still pending, and reading it alongside the statute shows where the gap between rule and practice sits.

This article stays on the technical side of that gap: what the checks do, what data they consume, and why the same requirement pulls in two directions at once. Gambling in Ireland is 18 and over, and nothing below is a route around that.

The three things a verification system is actually doing

Strip away the vendor language and any age assurance flow answers three separate questions, usually in this order.

First, does this identity exist? A name, address and date of birth that resolve to a real record somewhere. Second, is the person in front of the camera the person that identity belongs to? That is the hardest of the three. Third, has anything changed since the last time we asked? Identity is not a one-time event, and systems that treat it as one fail quietly.

Most Irish implementations answer the first with a document or a database, the second with a selfie and a liveness test, and the third with triggers that re-open the flow. Each has a different failure mode.

Document capture: the photograph is the easy part

When a user photographs a passport or a driving licence, almost none of the work is in the photograph. The system runs optical character recognition on the machine-readable zone, checks the check digits in that zone against the printed data, tests for the security features the document type should carry, and looks for the signatures of tampering: cloned fonts, a portrait resampled at a different compression level to the page around it, a screen photographed rather than a document.

The Irish driving licence and passport card both carry machine-readable data that makes this tractable. Utility bills and bank statements do not, which is why address documents are treated as weaker evidence. A PDF of a bill is trivially editable and a passport chip is not.

Document capture is also where most drop-off happens. Glare, a cropped corner, a dark kitchen at eleven at night. Providers quoting high pass rates are usually quoting images that reached the decision engine, not users who started.

Database lookup: the check the user never sees

Plenty of verifications never ask for a document at all. Instead the details entered at sign-up are matched against reference data: electoral registers, credit reference files, telco records, postal address files. If the name, address and date of birth resolve consistently across two independent sources, many risk models treat age as established without ever seeing a passport.

This is fast, cheap and invisible, and it is why some people are verified in two seconds while others are asked for identification. It also carries a structural bias. Thin-file individuals, meaning recent arrivals, students and people who move often, are far less likely to resolve cleanly. The system is not judging them, it simply has less to match against, and the result is that the people asked to do the most work are often those least able to produce a utility bill in their own name.

Liveness and the selfie match

Binding a person to a document requires two things that are often confused. Face matching compares the selfie to the portrait on the document and returns a similarity score. Liveness detection asks whether the camera is looking at a living human at all, rather than a photograph, a mask, a replayed video or a synthetic face.

Passive liveness analyses a single capture for the physical signals a real face produces: reflection behaviour, skin texture, depth cues, the way light falls across a three-dimensional object. Active liveness asks the user to turn the head, follow a dot or blink on cue. Passive is less intrusive and better for completion rates. Active is harder to defeat with a still image but easier to defeat with a prepared video, which is why the two are increasingly run together.

Generative video has made this an arms race rather than a solved problem. Any Irish team integrating a face-based check should be asking a supplier for its presentation attack detection testing and the standard it was tested against, not for a marketing figure on accuracy.

What the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 actually requires

Here is where Ireland stops being a matter of good practice and becomes a matter of statute. The Act deals with remote operators in a dedicated chapter, and is unusually specific for primary legislation.

Section 169 says a remote licensee may not open a gambling account unless the person is 18 or over and the licensee has verified both identity and age. It then names the acceptable evidence: either a document showing name, address and date of birth with a photograph of the person, or a document showing name and date of birth with a photograph, supported by two documents confirming the address.

Those supporting documents must have been issued within the previous six months and must be a utility bill, an insurance policy, or a document from the Revenue Commissioners or a Department of State.

Section 167 closes the obvious gap by prohibiting a remote licensee from providing gambling at all unless an account has been opened and registered first, removing any concept of play-first-verify-later. Section 168 requires a register of account-holders carrying name, address and date of birth. Section 158 makes permitting a child to participate an offence, with a defence only where the licensee was reasonably mistaken about the person’s age, judged by what a reasonable person would have concluded.

That last point is the one engineers should sit with. The defence is behavioural, not documentary. Ticking a box does not discharge it. Showing a considered, tested, monitored process might.

Re-verification: the triggers that pull a user back in

Verification decays. The Act recognises this concretely: section 171 requires a remote licensee to close an account where the holder has not gambled for thirteen months, with money in the account refunded, and where the operator cannot refund it after reasonable efforts, the money goes to the Authority for the Social Impact Fund. A dormant account is not left sitting as an unmonitored credential.

Beyond that, most well-designed systems re-open verification on a familiar set of signals: a change of address or name, a new payment instrument that does not match the account holder, a device or location pattern that breaks sharply from the established one, an expired document, a match against a self-exclusion or sanctions list refresh, or a manual review flag. The Act provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register, being implemented on a phased basis, and once operative it becomes another list that accounts must be tested against continuously rather than once at sign-up.

The methods side by side

The GDPR tension nobody has fully resolved

Every method above except the last solves the age problem by collecting more personal data, often the most sensitive category of it. Verifying that someone is over 18 by photographing their passport means an operator now knows their document number, nationality, full date of birth and face. The regulator asked for one bit of information, over or under, and the implementation produced a file.

This is a real conflict, and Irish and European regulators have said so plainly. The European Data Protection Board adopted a statement on age assurance in February 2025, on which the Irish Data Protection Commission acted as a co-rapporteur, setting out principles for reconciling child protection with data protection. The direction of travel is towards processing only the age-related attributes strictly necessary, and towards tokenised models where a third party performs the check and the service receives only a threshold result rather than the underlying identity.

Irish Tech News has covered the practical end of this problem before, in research from Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland research centre for software, where a University College Dublin team found that children could bypass the age checks on every one of ten major social media apps simply by entering 16 as their age. The same study found biometric age recognition techniques carried their own limitations, and concluded that financial penalties, rather than the regulations themselves, were what actually moved providers to build stronger checks. That finding travels well into gambling. Enforcement, not drafting, changes engineering priorities.

The Act’s evidence list is also document-based rather than attribute-based. Section 169 allows the Authority to prescribe additional means of verification, which is the hook through which digital identity wallets and assured attribute exchange could eventually be recognised. Until that happens, the statutory floor is a photograph of a document and a six-month-old utility bill, a more data-hungry answer than the technology now requires.

Case study: what the UK did in 2019, and what it predicts for Ireland

Britain ran this experiment years ago, and the results are the best available guide to what Irish operators are about to encounter.

Before May 2019, remote operators licensed in Great Britain had a 72 hour grace period. A customer could deposit and gamble, and the operator had three days to confirm their age. The Gambling Commission removed that grace period with changes to its licence conditions and codes of practice taking effect on 7 May 2019.

From that date, operators had to verify name, address and date of birth before a customer could deposit funds, gamble with their own money or with bonus funds, or access free-to-play versions of gambling games. The reasoning on free-to-play was that a demo game functions as an invitation to gamble and familiarises the player with the product.

The observable consequences fell into a pattern worth anticipating. Sign-up conversion fell in the short term, because friction moved from after the deposit to before it. Operators responded by investing in silent database matching so most customers never saw a document request at all, which is why database lookup became the dominant first-line method rather than document capture.

Complaint volume shifted from withdrawal disputes, where customers had gambled and then failed verification when trying to take money out, towards onboarding friction, which is a much better class of complaint to have. And a market developed rapidly for identity providers, since almost no operator built this in-house.

Ireland is arriving at the same requirement by a different route, with two differences that matter. The Irish rule sits in an Act of the Oireachtas rather than in a regulator’s code, which makes it slower to amend but harder to argue with, and it carries criminal liability rather than only licence consequences. Ireland is also doing it on a phased timetable, which gives operators and their suppliers something Britain did not have: notice.

The prediction that follows is direct. Irish operators entering the new regime should expect verification to become a procurement decision rather than a development task, should expect database matching as the first line with documents as fallback, and should expect their real cost to sit in the exception queue rather than the happy path. The teams that fared best in Britain instrumented drop-off by step before the rule changed, not after.

Where the Irish rollout actually stands

This part requires care, because the position is still moving. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland was established in March 2025, a commencement order signed in early February 2026 brought licensing provisions into force, and the Authority opened business-to-consumer betting licence applications on 9 February 2026, with applicants required to publish a notice of intention in advance of filing.

The rollout is deliberately phased. The Authority’s own licensing guidance states that it is taking a phased approach to the different licence types, that it is engaging with the Revenue Commissioners on gaming licences and with the Courts Service and An Garda Siochana on lotteries, and that existing licence holders should continue to renew through the current bodies meanwhile. Remote betting came first. Gaming, the category that covers online casino, sits later in that sequence, and business-to-business licensing later again.

So the honest statement is this: Ireland does not yet have a settled population of fully licensed online casino operators under the new regime, and the operators Irish players encounter today are generally licensed elsewhere in the European Economic Area, most commonly in Malta. That is a description of the current reality, not a recommendation. For the current status of any category, check the Authority’s own register and licensing pages rather than any secondary source, including this one.

What a user should expect on screen, and what should worry them

A few observable signals separate a serious implementation from a poor one. A service that asks only for a date of birth has verified nothing. A service that lets money in before it verifies is running the model Britain abandoned in 2019 and Irish statute now forbids for licensed remote operators. A service that asks for a document but never a selfie has established that a document exists, not that you hold it. And a service that takes the full document when it only needed to know whether you are over 18 is over-collecting, which is a data protection question as much as a security one.

The statutory detail on all of this is short and readable. Section 169 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 sets out the evidence a remote licensee must obtain before an account is opened, and it takes about two minutes to read.

One last point. Age verification is a gate, not a safety system. It keeps under-18s out and does nothing for an adult whose gambling has stopped being recreational, and no amount of identity engineering addresses that. Problem Gambling Ireland, GamblingCare.ie and the HSE all provide free and confidential support, and the account-level tools the Act requires, including deposit limits and the coming National Gambling Exclusion Register, are the parts aimed at that problem rather than at the front door.

Frequently asked questions

Is entering my date of birth enough to satisfy Irish law?

No. For licensed remote operators, section 169 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 requires the licensee to verify both identity and age using photographic documentation, or photographic documentation supported by two recent address documents. The research on social media age gates shows how readily a self-declared date of birth is bypassed.

Why was I verified instantly when a friend was asked for a passport?

Almost certainly because your details resolved against reference databases and theirs did not. Electoral registers, credit files and address databases return a clean match for people with a settled address history and a thin result for recent arrivals, students or frequent movers. The document request is the fallback path, not a judgement about you.

Can a service verify my age without seeing my identity documents?

Technically yes, and this is where the field is heading. A tokenised model has a trusted third party perform the check and pass only a yes or no answer to the service. The European Data Protection Board pointed towards this approach in its 2025 statement on age assurance, though Irish statute currently names document-based evidence, with scope for the Authority to prescribe additional means later.

How long does an operator keep my verification data?

That depends on the retention period the operator can justify, which is a data protection question rather than a gambling one. Anti-money-laundering obligations typically require identity records to be kept for years after an account closes, so verification data usually outlives the account. Check the retention schedule in the privacy notice before uploading anything.

Are online casinos now licensed in Ireland?

Not yet as a settled position. Betting licensing opened first in February 2026, and gaming licensing, the category covering online casino, comes later in the phased rollout, with business-to-business licensing later again. Check the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland’s licensing pages for current status rather than relying on a date quoted elsewhere.

Gambling is for over-18s only.

Microcredentials are short, sharp, programmes that give you an in-depth understanding of a key skill area in a focused way. Delivered online (with some classroom seminar options) by experienced faculty, these accredited postgraduate programmes cover the latest thinking in business, computing, and education. Running from Sept to Dec 2026, programmes are funded by the Microcredential Learner Fee Subsidy 2026, meaning fees are subsidised up to 80% for all eligible learners.

NCI is delighted to offer a number of microcredentials which are funded by the Microcredential Learner Fee Subsidy 2026 programme:

• Certificate in AI Technologies
• Certificate in Big Data and AI in Business: Strategy and Emerging Trends
• Certificate in Emerging Digital Technologies

Please note that our Certificate in AI Strategy, Governance and Leadership programme was also offered under this initiative, however its funded places have already reached full capacity. Non-funded places are still available.

Why pursue a Microcredential?

Microcredentials offer many benefits to learners. Notably, these programmes are time efficient as learners earn their microcredential in a specific area in a number of weeks. As these programmes are delivered online, ideally, learners will be able to enjoy the flexibility of online learning and fit their studies around work and/or personal life from home.

Microcredentials also allow for natural progression as NCI’s microcredentials are drawn from our postgraduate programmes, so should you decide to progress to a full award, you will get credit for this module. As Microcredentials are developed with industry in mind, learners should find their new skills applicable in relevant areas, while also showing a commitment to development, which will enhance your CV and broaden job opportunities.

As a number of NCI’s Microcredentials are funded by the Microcredential Learner Fee Subsidy 2026 programme, we hope that many learners will be able to benefit from this more affordable pathway to enhance their qualifications and upskill.

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OpenAI’s new EU HQ in Dublin’s Docklands, spanning 88,000 sq. ft., will support a growing workforce, foster collaboration with customers and developers and showcase its technology. With over 100 employees here currently, over the next two years OpenAI will add 250 new roles across GTM (go to market / sales), engineering, user operations, human resources, finance, privacy, legal, corpsec and workplace. The company will relocate to IPUT Real Estate’s Tropical Fruit Warehouse in late 2026.

Since OpenAI first announced that it would locate its EU HQ in Ireland in 2023, the number of ChatGPT users has grown to over 1 million locally. Irish businesses ranging from heritage retailer Lenehans Hardware to global AI orchestration platform Tines use OpenAI technology, whether it’s to code, develop new products, grow revenue or enhance customer service.

Today’s further investment will also ensure the company can build on its ‘OpenAI for Ireland’ programme, focused on helping young builders, start-ups and SMEs gain skills and experience in AI.

“We continue to invest and grow in Ireland as we meet increasing demand across the region. Our new EU headquarters reflects our long-term commitment, helping businesses, developers and communities benefit from our innovation,” said Emma Redmond, Associate General Counsel & Head of OpenAI Ireland.

Welcoming today’s news, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “Ireland’s talent base and strong research ecosystem puts us in a strong position to take advantage of the AI revolution for the benefit of citizens and businesses alike. In a short time, OpenAI has built a talented team which anchored the company here and I am confident today’s commitment and investment will only further OpenAI’s success story in the years to come.”

IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said: “I warmly congratulate OpenAI on today’s announcement of 250 new jobs and the next phase of its growth in Ireland. Artificial intelligence is an increasingly important part of IDA Ireland’s strategy as we work to attract the next generation of technology investment and support companies that are shaping the future of business globally. Ireland’s deep pool of multi-disciplinary tech talent, strong research ecosystem and AI-native expertise make it an ideal location for OpenAI as it continues to scale its European operations from Dublin.”

Niall Gaffney, Chief Executive, IPUT Real Estate said: “OpenAI’s announcement today reflects both the quality of the workplace we have developed at the Tropical Fruit Warehouse and Dublin’s continued strength as a centre for global innovation and technology. We look forward to welcoming the OpenAI team to this fantastic contemporary building in the late Autumn.”

OpenAI’s newly created roles will be available on the company’s career portal at https://openai.com/careers/

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Former World Rally Championship co-driver Killian Duffy has launched a customisable mobile application platform designed to provide professional-grade live streaming and independent digital infrastructure for sports clubs and content creators. Developed in partnership with Ross Kernan of RKM Software, the project represents a €200,000 self-funded investment.

The platform was engineered to allow organisations and independent creators to build, scale, and monetise their own sustainable brands away from the technical friction and data-retention limits of mainstream social networks.

Duffy, a secondary school teacher from Mayo who left education in 2009 to pursue a professional motorsport career, won multiple rallies in the Middle East and competed at World Championship level. In 2010, he founded On The Pace Note, which became a major digital rally coverage provider in Ireland and the UK, expanding its reach to 82,000 Facebook followers and 3,500 paid subscribers.

Despite the commercial footprint, the operational constraints of third-party social platforms – specifically the restriction to a single simultaneous livestream and a policy that deletes video assets after 30 days – prompted the development of an independent infrastructure.

“Relying on third-party networks meant operating within restrictive algorithms and external data policies,” explained Killian Duffy, Founder of On The Pace Note.

“When a platform deletes video content after 30 days, a creator or a club loses their historical archive and their hard-earned media equity. We built this platform to give data ownership back to creators and sporting bodies, allowing them to harness a sustainable platform of their own to scale their brands. By removing the requirement for fragmented third-party software and large production crews, the operational cost of broadcasting is reduced by up to 90%.”

The platform utilises white-label architecture, enabling individual sporting bodies, such as GAA or rugby clubs, as well as digital media creators, to deploy bespoke, branded applications on iOS and Android. The software simplifies the broadcasting workflow so that a single operator can manage a multi-camera or multi-stage stream, making local fixtures or niche entertainment content accessible to a global audience via a secure digital portal.

“In a sporting context, this allows organisations to broadcast matches at any competitive level, maintaining a direct digital link with international supporters and diaspora communities without requiring commercial broadcast contracts. In the same way, content creators can easily reach their target audience at any time,” Duffy continued.

To support the high-bandwidth requirements of live sports, the platform bypasses cross-platform development frameworks in favour of fully native iOS applications built in Swift, and Android applications built in Kotlin. The technical backend is hosted on enterprise-grade AWS EC2 Linux instances, running PHP 8.4 and the Laravel framework, integrated with an Inertia.js frontend layer for a fast, Single Page Application user experience.

Broadcast delivery is managed via Amazon Interactive Video Service for ultra-low latency, alongside AWS MediaConvert for multi-quality video transcoding. Global content delivery is routed through Amazon CloudFront to prevent regional buffering, while historical archiving is sustained indefinitely via Amazon S3 storage.

Beyond video transmission, the white-label application operates as a centralised digital administration hub. It integrates a secure Stripe payment gateway featuring daily data exports, establishing immediate cash flow for clubs and creators managing digital subscriptions, virtual ticketing, club lotteries, membership renewals, or merchandising.

According to Duffy, the direct integration removes payment processing delays, allowing users to convert their media output into immediate working capital. In addition, the permanent storage structure ensures a sports club, for instance, can retain historical footage of all athletes from their underage debuts through to senior levels, and beyond.

The platform is fully operational, with the On The Pace Note flagship application currently live and delivering streams to motorsport fans. Duffy is currently finalising the architecture for a Phase 2 rollout, which will integrate automated AI camera tracking directly into the platform to eliminate manual filming requirements.

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Increasing tax relief at source can help more people

The Insurance Ireland Pre-Budget 2027 submission says private health insurance is among the most valued products in the Irish market, with over 2.4 million policyholders reliant on its cover. Tax Relief at Source is important with regard to affordability and sustainability of the market, however its effectiveness has diminished over time. Insurance Ireland recommends a phased increase in the cap from €1,000 to €1,500 per adult in Budget 2027, which will support affordability, ensure continued market participation and support policyholders manage the impact of rising premiums.

Insurance Ireland believes the Government’s proposed PIA is a welcome advancement and one that Insurance Ireland has actively campaigned for. While we appreciate work is ongoing regarding its structure, ensuring it is simple, accessible and tax-efficient will be imperative to its success. The insurance sector is uniquely positioned to support the delivery of the PIA and strongly recommends that Government ensures an adequate framework to encourage consumer participation and guarantees a level playing field where all market participants including insurers can be involved.

In light of the PIA, Insurance Ireland is also calling for Government to review regulation and taxation of life assurance and investment products and equalise the tax treatment for financial products with similar objectives. By equalising taxes such as the Life Assurance Exit Tax (LAET), Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT), as well as repealing the 1% Life Assurance Levy and the eight-year deemed disposal rule, Government can achieve its stated aim of stimulating long-term savings and investments while also encouraging consumer participation in retail markets.

Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Insurance Ireland, said: “2026 marks a milestone for Insurance Ireland as we celebrate 40 years since the foundation of our federation. At that time, Ireland’s insurance industry comprised just 18 member firms, serving a small, open economy that was navigating profound economic and social change. Today, Ireland is the fourth largest insurance hub in the European Union and is one of the most important reinsurance centres, employing over 43,000 people.

It is important that Ireland’s policies create the conditions for continued success in driving a competitive insurance market and continuing to build our international insurance base. Changing geopolitical dynamics and global uncertainty have underpinned much of this year, which has seen a shift to maintaining resilience, stability and ensuring opportunities for growth remain intact.

Ireland’s insurance industry remains resilient. It contributes approximately €3 billion annually to the Exchequer, manages over €300 billion in policyholder assets and paid approximately €74 billion in claims in 2024, supporting households, business and communities at moments of vulnerability. The industry is key in ensuring consumers can be protected while also developing their financial security and future wealth.

Insurance Ireland’s Pre-Budget 2027 submission is grounded in this experience and ambition. It provides recommendations to address the demands ahead while pointing to opportunities to further growth and wealth creation for Irish consumers.”

Insurance Ireland’s Pre Budget 2027 submission – Key Points

Life and Pensions Reform:

Introduce an Irish Personal Investment Account with insurers as recognised providers

Increase retail investor participation and mobilise household savings into productive investment through a simple, accessible and tax-efficient Irish Personal Investment Account.

Equalise the taxation treatment of financial products with similar objectives – Stimulate long-term savings and investments and encourage participation in retail markets by equalising Life Assurance Exit Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax and removing penalising 1% Life Assurance Levy.

Recognise the Role of Occupational and Personal Pensions in Supporting Adequate and Sustainable Retirement Outcomes – Complement Auto-Enrolment with targeted policy measures designed to address structural inequalities.

Pragmatic Implementation of the Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill and Access to Mortgage Protection Insurance – Work with life insurers to develop a more structured and systematic approach to the use of waiver provisions that will support consumers progress mortgage applications.

Implement recommended changes to Standard Fund Threshold – Make necessary changes to SFT regime as recommended in Dr de Buitléir report.

General Insurance Reform:

Support the industry proposal for a Flood Adaptation Scheme and a Sustainable Flood Insurance Fund – Support property owners implement preventative measures tailored to their individual circumstances, reducing overall flood risk and enhancing insurability.
Reform frequency and process for reviewing personal injury claims award guidelines – Establish a clear, transparent and rules-based process for the periodic review of award levels and embed regular benchmarking against UK and European jurisdictions to ensure Ireland does not diverge from international norms.

Introduce meaningful control over legal costs – Improve affordability to maintain discipline in damages and award levels and address the persistent challenge of high legal costs in litigated personal injury claims.

Health Insurance Reform:

Increase the Cap on Tax Relief at Source for Private Health Insurance – Implement a phased increase in the TRS cap to €1,500 per adult in Budget 2027 to help restore the value of the relief, ensure a greater proportion of premiums benefit from tax support and reinforce the role of TRS.
Enhance Young Adult Participation in Private Health Insurance – Create targeted policy measures to improve affordability, encourage continuity of cover and contribute to the long-term stability of the market.

Support Corporate Private Health Insurance as a Driver of FDI Competitiveness – Maintain a competitive and sustainable corporate PHI offering for businesses and Ireland’s broader economic strategy and FDI competitiveness.

Remove Benefit in Kind for Dental Plans – Expand dental coverage for Irish workers and their families by eliminating the Benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax on corporate-paid dental insurance benefits.

International (Re)insurance and EU Policy Reform:

Build a one-stop-shop inward-investment proposition by leveraging Ireland’s EU and Trade Platform – Develop a coordinated “one-stop-shop” inward investment proposition to ensure

Ireland remains a destination of choice for global insurers.

Progress regulatory simplification and reduction of administrative burden – Identify ways to proportionally simplify and consolidate legislation, without inhibiting competitiveness or innovation, exploiting benefits of scale offered by Single Market.

Adjust the European Commission’s proposal on securitisation to allow the participation of the Irish (re)insurance market – Further refine and engage at EU level to amend internal model and minimum size requirements in Commission proposal.

Participation Exemption for Branches – Introduce participation exemption for branches allowing reduction in complexity, administrative burden and cost of doing business, and continues to build on Ireland’s attractiveness as an international insurance hub.

Cross Sectoral Reform

Reform of Benefit-in-Kind Treatment for Professional Subscriptions – Support the maintenance of a highly skilled, competent and professional workforce within Ireland’s (re)insurance sector to enable continued competitiveness.

Develop Talent, Skills and Financial Literacy to Support Sector Competitiveness – Recognise talent, skills development and financial literacy as strategic enablers of insurance reform, competitiveness and resilience.

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The paper, Secure Connections: Ireland’s Digital Infrastructure and the Resilience of European Connectivity, finds that Ireland’s position as a gateway for transatlantic and European data flows means the resilience of its digital infrastructure is now a matter of strategic importance extending well beyond the State.

Digital Resilience trends to watch

With approximately 75% of transatlantic cables passing through or near Irish waters, and increasing reliance on telecommunications networks, data centres, cloud infrastructure and emerging satellite technologies, the paper argues that resilience must be treated as a strategic national priority and supported through long-term policy, investment and collaboration between Government and industry.

The paper, co-authored by Cian Fitzgerald, Senior Researcher, and Dr Barry Colfer, Director of Research at the IIEA, in partnership with Vodafone Ireland, follows a series of high-level roundtable discussions involving former ministers, senior government officials, telecommunications providers, regulators, infrastructure operators, security experts and academics.

The paper and recommendations will be presented at a symposium, organised in partnership with Vodafone Ireland at the company’s headquarters on Thursday, 23 July. Feargal Ó Coigligh, Secretary General of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, will deliver a keynote address.

While highlighting the growing range of risks facing critical digital infrastructure – including cyberattacks, geopolitical tensions, supply chain vulnerabilities and extreme weather events – the research concludes that resilience depends not only on protecting infrastructure from disruption, but also on creating the conditions for continued investment, innovation and the development of future digital networks. A recurring theme throughout the roundtables was that regulatory complexity had outpaced the capacity of the State to manage it effectively.

Among the report recommendations are:

• Establishing a clearer framework for sharing resilience responsibilities between the State and industry, including consideration of a ‘resilience tax credit’ to support private sector investment in security and resilience measures.
• Providing greater long-term certainty on spectrum policy* to encourage continued investment in network capability, resilience and security.
• Establishing a new agency responsible for space as digital infrastructure can no longer be understood in purely terrestrial or subsea terms.
• Ensuring national security and resilience considerations are reflected in judicial review reform for strategic infrastructure.
• Accelerating the creation of a national security clearance system to improve information-sharing between Government and industry.
• Conducting regular joint crisis exercises and simulations to strengthen preparedness for cyberattacks, sabotage and extreme weather events.

Commenting on the findings, Cian Fitzgerald, Senior Researcher at the IIEA and co-author of the report, said:
“Ireland’s digital infrastructure now plays a critical role in connecting Europe to the wider world. The networks, cables, data centres and cloud systems located here underpin economic activity, public services and communications far beyond Ireland’s borders.”

“Our research highlights the need for a more structured partnership between Government and industry to strengthen resilience. As the threat environment becomes more complex, resilience must be supported through long-term investment, improved information-sharing and a shared understanding of risk.”

The report also highlights concerns regarding growing exposure to hybrid threats, the concentration of cloud services among a limited number of providers, and regulatory and planning barriers that can delay investment in resilience and redundancy.

Speaking at the report launch, Sabrina Casalta, CEO, Vodafone Ireland, said:
“Ireland sits at the heart of Europe’s digital connectivity, making the resilience of its communications infrastructure a strategic issue not just for Ireland but for Europe. As the Irish government consider the future of digital connectivity infrastructure through initiatives such as the Digital Networks Act and the Cybersecurity Act, it is essential that resilience, competitiveness and investment are recognised as mutually reinforcing objectives. The recommendations in this report provide a valuable contribution to that discussion and highlight the importance of closer collaboration between Government, regulators and industry to strengthen Ireland’s long-term resilience.”

Dr Orlaigh Quinn, Interim Director General of the IIEA, said:
“As Ireland’s importance within Europe’s digital ecosystem continues to grow, so too does the need for informed public debate and practical policy solutions. This research, led by the IIEA in partnership with its member, Vodafone Ireland, makes a valuable contribution to that discussion and highlights why resilience must now be understood as a core element of both national and European security.”

The report concludes that safeguarding telecommunications and digital infrastructure will be essential to maintaining economic security, public services and national resilience in the years ahead, requiring sustained collaboration between Government and industry and a long-term commitment to investment in secure and resilient connectivity.

Secure Connections: Ireland’s Digital Infrastructure and the Resilience of European Connectivity is available to download on the IIEA website here.

Notes  = *Spectrum is the invisible infrastructure that allows mobile phones and wireless devices to connect to networks for calls, texts and data.

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This month I got an unusually large bill from Google.

What happened was embarrassing and, in retrospect, almost comically preventable. I had a Google API key that was public by design, the kind that lives openly in frontend code. Totally normal. Architecturally expected. What was not expected: someone on my team had also quietly enabled Gemini API access on the same project. Paid API. Turns out there are people running continuous automated scanners looking for exactly this combination. Well, they found it before I did. The budget alert from Google arrived hours after the damage had already compounded into something significant.

Google Support compensated about 75% after some back and forth. The rest had to come out of my pocket. And the infuriating part is I am far from alone. Search LinkedIn right now and you will find dozens of people with the same story, same timeline, same Google alert that arrived too late.

The Agent Key Problem Nobody Is Naming

Here is the thing I actually want to talk about, because the Google bill is just the entry point.

Every time you ask an AI agent to do something real in the world, configure Cloudflare, SSH into a server, push to a repo, hit an external API, you hand it a credential. That credential goes somewhere. Chat history. ENV file. Project context. And from every one of those places it can walk out the door.

I used to paste API keys directly into chat windows. I know exactly how that sounds. The honest version: it felt completely natural because the workflow made it natural. Agent needs a key. I have the key. Done. I did not think of it as a security decision because it did not feel like one.

The problem is not only what you do with your own keys. Sometimes the threat arrives through a package you have been trusting for years.

On March 31, 2026, attackers took over the npm account of Axios lead maintainer jasonsaayman through a social engineering campaign and published two backdoored versions (1.14.1 and 0.30.4) containing a hidden dependency called plain-crypto-js. Axios has over 100 million weekly downloads. It is in virtually every JavaScript project that exists. For two hours and 54 minutes, running npm install axios meant receiving a cross-platform Remote Access Trojan that silently pulled credentials off the machine, established a backdoor, and then deleted itself. Wiz researchers watched the attackers validate stolen credentials within hours using TruffleHog, then fan out across AWS services: IAM, EC2, Lambda, S3, Secrets Manager. Two hours and fifty-four minutes. That is it.

That npm install could have been a developer doing routine maintenance. Could equally have been an agent running a dependency update as part of a larger task, at 2am, with nobody watching. The package had been trusted for years. Your agent had no reason to question it. Neither did you.

For me personally the blast radius would have been ugly: SSH keys to client infrastructure, Cloudflare, GitHub, GitLab, platform credentials across a dozen services. One key out and the question stops being whether damage happens. It becomes how fast it spreads before anyone notices.

So What Do You Actually Do

No checklist makes this problem disappear. I want to say that first because every article about security implies that following the steps fixes it, and it does not.

That said, some things genuinely reduce the risk.

• IP restrictions are the most underused control available. Most serious API providers, Cloudflare, AWS, GCP, Google, let you tie a key to specific IP addresses or trusted subnets. A key that only works from your production server’s IP is not worthless if it leaks. A key that works from any IP on earth is a loaded weapon someone else can pick up. It takes fifteen minutes to configure. Most people never do it. I did not, until I paid for not doing it.
• Spending caps: set them low. Not at your actual budget ceiling. The Google alert that arrived after my bill had already compounded is not an alert, it is a receipt. I now set thresholds at roughly 20% of expected spend. Annoying to adjust occasionally. Much less annoying than a four-figure surprise.
• Key expiry is the one I am genuinely worst at. (Every time I grant a key for a one-off task I tell myself I will revoke it afterward. Three months later it is still live and I have completely forgotten it exists. I know this about myself and I still do it.) The discipline is simple: keys for one task die after that task. Standing access accumulates invisibly and gets exploited precisely because nobody remembers it is there.

The deeper architectural fix, and the one that actually addresses the agent-specific risk, is building a setup where the agent never holds the key at all. It requests a credential, something trusted injects it directly into the outgoing call, and the value never appears anywhere: not in chat history, not in logs, not in ENV files. Hardware-backed storage like Apple’s Secure Enclave takes this further still: encrypted at the chip level, unreachable even if the machine is compromised at the software layer. The attack surface does not go to zero but it gets close.

The axios attack was live for under three hours. The agent that ran npm install during that window was doing nothing wrong. What decided the outcome was what was sitting behind the keys it had access to.

Iaroslav Belkin is the founder of Belkin Marketing, a strategic intelligence firm executing mission-critical engagements for AI, deep tech and frontier technology companies. Strategic partnerships, international expansion, executive positioning, VVIP events and access to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

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Cash-Only Hospitality Businesses Risk Losing Customers as Digital Payments Become the Norm

Square’s research reveals cash accounts for just one in five in-store transactions, down from nearly four in five a decade ago, as digital payments rise

Nearly two in five (37%) of Irish consumers primarily pay with a physical card and more than a third (34%) use a mobile wallet

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of under-25s say their phone has replaced their physical wallet

Four in five payments in Ireland go cashless

New research from Square’s Tap, Pay, Walk Away: How Ireland Pays in 2026 report has found just one in five Irish adults (20%) now mainly uses cash for in-store payments, down from a cash share of 79% of all point-of-sale transactions in 2016, according to ECB.

The report, based on a survey of 1,200 Irish adults conducted by Amárach Research, found that Ireland’s payments landscape has changed dramatically. Today, 37% of Irish consumers primarily pay with a physical debit card and 34% use a mobile wallet. For younger consumers the shift is even more pronounced, with 73% of under-25s saying their phone has replaced their physical wallet.

Critically, most people are no longer carrying emergency cash. When asked what they would do if their favourite local café could not accept a card payment for a €4.50 coffee, fewer than half (43%) said they always carry cash for situations like that. For the majority, a cash-only policy means a lost sale.

The impact is sharpest among younger customers: nearly half (47%) of 18-24 year olds have experienced a payment refusal in-store in the past six months: the demographic most likely to walk out or go somewhere else.

Marc Bereen, owner of Coppinger in Dublin, said: “At Coppinger, we pride ourselves on making customers feel welcome from the moment they walk in and accepting digital payments is part of that. We’ve noticed a real decline in customers paying with cash over the past few years, and since integrating Square into our payments setup, we’ve been able to serve a much wider customer base.

“Technology plays a big role in the customer experience now, and keeping up with the latest tech is as important as anything else we do. Whether someone wants to tap their card or use their phone, we don’t want the way they pay to be a barrier. It’s a small thing that makes a real difference.”

John O’Beirne, CEO of Square International, said: “Irish consumers expect seamless, modern and flexible payment options that are convenient and fit their lives. For hospitality businesses, where every sale matters, not being able to accept a customer’s preferred payment method is a preventable loss. The data is clear: cash is no longer king but this problem is easily solved, and the cost to businesses of not acting is growing.”

Square also surveyed 275 small and medium-sized businesses across retail, hospitality and main street services. While the vast majority accept both digital and cash payments, a gap exists between what sellers believe their customers experience and what consumers actually report. Only 15% of businesses said customers had asked for a payment method they do not currently offer, yet 34% of consumers said they had tried to pay somewhere that did not accept their preferred method.

Square recommends that hospitality businesses plan for the continued decline in cash usage and ensure they are equipped to accept card and mobile wallet payments as standard, while keeping cash available for customers who still need it.

The full report, Tap, Pay, Walk Away: How Ireland Pays in 2026, is available here.

The Square Tap, Pay, Walk Away report is based on two studies by Amárach Research, conducted in December 2025: an online survey of 1,200 Irish adults representative of the total population, and a telephone and online survey of 275 SME decision-makers in retail, hospitality and main street services.

About Square

Square helps businesses turn transactions into connections and businesses into neighbourhood favourites.

In 2009, Square started with a simple invention — the first mobile card reader, which changed how the entire financial system thinks about small businesses. Square has since grown into a global business platform helping millions of sellers of all sizes participate and thrive in their communities.

From point of sale and payments to online commerce, staff management, and more, Square brings together the tools sellers need to run and grow on one intelligent platform. For more information, visit squareup.com

Squareup International Limited, trading as Square, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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This limitation has driven the development of methods that incorporate external physical processes to introduce genuine unpredictability. Such approaches find application across many domains of information technology, including cryptographic key generation and simulations, as well as in systems designed to produce independent outcomes such as those involving slots.

The pursuit of true randomness therefore sits at the intersection of physics, materials science, and computer engineering, where the goal is to harvest entropy from the physical world rather than invent it through pure calculation.

Broader Implications for Computing Infrastructure

Most everyday software uses pseudo-random number generators that produce sequences statistically similar to randomness but determined by an initial seed and a specific algorithm. Examples include the middle square method and the Mersenne Twister, which has a very long period. Since the process is algorithmic and the seed can be recovered, these generators are not suitable for high-security needs but are adequate for many statistical and non-critical uses.

The quiet science of randomness underpins far more than isolated security modules. Secure communications, key generation, unique identifiers in distributed systems, Monte Carlo simulations, and certain forms of algorithmic fairness all depend on sources of unpredictability that cannot be reverse-engineered.

As computing platforms become more interconnected and as threats grow in sophistication, the quality of the underlying entropy pool becomes a foundational reliability concern rather than an afterthought. Research continues into novel physical sources, including materials that exhibit controllable stochastic behaviour at low power and into methods for distributing public randomness beacons that multiple parties can trust without centralised control.

Irish technology and engineering communities contribute to this landscape through work on electronic systems and related research and development. Similar attention appears across the wider coverage of innovation and infrastructure. The engineering challenge remains the same whether the randomness is required for cryptographic protocols, scientific computation, or other digital processes that must remain free of hidden patterns.

By grounding number generation in measurable physical entropy rather than pure algorithmic invention, the field ensures the outputs retain the fundamental property of unpredictability that deterministic machines alone cannot supply.

Physical Phenomena That Supply Entropy

True random number generators address the predictability problem by measuring unpredictable physical events. Common entropy sources include thermal noise arising from the random motion of electrons in resistors, shot noise produced by the discrete arrival of photons or electrons, circuit timing jitter, and atmospheric radio noise. Quantum mechanical processes offer still stronger guarantees of unpredictability because the outcome of certain measurements cannot be predetermined even in principle.

Early scientific efforts to capture physical randomness date back to Francis Galton, who in 1890 constructed a mechanical device for generating random digits, and to the RAND Corporation, which in 1947 began operating an electronic roulette wheel that sampled a high-frequency pulse source once per second to fill tables of random numbers.

Modern hardware implementations embed these principles in compact silicon devices. A typical design amplifies a noise signal, feeds it through a comparator to produce a stream of bits, and then applies conditioning functions to remove residual bias. Quantum optical designs count photons arriving at a detector, while some research devices exploit metastable material states or spin crossovers to generate conductance fluctuations that pass rigorous statistical tests.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology maintains detailed recommendations for entropy sources and random bit generator constructions in its SP 800 90 series, ensuring that the harvested entropy meets quantifiable quality thresholds before it is used downstream.

Standards Validation and Practical Construction

Because raw physical noise is rarely perfectly uniform, practical systems combine a true entropy source with a deterministic random bit generator. The entropy source continuously injects fresh unpredictability while the deterministic component stretches that entropy into the large volumes of bits required by applications.

NIST Special Publication 800 90B defines health tests and estimation procedures that an entropy source must satisfy, and SP 800 90A specifies approved deterministic mechanisms based on hash functions or block ciphers. The more recent SP 800 90C, published in 2025, brings these elements together into complete random bit generator constructions that can be validated under cryptographic module programmes.

Validation is essential because subtle failures in seeding or entropy estimation have historically compromised systems. The 2008 Debian OpenSSL incident reduced the effective key space to a few tens of thousands of values for nearly two years, while the Dual EC DRBG controversy illustrated how a deterministic generator with hidden structure could undermine security.

Continuous statistical testing suites such as those described in NIST SP 800 22 help detect deviations from expected randomness properties before deployment. In environments that demand high assurance, the combination of hardware entropy, continuous health monitoring, and approved deterministic expansion remains the accepted engineering practice.

The programme marks a significant expansion to TEKenable’s partnership model, introducing a structured framework for working with cloud providers, independent software vendors (ISVs), academic institutions and delivery partners. By strengthening existing relationships and initiating new collaborations, TEKenable aims to accelerate joint go-to-market activity and drive co-innovation. This will help it to deliver greater value for businesses using transformation to drive profitable growth and make tangible efficiency gains.

The 30 new roles will span project management, business analysis and software engineering, reflecting the breadth of skills required to meet growing demand for cloud, AI, automation and related services. This will bring the total number of TEKenable employees from 200 to more than 230 by mid-2027.

TEKenable provides end-to-end cloud technologies that help organisations to modernise, automate and scale their operations. Partnering with TEKenable gives organisations access to a highly certified Microsoft Solutions Partner with deep expertise in developing mission-critical enterprise applications, enabling faster and lower-risk digital transformation.

The company recently renewed its Microsoft AI Platform on Azure Advanced Specialisation accreditation, reinforcing its position as a trusted Microsoft partner. Additionally, TEKenable is continuing to invest in its Salesforce expertise. It is a Salesforce consulting and implementation partner, helping organisations to transform sales, customer service, field operations, marketing and business processes through the Salesforce platform.

To lead the programme, TEKenable has appointed Kieran Kenefick as Head of Partnerships. In this role, he will focus on building and scaling strategic alliances that support revenue growth and customer outcomes, while strengthening relationships across cloud ecosystems and the wider partner community. Kenefick brings more than 15 years of experience in SaaS and ERP solutions, having worked across SAP, Oracle and Microsoft environments.

Kieran Kenefick, Head of Partnerships, TEKenable, said: “Partnerships are becoming increasingly important as organisations look for more outcome-focused technology solutions. This programme is about building strategic relationships that allow us to deliver greater value for customers across cloud, AI, automation and enterprise applications. As this gains momentum, it will require us to grow our team in tandem, ensuring the expansion of our service offerings comes with the same promise of consistent delivery.

“There is significant opportunity to deepen collaboration across cloud ecosystems as well as with specialist technology providers and academic institutions. By formalising our partnership strategy, we are creating a stronger framework for innovation, joint go-to-market opportunities, and long-term growth for both TEKenable and our partners.”

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Based on hiring data for the first half of 2026, recruitment activity has remained resilient, with the number of job advertisements consistent with the same period in 2025, particularly across sectors experiencing ongoing skills shortages including Manufacturing, Engineering and Financial Services.

The demand for workplace flexibility continues

The findings are consistent with latest data from The Central Statistics Office (CSO), which reported an unemployment rate of 5.0% in June 2026, up slightly from 4.6% a year earlier. Despite the increase, an unemployment rate of around 5% is still considered close to full employment.

One of the clearest indicators of changing employer behaviour is the decline in roles filled after a single interview. According to Matrix Recruitment’s data, the proportion of positions filled after just one interview fell from 31% in the first half of 2025 to 21% during the same period this year, suggesting employers are placing greater emphasis on assessing long-term fit before making hiring decisions.

Breda Dooley, Head of Recruitment at Matrix Recruitment, said employers are investing more time in selecting the right people, particularly for permanent positions.
“Employers are taking a more strategic approach to recruitment. They’re looking beyond immediate skills and experience to find candidates who will add long-term value to their organisations,” Breda explained. “As a result, we’re seeing more structured, multi-stage interview processes, particularly for permanent roles.”

Despite more rigorous recruitment processes, hiring decisions are being made more efficiently. Matrix Recruitment’s data shows the average time to fill a permanent role has fallen from 59.5 days to 54.9 days year-on-year.

“Although interview processes have become more thorough, employers are moving faster once they identify the right candidate,” Breda added. “Better workforce planning and greater clarity around hiring needs are helping organisations reduce the hiring process without compromising on the quality of their recruitment decisions.”

The report also highlights growing demand for flexible workforce solutions. Matrix Recruitment recorded a 12% increase in temporary vacancies during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, while temporary payroll placements increased by almost 10%.
“While permanent hiring decisions are becoming more deliberate, many organisations are simultaneously using temporary and contract talent to maintain agility in an uncertain economic environment,” Breda said.

Candidate expectations continue to evolve

Candidates are also becoming more selective about new opportunities, with workplace flexibility emerging as a key priority. A recent LinkedIn poll conducted by Matrix Recruitment found that flexible working ranked as the most important consideration for respondents when looking for a new role (37%), marginally ahead of salary and benefits (36%).

“Candidates are evaluating employers just as carefully as employers are evaluating them,” Breda said. “This is why clear communication, transparency around job responsibilities, salaries and benefits and an efficient recruitment process have become critical to securing top talent.”
Recruiters are also seeing candidates raise salary expectations much earlier in the recruitment process, reflecting growing demand for greater pay transparency and enabling candidates to assess opportunities more quickly.

Demand for hybrid working continues to shape recruitment outcomes. According to Matrix Recruitment’s application data, full-time, office-based roles are receiving up to 40% fewer applications than comparable positions offering hybrid working arrangements.
“Hybrid working is no longer considered a perk; it has become a core component of a competitive employment offering,” Breda said. “Employers that fail to recognise this shift in candidate expectations are likely to face increasing challenges in attracting and retaining skilled professionals.”

As competition for skilled talent continues, the findings suggest employers that combine competitive remuneration, workplace flexibility and a transparent, efficient recruitment process will be best positioned to attract and retain the people they need.

About Matrix Recruitment

Matrix Recruitment is a leading regional recruitment firm with offices in Waterford, Carlow and Athlone. Established in 1998, the firm specialises in Financial Services, Accountancy, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality & Laboratory, Supply Chain, HR, Office Support, and Sales & Marketing.

For more information visit www.matrixrecruitment.ie.

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University of Galway has celebrated the achievements of student innovators at its newly reimagined Start With Us awards, recognising outstanding commercial and social innovation ideas developed over the past six weeks.

Start With Us incubator awards

A flagship incubator programme, delivered by IdeasLab at University of Galway, Start With Us supports students through two pathways – Start100 for commercial innovation and SoStart for social innovation with 10 student teams developing early-stage ideas into solutions with the potential to make a lasting difference to communities, industries and society.

The Start100 Commercial Innovation Award was presented to Katie Browne from Galway city, for Native Matcha, a matcha-based drink that provides a natural, sustained source of energy as an alternative to traditional caffeinated beverages.

The inaugural So Start Social Innovation Award was presented to Galway local Caoimhe Ní Dhochartaigh, for Catch, a social enterprise supporting adolescent mental health through circus-based programmes that use movement, creativity and community to build confidence, resilience and wellbeing.

The WestBIC One to Watch Award went to DripIQ, founded by Tanushree Yadav and Reena Babu, and Kishor Shirsat, all from India. DripIQ is a smart, low-cost clip-on device that improves IV flow accuracy and detects empty IV bags, helping enhance patient care while reducing workload for healthcare staff.

2026 also saw the addition of an Audience Choice Award which recognised SkillSwap, founded by John Hyland, from Galway city, for its approach to strengthening intergenerational connections by developing a platform for people to connect to share practical skills, knowledge and life experience.

Dr Natalie Walsh, Director of Entrepreneurial Development at University of Galway, said: “Five years ago, we launched our student incubator with a simple ambition, to give students the confidence to explore an idea. Today, we are celebrating much more than winning pitches. We are celebrating a community of student innovators who have gone on to create businesses, social enterprises, jobs and real impact.  The introduction of dedicated commercial and social innovation pathways reflects our belief that innovation creates value in many ways. Whether our students are launching businesses, developing social enterprises or becoming innovators within existing organisations, they are learning how to identify opportunities, work collaboratively and create meaningful change. That is something we are incredibly proud of.”

Start With Us provides students with the opportunity to explore, test and develop ideas through human-centred design, customer discovery, mentoring and real-world engagement. Working alongside industry, community organisations, users and mentors, participants explored ideas through human-centred design, customer discovery and real-world engagement, testing assumptions, refining solutions and developing skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking.

Now in its fifth year, the incubator has become an important part of University of Galway’s student innovation programme, supporting students to turn ideas into businesses and social enterprises. Since its launch, the programme has supported 62 student innovators; contributed more than €3 million to the economy; supported the creation of more than 60 jobs. Alumni have gone on to establish companies, develop social enterprises, secure investment, join national accelerator programmes and pursue innovator careers.

The final brought together leaders from across Ireland’s innovation ecosystem, with representatives from Atlantic Bridge, Enterprise Ireland, WestBIC, Fairstone Ireland and An Mheitheal Rothar serving on the judging panel to evaluate the students’ ideas and share their expertise.

Dr Walsh added: “The ideas we’ve seen over the past six weeks demonstrate the creativity and ambition of our students. While some ventures will become businesses and others social enterprises, every participant has developed the confidence and skills to identify opportunities, solve problems and create positive impact. That’s what Start With Us is all about.”

The University also acknowledged the continued support of Rethink Ireland, Ulster Bank, Fairstone and WestBIC, whose support enables students to explore ambitious ideas while building the skills and confidence to bring them forward.

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• 62% of Irish adults identify fuel costs as one of the biggest financial pressures associated with owning and running a car
• Almost one in three (31%) would consider replacing a household car with car sharing if a vehicle was available within a five-minute walk of home
• GoCar reports app downloads up 10.8%, first-time users up 7.1% and trips up 8.5% in the first half of 2026
• To mark National Car Share Day today, GoCar is offering one hour of free driving for new customers using the promo code CARSHARE26 and double loyalty points for existing members

July 24th is National Car Share Day

More Irish motorists are reconsidering the cost of owning a car as rising fuel, insurance and maintenance costs drive growing interest in flexible alternatives such as car sharing, according to new research commissioned by GoCar ahead of National Car Share Day on Friday, 24 July.

The nationally representative iReach survey found that 62% of Irish adults identify fuel costs as one of the biggest financial pressures associated with owning and running a car, while 61% identify insurance as one of the biggest financial pressures associated with owning and running a car. The research also found that almost one in three (31%) Irish adults would consider replacing a household car with car sharing if a vehicle was available within a five-minute walk of their home, highlighting growing openness to alternatives to private car ownership. More than half (53%) also agree that the Government should introduce tax incentives to encourage people to use car-sharing services instead of owning a second car, where practical.

The findings reflect a broader shift in consumer behaviour that GoCar is already seeing across its network. The company estimates that its service has helped remove approximately 90,000 private vehicles from Irish roads, reflecting the growing role of shared mobility across Ireland.

During the first half of 2026, GoCar recorded a 10.8% increase in app downloads, while first-time users increased by 7.1%, trip volumes grew by 8.5%, and its average monthly active fleet expanded by 8.3%, compared with the same period last year.

The latest customer insights also show that 47% of GoCar users say freedom from ongoing costs such as insurance, motor tax, fuel and servicing is their primary reason for choosing car sharing, highlighting the growing appeal of access over ownership as household budgets remain under pressure.

Previous GoCar Index research found that privately owned cars spend 92% of their time parked, while 60% of GoCar users said they would purchase a private vehicle if car sharing wasn’t available, highlighting the role shared mobility can play in reducing unnecessary car ownership, easing congestion and supporting Ireland’s climate ambitions.

Joe Quirke, Head of GoCar, said:

“The cost of owning and running a car continues to rise, and we’re seeing more people question whether owning a vehicle full-time makes financial sense for their lifestyle.

“More and more people are choosing access over ownership because it gives them the flexibility to drive when they need to, without the ongoing costs of insurance, tax, servicing and maintenance. The continued growth we’re seeing across GoCar reflects that shift in consumer behaviour.

“The research highlights the financial pressures many households are facing and shows that more people are open to alternatives to traditional car ownership. As Ireland looks at ways to reduce transport emissions while easing pressure on household finances, car sharing has an increasingly important role to play.

“National Car Share Day is about encouraging more people to experience those benefits for themselves. Whether you’re already a member or trying GoCar for the first time, it’s a great opportunity to discover a smarter, more affordable way to get around.”

To mark National Car Share Day on Friday, 24 July, GoCar is offering double loyalty points for existing members and one hour of free driving for new customers who use the promo code CARSHARE26, giving more people the opportunity to experience the benefits of car sharing firsthand. On 1 August, GoCar will also celebrate 13 years since launching in Dublin, having grown from a local service into a nationwide car-sharing network.

• Research was conducted by iReach in July 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Irish adults aged 18 and over.
• Supporting consumer behaviour statistics are taken from the GoCar Index 2025.
• National Car Share Day takes place on Friday, 24 July 2026.
• GoCar will offer double loyalty points for existing members and one hour of free driving for new customers using the promo code CARSHARE26 on National Car Share Day.

About GoCar

Established in 2013, GoCar is Ireland’s leading car-sharing service, operating a fleet of more than 1,200 vehicles nationwide. Designed to provide the freedom of car ownership without the associated costs and responsibilities, GoCar offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative to owning a private vehicle.

Vehicles can be booked through the GoCar app, unlocked using a smartphone and returned to the same designated location at the end of each trip.

For more information, visit www.gocar.ie.

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The initiative, supported by J2 Interactive, a technology consultancy specialising in enterprise modernisation To find out more about this and it’s potential impact across Ireland I spoke to Colm Scannell, Chadwicks’ IT director and Paul Cranston, J2 Director of Professional Services. 

Colm and Paul talk to me about their backgrounds, modernising Chadwick’s IT, legacy systems and more.

More about Chadwicks AccuPRO:

For more than 40 years, Accustar served as the backbone of Chadwicks’ operations, embedding decades of proven business logic and invaluable institutional knowledge. However, its terminal-based “green screen” interface could no longer meet modern requirements for usability, scalability, cloud readiness, or device independence, and onboarding new employees was time-consuming and costly.

Chadwicks faced a critical challenge shared by many long-established enterprises: how to modernise a mission-critical system without losing the intellectual capital built into it or disrupting day-to-day business. The solution was AccuPRO, a web-enabled, cloud-hosted ERP designed to support Chadwicks’ continued leadership and growth in the builders’ merchant sector, while dramatically boosting back office and branch team user experiences.

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New Helios Platform  to Accelerate AI Factory Deployment

The new reference design is the first ever developed to support high-density AI workloads on the Helios rackscale solution, which is powered by AMD Instinct MI455X GPUs, 6th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs, AMD Pensando Vulcano NICs and the open ROCm software ecosystem. AMD Helios is designed to deliver breakthrough AI performance through advances in compute, interconnect bandwidth, memory capacity and system-level integration, allowing customers to run larger, more complex AI workloads faster while optimizing power and efficiency.

As AI workloads push data center infrastructure to unprecedented limits, reference designs provide data center architects and operators with tested, scalable designs proven to handle new power densities, thermal requirements and operational complexity. By modeling data center physical infrastructure performance, these pre-validated blueprints help shorten the planning process by defining how power, cooling, and IT infrastructure should be organized to build a reliable, scalable, and AI-ready data center. The AMD Helios reference design includes information on four technical areas: facility power, facility cooling, IT space, and lifecycle software.

“Today organizations require comprehensive, AI-ready reference designs that can take them from planning to deployment faster and with less risk,” said Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President, Secure Power & Data Centers at Schneider Electric. “Through our collaboration with AMD, we’re delivering an engineering-backed reference design that bridges the gap between advanced AI compute platforms, energy tech, and real-world data center implementation, enabling customers to deploy scalable, high-density AI environments with greater confidence, efficiency, and speed.”

“AI infrastructure is rapidly moving to full-scale AI factories, and that requires compute, networking, power and cooling to be designed together from the start,” said Forrest Norrod, executive vice president and general manager, Data Center Solutions Business Group, AMD. “AMD Helios provides an open, rack-scale architecture built to deliver the performance, efficiency and flexibility required for next-generation AI workloads. By working with Schneider Electric to create a validated reference design, we are giving customers a practical blueprint to accelerate high-density AI deployments, reduce integration risk and scale with greater confidence and efficiency.”

Reference Design Accelerates AMD Helios Deployment

The new collaboration brings together AMD AI platform innovation and Schneider Electric’s expertise in power, cooling, and digital infrastructure, creating a more tightly integrated approach to deploying both greenfield AI factories and high-density retrofit environments. The reference design supports:

• Modular, multi-cluster environments, featuring AI clusters of up to 10.4 MW IT capacity for greenfield deployments
• High-density AI workloads up to 246 kW per rack
• Advanced liquid cooling using Motivair by Schneider Electric CDU-based and hybrid air/liquid approaches capable of removing up to 84% of heat
• A digital-first infrastructure approach, which includes:
  • Electrical and thermal design validated using ETAP and EcoStruxure IT Design CFD simulation tools that enable real-time monitoring and analytics, AI-driven predictive maintenance, and system-level optimization across power, cooling, and IT
  • Integrated Electrical Digital Twin capabilities to model, analyze, and manage infrastructure performance
  • Support from AVEVA’s Unified Operations Center for real-time monitoring and operational visibility

• Power and cooling infrastructure deployments that adhere to AMD Helios platform requirements for reduced integration complexity and deployment risk
• Better energy efficiency, with ability to achieve PUE as low as ~1.12 at full load

The reference design has been validated to ANSI standards for U.S. deployments, with plans to extend the framework to support IEC standards for global implementations in the future.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory. With 160,000 employees and 1 million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric is consistently ranked among the world’s most sustainable companies.

www.se.com

Learn more about Advancing Energy Tech on Schneider Electric Insights.

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The report reveals that as manufacturers increase their AI investments, the focus is shifting from standalone automation projects to larger physical AI ecosystems. It highlights that companies see physical AI as a people-first transformation. Instead of replacing the workforce, manufacturers are using intelligent systems to help employees work more safely, efficiently, and productively while supporting workforce redeployment where needed in a Human + AI Operating model.

The report also highlights how enterprises are preparing to scale physical AI across factories, warehouses, logistics networks, maintenance operations, and quality management environments. It provides insights into the strategies, challenges, and opportunities involved in adopting physical AI at scale.

The study builds on TCS’ partnership with Google Cloud, following the March 2026 launch of the TCS Physical AI Gemini Experience Center in Troy, Michigan. The center helps manufacturers explore, test, and scale physical AI use cases for safety, quality, and operational efficiency with intelligence at the core.

The study surveyed CXOs and vice presidents from 300 manufacturing companies across North America and Europe between March and April 2026. Respondents represented sectors such as automotive, electronics and high-tech manufacturing, industrial equipment and machinery, process industries, and aerospace and defense.

Key findings from the study include:

—  Manufacturers are committing to long-term investment: No surveyed organisation plans to reduce Physical AI investment, while 26% plan to increase spending. Manufacturers are preparing for longer value-realisation timelines, underscoring sustained transformation over short-term pilots.

—  High impact expected in warehouse operations: 77% anticipate significant or transformational impact, followed by assembly and manufacturing operations at 75% and logistics and material movement at 72%.

—  Human-centric transformation is taking shape: 42% of manufacturers expect significant workforce augmentation through Physical AI by improving safety and supporting workers in complex, hazardous, or repetitive industrial environments.

—  Early-stage adoption, clear roadmap to scale: 68% of manufacturers remain in non-deployment or experimental stages, with legacy system integration, data infrastructure, and workforce skills identified as the primary paths to enterprise-scale deployment.

—  Governance is the next frontier: 44% report unclear or no formal accountability structure for Physical AI failures, and 40% are unprepared for emerging regulatory requirements, signaling where manufacturers should focus as deployment accelerates.

Anupam Singhal, President, Manufacturing, TCS, said:

“Physical AI is taking intelligence beyond the screen and onto the shop floor, where machines sense, adapt and act in real time. The manufacturers that scale it successfully will define the next era of manufacturing. TCS’ ‘infrastructure to intelligence’ approach positions them to lead that transformation. With all the manufacturers in our study planning to either maintain or increase the investment, the direction is clear: towards more resilient, adaptive, and future-ready manufacturing enterprises.”

Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem, Google Cloud, said:

“Physical AI is moving manufacturing from digital insight to autonomous real-world action. Through our partnership with TCS, we are bringing Gemini’s multimodal reasoning to the factory floor, enabling robots and systems to operate safely and intelligently in complex industrial environments.”

TCS is helping global manufacturers move from pilots to enterprise-scale physical AI adoption by bridging the gap between digital ambition and physical deployment. This is enabled through the TCS Physical AI Gemini Experience Center, in Troy, Michigan. Similarly, the TCS Physical AI Blueprint offers an end-to-end framework that integrates AI-powered quadruped and humanoid robotics with advanced sensing, edge intelligence, and secure cloud orchestration to deliver real-time operational insight and autonomous decision support.

These capabilities, combined with TCS’ deep manufacturing domain expertise, help enterprises build scalable, governed, and future-ready Physical AI ecosystems.

The investment includes the technology, infrastructure, R&D and expertise needed by Logicalis to support the rapid rollout of its Private 5G infrastructure across Ireland.

The announcement follows landmark regulatory change by ComReg, enabling organisations beyond traditional telecommunications providers, to access dedicated Private 5G spectrum for the first time. This development establishes an entirely new enterprise connectivity market in Ireland and represents one of the most significant advances in digital infrastructure in recent years.

Logicalis is advancing their Private 5G service offerings in the Irish market, extending beyond connectivity to deliver a complete end-to-end service in partnership with technology vendors such as Cisco, Nokia and Neutral Wireless. The solution encompasses network design, radio planning, deployment, security and integration, alongside fully managed services. Logicalis brings extensive global Private 5G expertise to the Irish market, delivering Private 5G deployments across the UK*, Europe and North American markets for several years.

Access to Private 5G spectrum by industry is a transformational development for Ireland’s economy, establishing the country as a competitive player on the global stage. The technology gives organisations complete control over their wireless infrastructure, delivering secure, low-latency connectivity across large operational sites where conventional Wi-Fi or public cellular networks may be unable to meet business-critical requirements. Private 5G supports a new generation of connected operations, including robotics, industrial AI, autonomous vehicles, IoT devices, edge computing and real-time operational analytics across sectors including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, logistics, ports, utilities and higher education.

For Irish businesses, this creates new opportunities to accelerate digital transformation, automation, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 initiatives while strengthening Ireland’s competitiveness as a destination for global investment. Furthermore, as Irish organisations increasingly invest in AI, automation and digital transformation, Logicalis believes Private 5G will become a foundational technology supporting the next generation of connected enterprise operations.

Commenting on the launch of Private 5G, Frank Rubotham, Head of Specialists and Propositions, Logicalis UK&I states: “Historically, enterprises wishing to deploy private 5G have had to rely on mobile operators as the spectrum was unavailable directly to industry. This framework created complexity and cost barriers to accessing this technology. Now, with industry access to private 5G spectrum, the technology has moved from pilot phase to production deployment at scale.

“At Logicalis, we have been investing and researching heavily into this technology for over 10 years, while deploying large scale private 5G networks in markets such as the UK, Germany and the US, ensuring we have the expertise to deliver truly transformative technology. This advancement, in real terms, means that we can build and provide private 5G networks for enterprises in Ireland supporting greater automation, edge computing, industrial AI, robotics and real-time data analytics. This, in turn, helps to position Ireland as one of the world’s leading markets to deliver advanced interconnected technologies for business.”

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Governments can tell us how much they spend on education. They can measure school enrolment, university participation and graduation rates. But there is one question almost nobody asks: what is the economic value of the learning that actually takes place?

The Hidden Economy of Free Learning

When economists measure a nation’s prosperity, they measure production. When governments evaluate education, they measure spending. When businesses assess performance, they measure productivity. Yet in an economy increasingly driven by knowledge, there remains one remarkable blind spot. We rarely attempt to measure the value of learning itself.

This question sits comfortably alongside initiatives such as the World Bank’s Human Capital Project, which argues that the knowledge and skills accumulated by people are among the most important drivers of long-term economic growth. What remains less well understood is how societies should measure the value of new learning as it is continuously created throughout adult life.

That omission mattered less when education was largely confined to schools, universities and employer-funded training programmes.Today, however, learning has moved well beyond the classroom. Millions of adults now acquire workplace skills through AI assistants, YouTube tutorials, free online courses, employer learning platforms, professional communities and industry certification programmes. Whether learning Excel through a YouTube video, completing a Google Career Certificate, using Microsoft Learn, asking an AI assistant to explain Python code or graduating from a structured online course, lifelong learning has become an everyday activity for much of the global workforce.

Much of that learning happens independently, often outside formal education systems and without public funding. It represents a vast investment of human time. Increasingly, it may also represent a significant, yet largely invisible, contribution to national productivity. Taken together, these developments are creating something much larger than any individual platform or technology.

Artificial intelligence provides instant answers. YouTube demonstrates practical skills. Google, Microsoft and other technology companies offer professional certifications. Platforms such as Alison provide structured courses, assessment and recognised credentials. Employers increasingly supplement traditional training with digital learning resources available anytime and anywhere.

Collectively, these different forms of learning are beginning to form what might reasonably be described as a new employability infrastructure. The scale of that infrastructure is already enormous. YouTube alone reports that users watch more than one billion hours of video every day worldwide. While Google does not publish how many of those hours are educational or workplace-related, instructional content is widely recognised as one of the platform’s largest categories. Alongside AI assistants, professional certification programmes from companies such as Google and Microsoft, structured learning platforms such as Alison and countless specialist providers, this represents an unprecedented global ecosystem of continuous learning.
Unlike roads, broadband or transport networks, this infrastructure has not been planned or funded by governments. It has emerged organically through thousands of organisations helping people continuously acquire new knowledge and workplace skills throughout their careers.

Like any infrastructure, its value lies not in any single component, but in the opportunities it creates. The challenge is that, while governments routinely measure investment in physical infrastructure, almost nobody attempts to measure the value being created by this new infrastructure of learning.

From measuring education to measuring learning

For decades, governments have rightly focused on access to education. How many children attend school? How many students enter higher education? How much is spent on training? These remain essential measures, but they tell us relatively little about the quantity of learning that has actually occurred. Unlike informal learning through AI or video, structured learning platforms can measure not only enrollment, but progression, assessment, completion and cumulative hours of successful learning.

Unlike traditional education systems, they can record not only enrollment, but progression, assessment, completion and cumulative hours of successful learning. That creates the possibility of measuring learning in ways that were previously impossible. The challenge then becomes an economic one. If learning creates value, how might that value reasonably be estimated?

Measuring what markets do not price

Economists have long faced this problem. Many activities generate substantial public value despite having no direct market price. These include Environmental assets, Volunteer work, Household labour and Public health. In each case economists use carefully constructed proxy measures to estimate economic contribution. Education presents a similar challenge.

Although formal education has clear market costs, much lifelong learning—particularly free digital learning—takes place outside traditional economic transactions. That does not mean it has no value. Economists frequently use proxy measures to estimate the value of activities that are not directly priced in markets. A hazard in trying to analyze job market outcomes and statistics is that few people who have engaged with a recruiter want to talk to them once they get that coveted job and hence why all the more, the value of the learning itself might be considered.

Why completed learning matters

One of the criticisms often levelled at digital education is that enrolment figures tell only part of the story. Signing up for a course is easy. Completing it requires commitment. For that reason, completed learning may offer a more meaningful measure of educational impact than registrations alone. Hours successfully completed after assessment provide evidence that learners have engaged with material rather than merely expressing an intention to learn. From an economic perspective, completed learning also provides a practical unit of measurement.

Just as economists value infrastructure by the services it provides rather than the plans drawn to build it, learning may be more appropriately valued by what has actually been completed than by what was simply made available.

This is one reason structured learning platforms remain important despite the rise of AI. AI and instructional video are extraordinarily effective at helping people answer questions or solve immediate problems. Structured learning is different. It develops competence through progression, assessment and reflection, creating evidence that learning has genuinely taken place.

A case study in measuring social value

One organisation whose data illustrates both the scale and the measurability of this hidden learning economy is the Irish-founded learning platform Alison. Since launching in 2007 with the mission of providing free access to workplace-relevant education, Alison has grown into one of the world’s largest free online learning platforms.Today the platform reports

• More than 53 million registered learners
• More than 15 million graduates
• More than 126 million completed hours of learning
• Learners from virtually every country in the world

Unlike traditional education statistics, these figures capture learning that has largely taken place voluntarily, outside formal institutions and often alongside employment.The next question naturally follows. What is the economic value of those completed learning hours? One approach is to estimate the replacement cost of equivalent workplace learning. Corporate training programmes, government workforce initiatives and publicly funded digital education schemes all provide benchmarks for the economic value of completed training.

Using conservative estimates derived from publicly available workforce training programmes across different regions, Alison estimates the cumulative social value of completed learning delivered through its platform now exceeds €2.5 billion (See Calculation Figure 1) over its lifetime. Importantly, this is not presented as revenue created by the platform. Nor is it an estimate of future earnings generated by learners. Rather, it is an estimate of the economic value of completed learning itself—the value that would likely have been incurred had equivalent structured workplace learning been delivered through conventional funded programmes. Whether future research refines that estimate upwards or downwards, the broader point remains. Large-scale free learning creates measurable economic value. The challenge is that almost nobody is measuring it.

The global picture

The implications become even more striking when viewed geographically. While Alison has significant learner communities in developed economies including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, some of its largest learning populations are found across Africa and Asia. Countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan and Egypt now account for millions of hours of completed learning.In many of these economies, access to affordable professional development remains constrained by cost.

Free digital learning therefore represents not simply educational opportunity, but workforce infrastructure. Each completed hour contributes incrementally to national human capital. Unlike roads or power stations, this infrastructure is largely invisible. Yet it may prove equally important to long-term economic development. This reflects another important shift. Historically, access to professional development depended largely on employers or higher education institutions. Today, much of that opportunity is available directly to individuals, often free of charge and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.

(Figure 1: Alison – Social Impact / Value of Free Learning (2007-2026)

Unlike much informal digital learning, these figures represent structured learning that has been completed rather than merely started or viewed. That distinction makes Alison’s dataset unusually valuable for researchers attempting to understand the real scale of lifelong workplace learning.

An invisible asset

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the digital learning revolution is that its success has been measured largely through platform metrics.

The digital economy has become remarkably good at measuring attention. We know how many people watched a video, clicked a link, downloaded an app or registered for a course. We remain surprisingly poor, however, at measuring something far more valuable: how much people have actually learned. Far less attention has been given to learning as an economic asset – but that is beginning to change. As artificial intelligence reshapes labour markets and technological change shortens the lifespan of professional skills, economies will increasingly depend upon adults acquiring new knowledge throughout their working lives. Learning itself becomes infrastructure.The ability to measure its contribution therefore becomes an economic necessity rather than an academic curiosity.

Looking beyond expenditure

Critics

The approach of measuring completed hour impact has its critics however: Renowned Stanford Economist Eric Hanushek’s view is that while there is clearly value in the completion of courses and the mass free acquisition of knowledge and skills, from an economist’s point of view, the methodology of valuation of completed hours of learning falls short of where the science around the economics of education would want it to be:

“The standard way to think about this problem is to look at how the market values people with your education and training. If you accept this, it can still get a bit tricky since you want to know “how much more would an Alison-trained person (of some program) earn compared to what the same person would earn without the program?”

What is clear is that more output data is required to measure what is the impact of such online learning on the labour market; did the learner get a higher salary, get a new job, a better one, did he or she start a new business as a result, even become more self-confident. This new framework begins with the recognition that these new platforms are likely being very impactful in the labour market, but we are not measuring that impact and we need new frameworks to do that. Hence, why large global platforms such as Alison, Coursera, Udemy and the likes of YouTube and Tik Tok should be requested to share more data in this regard to education economists.

As artificial intelligence accelerates the pace of economic change, employability will increasingly depend upon continuous learning rather than one-off qualifications. Perhaps the next challenge for policymakers is not simply to measure how much societies spend on education, but how much capability they create. Because in the knowledge economy, what ultimately drives prosperity is not education that is funded. It is learning that happens.

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The Future of Learning and trends to watch

This urgency is well founded. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 concludes that technological change, led by AI, is expected to reshape jobs across virtually every sector, with employers anticipating that around 39% of workers’ core skills will change by 2030. The report argues that continuous reskilling and lifelong learning will become central features of successful labour markets. Yet amidst this understandable activity, an important question is rarely asked:

Before building new employability infrastructure, should governments first ask what infrastructure already exists?

For decades, public policy has assumed that governments are the primary providers of workforce development. Ministries fund universities, vocational colleges, apprenticeships, employment services and retraining programmes. These institutions remain essential and will continue to play a central role in developing national skills. But something fundamental has changed:

Alongside traditional education systems, a new generation of digital employability platforms has emerged. Millions of people are now acquiring workplace skills independently through AI assistants, professional learning platforms, industry certification programmes, instructional video channels and free online learning providers. Increasingly, employability is being built not only inside public institutions, but across a much broader digital ecosystem.The policy question is no longer whether these platforms matter but whether governments are making the best possible use of them.

A New Layer of National Infrastructure

Governments have traditionally invested in physical infrastructure because it enables economic activity. Roads connect workers to jobs. Broadband connects businesses to markets. Energy infrastructure powers industry.

In the knowledge economy, employability infrastructure deserves similar attention.Every completed course, every verified workplace skill and every professional certificate contributes incrementally to a country’s human capital. Unlike roads or railways, however, much of this infrastructure has been built privately, often without public funding and increasingly at global scale. The result is something policymakers have never previously encountered: an international layer of employability infrastructure already serving millions of citizens before governments become involved. Unlike traditional education systems, these platforms can measure completed learning, verified skills and learner progression, making employability infrastructure increasingly visible and measurable for the first time.

Different Countries, Different Opportunities

The opportunity looks different depending on where one stands. In rapidly growing economies such as Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan and Ghana, governments face enormous demand for workforce development alongside constrained public resources. Building sufficient physical training capacity for rapidly expanding young populations is both difficult and expensive. Free digital employability platforms therefore represent an opportunity to extend access to workplace skills at very little additional public cost.In advanced economies, the challenge is different.

Countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom already invest heavily in education and workforce development. Their challenge is less about access than efficiency, coordination and lifelong reskilling.

In the United States alone, federal and state governments collectively spend many billions of dollars annually on workforce development through a complex network of programmes, agencies and local workforce boards. For more than three decades, the U.S Government Accountability Office has repeatedly highlighted fragmentation and duplication across parts of this system, arguing that better coordination could improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary costs.The lesson extends well beyond the United States.

Governments should not stop investing in employability. Rather, they should increasingly focus public resources on those areas where the government adds unique value: career guidance, employment services, support for disadvantaged learners, wage subsidies, apprenticeships and human-centred interventions that digital platforms cannot replace. Where high-quality learning infrastructure already exists, the question becomes whether it should be complemented rather than duplicated.

From Building Everything to Partnering Wisely

Historically, governments have had three options when responding to public needs; building services themselves, purchase from others, or subsidise provision. Digital employability platforms introduce a fourth possibility: partnership.

Rather than recreating existing learning ecosystems, governments can recognise, integrate and build upon resources that citizens are already using voluntarily. It is a simple principle that is widely accepted in other forms of infrastructure planning. Few governments would build a second bridge simply because the first had been financed privately, provided it was safe, accessible and met the public need.

The same principle increasingly applies to employability infrastructure. Before creating new digital learning platforms, policymakers might first ask whether suitable capacity already exists or – indeed – with some small changes and additional investment could reach the standard required by all. 

Learning at Global Scale

This emerging infrastructure is no longer theoretical. Technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Cisco have built extensive professional learning ecosystems around their technologies. YouTube has become one of the world’s largest sources of informal workplace learning, while AI assistants increasingly provide immediate explanations and guidance that support day-to-day professional development. Alongside these sit dedicated employability platforms designed specifically to deliver structured learning, assessment and recognised credentials.

One example of this new generation of employability platforms is the Irish-founded Alison Operating in nearly every country worldwide, Loughrea, Co Galway based Alison has over 15 million graduates of its free online courses focused on workplace education and training. It has very significant numbers in key countries including the USA where it has over 10 million registered users, more than seven million in India and almost three million each in Nigeria and South Africa.

Closer to home, Ireland provides an interesting illustration of the policy question. Alison reports more than 500,000 registered learners in Ireland despite receiving no direct public funding, while publicly funded programmes such as Skillnet engage tens of thousands of learners annually. The comparison is not intended to suggest one should replace the other. Rather, it raises a broader policy question: how should governments evaluate and integrate digital learning platforms that citizens are already choosing to use?

These figures illustrate something important: Citizens are not waiting for governments to tell them to learn.They are already investing in their own employability at a remarkable scale. Public policy should recognise this reality.

A New Role for Government

The emergence of large-scale digital learning platforms should encourage governments to rethink how they approach workforce development. Good public policy is fundamentally about making the most effective use of existing resources. When millions of citizens are already engaging voluntarily in high-quality workplace learning, governments should consider how that activity can complement national skills strategies rather than assuming every solution must be designed, built and funded from scratch. Public investment delivers the greatest value when it fills genuine gaps, improves quality, broadens access and strengthens outcomes, rather than duplicating capabilities that already exist and are demonstrably effective. This represents an important shift in policy thinking.

Rather than viewing digital employability platforms as competitors to public education, policymakers should increasingly recognise them as complementary partners within a broader lifelong learning ecosystem. Public institutions remain essential for delivering formal qualifications, ensuring quality assurance, supporting disadvantaged learners and addressing strategic national priorities. At the same time, large-scale digital learning platforms can extend the reach of those systems by providing flexible, accessible and continuously updated skills training to millions of learners at very low marginal cost.

The challenge for governments is therefore no longer simply to build more educational infrastructure, but to develop policies that harness and integrate proven digital learning resources into national workforce and employability strategies. The most successful education systems of the future are likely to be those that combine the strengths of public institutions with the scale, innovation and efficiency of the world’s leading online learning platforms.

Building Smarter Skills Systems

The AI economy will require continuous reskilling throughout adult life. No university degree, apprenticeship or professional qualification can prepare someone for every technological change they will encounter over a forty-year career. Learning will become increasingly continuous, personalised and self-directed.

Learning will become increasingly continuous, personalised and self-directed. This is consistent with the OECD’s analysis in its Skills Outlook 2023, which argues that successful skills systems must support lifelong learning across the whole of adult life and make effective use of diverse learning pathways rather than relying solely on traditional educational institutions. As technological change accelerates, governments will increasingly need to think less about providing every element of learning themselves and more about enabling citizens to access, recognise and build upon high-quality learning wherever it occurs.

While appropriate workplace education and training has to be of vital strategic importance to the health of any economy, and hence of importance to the government, the level of involvement is likely to evolve. Success may depend less on delivering every element of learning directly and more on orchestrating an ecosystem in which public institutions, employers and digital platforms work together.

The countries that adapt most successfully may not simply be those that spend the most on workforce development. They may be those that recognise where learning is already happening, remove barriers to participation and concentrate public investment where it creates the greatest additional value. The digital employability infrastructure already exists.

Digital employability infrastructure already exists. Millions of citizens are using it every day to improve their skills, often without governments even noticing. The challenge for policymakers is no longer whether these platforms have a role to play, but how national skills strategies can make the best possible use of them. In the AI economy, the countries that learn fastest may ultimately be those that recognise learning wherever it happens. 

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Under this agreement, Flogas will off take 26 GWh of renewable biomethane annually, supporting increased availability of indigenous energy while contributing to Ireland’s net zero ambitions and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. By securing a dedicated supply of Irish produced biomethane, this agreement ensures Flogas can provide transport customers with a reliable, home?grown renewable fuel. It supports our long?term strategy to shield Irish hauliers from fossil?fuel price volatility, cut emissions across the sector, and drive the development of a resilient circular economy in Ireland.

The off take agreement will see biomethane produced through the anaerobic digestion of animal by-products and agri-food waste at College Group’s Nobber, Co. Meath facility, strengthening the supply of indigenous renewable energy and supporting Flogas’ long-term strategy to provide transport customers with a reliable, home-grown fuel. The site has a total production capacity of 75 GWh per annum, with the renewable gas primarily supporting decarbonisation of the Irish transport sector. The supply is expected to deliver annual carbon savings of approximately 6,637 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to removing around 114 Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGVs) from Irish roads for a year.

This new agreement builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies, with Flogas having supplied natural gas services to College Group for more than 20 years. Flogas is also currently supporting the company through an Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme (EEOS) project targeting energy savings of 15 GWh.

Barry Murphy, Services & Renewables Director at Flogas said, “This partnership with College Group marks a key milestone in the delivery of our Gas Purchase Agreement (GPA) strategy to expand Ireland’s indigenous renewable gas infrastructure. As one of the first major projects under this long-term framework, it demonstrates the role biomethane can play in strengthening Ireland’s energy resilience while reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. Working with an established partner such as College Group allows us to turn locally produced renewable gas into a practical, scalable solution for lowering emissions in the transport sector and building a more secure, low-carbon energy system for Ireland which is crucial.”

John Paul Gilroy, Commercial Director at College Group, “This partnership with Flogas reflects the strength of our long-term collaboration and our shared commitment to investing in indigenous energy infrastructure in Ireland. It also reinforces our strategy of maximising the value of our production capability while supporting Ireland’s net zero ambitions and advancing the circular economy through the transformation of waste streams into renewable energy.”

Flogas is also exploring further opportunities to expand its renewable gas supply sources, including ongoing discussions with a food producer in Northern Ireland regarding a potential long-term supply agreement with the Biomethane sourced from the College Proteins facility. This forms part of the company’s wider strategy to scale indigenous biomethane supply across the island of Ireland and support future decarbonisation needs as the market continues to develop.

Flogas continues to expand its portfolio of renewable gas partnerships through biomethane off take agreements such as the recent landmark off take agreement with Nephin. These developments underscore the company’s growing presence in Ireland’s emerging renewable gas sector and its role in supporting the scale-up of domestic biomethane production, aligned with Ireland’s broader energy and climate ambitions.

For more information on Flogas, see: www.flogas.ie

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As part of the collaboration, Tines and Deloitte will work together to provide Deloitte clients with access to Tines’ leading intelligent workflow platform used by cybersecurity and IT teams, helping them to operate more efficiently and securely while automating repetitive tasks. The platform gives teams a secure way to combine automation, AI agents, and integration across all their tools, teams and systems.

Business leaders increasingly face challenges bringing AI projects from pilot programme to successful integration into their organisations. Tines and Deloitte’s collaboration presents an opportunity for organisations wanting to automate successfully with speed and control.

By collaborating, Tines and Deloitte can better support businesses to tackle their cybersecurity, IT operations and AI challenges. Companies such as Reddit, Fin (formerly known as Intercom), SAP and Pinterest have already benefited from using Tines to automate repetitive parts of their workflows, quickly and easily, blending agentic AI, rules-based automations and human-in-the loop processes.

As part of the collaboration, Deloitte will provide the business context and security technology implementation skills, while Tines will provide their leading intelligent workflow platform for IT and security teams.

Worker access to AI rose by 50% in 2025, according to a Deloitte survey. Expectations for scale are high, with the report finding that the number of companies with ?40% AI projects in production was set to more than double in the next three to six months.

Even though AI has the potential to deliver on efficiency and productivity, just 34% are using AI to truly reimagine their business.

Thomas Kinsella, co-founder and CCO of Tines said: “Every company is racing to adopt AI and automation — but most are discovering that it’s a lot harder than it looks. They are investing in new technology but are not always seeing a return. Tines helps bring their whole technology stack together and automate repetitive tasks to drive productivity and efficiency, freeing up time to spend on important work. By working closely with Deloitte and its global network, we can reach more organisations and help them build intelligent workflows into their business. Deloitte are experts in business transformation and we’re excited to partner with them to help customers maximise the value they get from their technology stack.”

Colm McDonnell, Cyber + Digital Trust & Privacy partner, Deloitte said: “Our clients want to free up their people to do more meaningful work through the use of AI, and a key step on that journey is the automation of repetitive tasks in all functions of their business. Tines’ groundbreaking solution supports clients on this journey, and our new collaboration now means we can make their expertise available to more of our clients.”

See more stories here.

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max Wireless Earbuds are jam-packed with a whole host of AI-powered features aimed at improving your listening experience, helping you make clear calls and improving your productivity.

What’s in the Box?

Inside the box you get the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max Wireless Earbuds, the smartcase, a selection of silicon eartips, a number of “ear fins” which are used to secure the earphones in your ear (more on that below) and a USB-C cable for charging.

Design and Fit

The Liberty 5 Pro Max Wireless Earbuds are quite small and light, weighing in at just 5.5 grams.

There is a large flat surface on the outside face which has touch controls built in. On the other side, you have a number of different ports, sensors and microphones spread around the device and, of course, the replaceable silicon ear tip.

The top of the device has a rubber-type “ear fin” used for securing the device in your ear. Once you have inserted the earphones in your ear, you rotate them so the ear fin secures against the antihelix, so when combined with the silicon ear tip, you have two points of contact to hold them in place. It is straightforward to use, and it provides a lasting and secure fit with little need for adjustments.

The lightweight and slim design means it is easy to wear the Liberty 5 Pro Max for extended periods without any discomfort or fatigue. Even when travelling on a plane and snoozing, I experienced no issues, as there are no sharp edges or bulges to hurt your ears if you lean on them.

The smart case is opened by sliding the screen upwards, and this reveals the space for charging the earphones. The case has a USB-C port for charging.

Liberty 5 Pro Max Specs

• Price on Soundcore EU at time checked: €249.99
• Colours shown: Midnight Black and Titanium Gold
• AI chip: Anker Thus AI Chip
• Case display: 1.78-inch AMOLED smart screen
• AI note-taking: AI recording, transcription and summary
• Recording limitation: Records in-person, in-room audio only; does not capture online meetings, video calls or phone calls
• Free transcription allowance: 120 free transcription minutes monthly
• Drivers: 9.2mm wool-paper diaphragm drivers
• Sound profile: Hi-Fi sound with wool-paper diaphragms
• Personalised audio: HearID 5.0 + AI Sound Enhancement
• Spatial audio: Dolby Atmos with head tracking
• Noise cancellation: Adaptive ANC 4.0
• ANC: 100% more effective than the previous flagship, compared with Liberty 4 Pro
• Noise processing: 8 sensors + Thus AI Chip processing 384K+ noise signals per second
• Call setup: 8 microphones + 2 VPUs + AI large model
• Calls: Designed for clear calls in 100 dB+ noisy environments
• Voice control: 20 built-in offline commands
• Voice command languages: English, German, Japanese and Chinese
• Playtime with ANC on: 6.5 hours from earbuds / 28 hours with case
• Playtime with smart features enabled: 4 hours from earbuds / 17 hours with case
• Fast charging: 5 minutes charge = up to 4 hours playtime
• Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 6.1
• Multipoint: Yes
• Triple-device connection: Supported
• Water resistance: IP55
• Earbud weight: 5.5g each, without case
• App support: Soundcore app on iOS and Android
• Web portal: Supports workflow management through web portal with “Ask Anka” AI assistant

Features

As I mentioned in the intro, the Liberty 5 Pro Max has an extensive list of features. The first one you are presented with is the case, which has its own AMOLED touch-screen and UI, pairs with your phone in addition to the earphones to unlock further features and can be used to adjust settings, control what’s playing and change sound profiles on the fly.

You can swipe left or right to bring up different screens to control each function. The touch input works well, and there is no lag using any of the functions on the case.

AI Note Taking

And this leads on to the next feature with the case, which is AI note taking. It might be easy to dismiss this as a bit of a gimmick feature, but in reality, it works amazingly well and anyone who has to regularly take minutes at meetings will absolutely love this feature.

With a double tap of the button on the back of the smart case, the case itself starts recording audio from your meeting. Once the meeting is over, you connect the case to your smartphone via Bluetooth and the recording transfers over and is analysed by the AI built into the Soundcore App.

The app then provides a transcript of the meeting, labels the different speakers and provides a summary of the key points discussed.

I put this to the test several times using varying-sized rooms with different levels of background noise, etc and it worked pretty flawlessly. I think one of the most impressive displays of its accuracy was when I recorded my kids discussing a history project they were working on about the Battle of Tenochtitlan in 1521.

The transcript clearly picked up each voice, but it also accurately picked up the correct words, even when my kids were struggling with the pronunciation of names and places they hadn’t come across before.  Once they had finished reading out the different passages, they also then had a summary provided of everything they had discussed.

For recording interviews as we often do for podcasts and features or for general minute taking during office meetings, this is a really nice feature to have built into your TWS and the service works very well.

It is worth noting, though, that if you plan to use this feature extensively, after 120 minutes of recordings, you will either have to subscribe to a service or purchase packs of extra minutes.

Adaptive Noise Control

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max uses an array of 8 microphones to continuously monitor both external and residual in-ear noise and adjust the noise cancellation curve in real time as conditions change.

Many sets make similar types of claims, but very few perform as well as this set for ANC. There are a number of different modes available which can be selected by the touch controls on the earphones themselves and further fine-tuned within the app. The main modes are “Adaptive”, which adjusts the ANC based on your surroundings, “Transparency”, which allows outside sounds through clearly and “Noise Cancellation”, which allows a manual adjustment across a range of 1 to 5 and also allows you to enable wind noise protection and a mode for when you are commuting.

I have mainly used the manual settings and the transparency mode during day-to-day use, and I mapped the long press on the earphones to toggle between the two. I found that, for me, when I was in the office and there was a lot of background noise and noise from the HVAC, the number 4 setting in manual worked best.

It provides you with a nice, quiet environment if you just want to use them for that purpose, and it also allows music to play clearly at low volumes. It is simple to switch to transparency mode then if someone comes up to speak to you, and there is no need to take the earphones out.

Recently, when doing some gardening at home, I rented a strimmer and thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the ANC turned up to its max. Before starting the strimmer, I put the Liberty 5 Pro Max in my ears and manually turned the ANC to 5, and as I was outside, I turned the wind noise protection on.

I started the strimmer and went about my business cutting the grass. I could hear the strimmer at a very low level, and as the wire cut the grass, I could hear the familiar sounds, but it was pretty quiet, and I was satisfied with the level of ANC. It wasn’t completely silent, but that was good so I could still have an idea of what was happening with the strimmer.

Just as I was finishing, I had some grass to trim on the roadside. I took out the earphones as I wanted to be able to hear cars coming and step in. I started up the strimmer, and only then did I realise just how much noise the earphones had been blocking out. The strimmer was incredibly noisy to the point it should only be used with earplugs! Before this, I thought the ANC was good, but it was truly impressive to see how well it worked with such a loud and variable noise.

Voice Controls

The  Liberty 5 Pro Max has a feature, which when enabled within the app, allows you to give voice commands without the need to use trigger words before it works. So there is no need to say “Hey [insert service name here!]”, wait for that to be recognised, and then issue your command. The result being much faster responses to your voice commands.

There are 20 commands built in which allow you to do things like accept or decline calls, skip or pause tracks and change the volume or ANC mode. It works quite well, but it has a cost to the battery when used, as the mics are always listening for a command. When you are in an environment where you don’t want to take out your phone, it can be quite useful, and I would only see it being used in this way due to the extra battery drain.

Clear Calls in High-Noise Environments

Powered by the THUS AI Chip, Liberty 5 Pro Max uses a neural-net AI model together with the 10-sensor matrix to help separate the speaker’s voice from surrounding noise, ensuring the speaker is clearly heard on the other end of the call even in complex, dynamic environments.

The bone conduction sensors within the array detect the physical vibration of the speaker’s voice, enabling the system to help capture and transmit voice clearly even at lower volumes in moderately quieter settings.

So, marketing speak aside, in reality, the hardware and software combined here result in you being heard quite clearly on calls, no matter the environment and when combined with the ANC, you can also hear the other person on the call easily.

During a recent call on a quite gusty day, I rang a colleague who happened to also be outside during the call. While the sound quality from their side was heavily affected by the wind noise, he asked me if I was in the office as we spoke!

Another example of this working well was when I was in the departures area of a busy airport taking a call and I apologised to the person on the other end as there was a very noisy motorised trolley about to go by carrying equipment, and I paused until it passed. When I came back on the call, the person had not heard any sound at all on their end, and the call had remained completely quiet.

While it may be easy to not pay much attention to the various features a set like this has, the hardware and AI being used to keep these calls clear from noise, enables the Liberty 5 Pro Max to provide a quiet call experience for you and the person you are speaking to, even in the hustle and bustle of an airport or while being buffeted by strong Irish gusts!

HearID 5.0 for Personalised Sound

From within the Soundcore App, there is a section called HearID which offers a number of ways to adjust or enhance the sound from the earphones.

Exclusive Sound Effects

This is probably one of the more interesting options available. The app plays you a test track seven times with a slightly adjusted “A” or “B” version, which you have to listen to and select which you prefer. At the end of the process, it suggests a personalised sound profile which can be applied to the IEMs.

For me, it suggested increasing the upper mids slightly and a further increase in the treble region.

You can listen to the test track and compare both profiles and see which you prefer. These aren’t night-and-day differences. It is subtle, but it is noticeable, and it is a nice feature to have. It is starting to appear in more TWS sets now but usually at a higher price point.

It allows you to fine-tune the sound to your ears rather than picking from predefined profiles.

Curated Sound Effects

Speaking of predefined profiles, that is exactly what Curated Sound Effects is. Soundcore have created 5 profiles which include “Soundcore Signature”, “Soundcore Balanced”, “Clear Voice”, “Powerful Bass”, and “Calm and Soothing”. I don’t think they need much explanation. Their effect is quite evident, and there is a function to allow you to create more profiles if you so choose.

Out of the different options, I mainly left the Soundcore Signature profile applied as it suited my tastes most.

AI Sound Enhancement

AI Sound Enhancement, as its name may suggest, uses AI to help improve low-quality audio. The feature warns you when you activate it that it will run down the battery in your earphones more quickly, so it is something I guess you could use in certain circumstances to improve some audio you are listening to and then toggle it off afterwards.

When activated, you can hear a difference, but you can notice that there is some sort of digital signal processing being applied.

Dolby Audio

Ok, so another feature that needs no real explanation. You can toggle Dolby Audio on or off and select whether it uses a “Fixed” position or uses “Head Tracking”.

If you are listening to music or using an app that can take advantage of it, the effect is very noticeable. There is more of a 3D sense to the soundstage created and more of a sense of space from front to back as well as side to side, but it does add echo and reverb-type effects to the sound.

Soundspace

Not a function of the earphones, but worth noting nonetheless, is Soundspace. This is a section of the app which has a number of sounds available to download and play, aimed at creating background sounds which can help you focus or relax. Some of them have an ASMR feel to them, while others would be helpful when trying to go to sleep, etc.

I really like this feature. I find the sounds very helpful when you have a busy mind and just want to concentrate on one task or wind down on the commute home.

AI Assistant

Inside the app, and available through speech using your earphones, is an AI assistant called Anka. This is not a full-on LLM or anything like that, but it is something that can help you to adjust settings on your earphones or give you information about the product.

One of the main reasons to use it would be for the real-time and face-to-face language translation features that are available.

The earphones can, in real time, translate conversations you are listening to into your own language while giving you the text of the conversation in both languages within the app.

To test it out, I found a video on YouTube which was aimed at helping you learn Spanish. The video had two people speaking in Spanish to each other, while at the bottom of the screen you see the written Spanish and the English translation.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max did an excellent job of picking up the language correctly and of giving the correct English translation. There is a slight delay as it listens, then translates and plays back audio in your ears, but it works really well and would be really handy if you attend events abroad and want to understand what is being said in the native language.

There is a section called “Contextual Learning” which gives you common phrases in the source language you selected in both text and spoken audio. Nice if you are trying to touch up on common phrases before you land somewhere, I guess.

The AI note-taking we covered above can be accessed from here too, and there is a “Coming Soon” section with the promise of new features to come.

While this isn’t something that at the moment offers too many more features, it is a single point where all of the many settings can be accessed, and you can find them by requesting rather than having to browse through menus endlessly.

How Do They Sound?

So, after going through that long list of features, I hear you ask, how do they sound? I would say that the Liberty 5 Pro Max have a consumer-friendly tuning with a bass boost. They produce a clear and detailed sound for a TWS set and are very easy to listen to.

Bass quality is very impressive for wireless earphones. Even with the bass boost, they never sound boomy or loose. The bass is nicely textured, but it does hit hard when needed and does a good job of creating some rumble with its sub-bass. These TWS sets have quite small drivers and are limited in the amount of power they can use, so I was left quite impressed with how good a job the Liberty 5 Pro Max does with bass.

Compared against other TWS, the Liberty 5 Pro Max has a natural and accurate sounding mid range. Strings and pianos are handled very well. Vocals sound accurate, but the limit of detail available on a TWS set becomes evident if you are used to listening to music on higher quality audio equipment. I don’t think people buy wireless earphones expecting the highest levels of detail and resolution, and the Liberty 5 Pro Max perform very well when compared to other wireless sets.

There are decent levels of detail in the treble range, but it is fairly reserved overall. You can hear cymbals clearly, but there isn’t the same level of energy here as there is in the low end, so the bass is more dominant overall.

Overall, the sound quality is very good, and there are many different ways to adjust it to your taste if required.

Conclusion

I have taken the Liberty 5 Pro Max everywhere with me over the last month or so. I have been on the road a lot, so they have been on several flights and trains, and I found them to be an excellent set overall. The ANC, when required, is excellent, as was the transparency mode, which allowed me to listen to music but still hear gate calls or tannoy announcements in train stations when needed.

Battery life is good, and if you top up the case every night when you are travelling, you will never run out of battery.

There’s a huge selection of features included in the overall package too. Between the earphones, the smart case and the app, Soundcore have covered just about every feature you could need. Will you use them all? Some of them, like the personalised sound profiles, are probably ones you will use once and then never go back to again, but features like the clear audio on calls and the different active noise cancellation options are things you will benefit from every day.

They are very easy to get a good fit with too and are comfortable to wear all day, and if, like me, you travel a lot or spend long hours in an office with earphones in, it is a real plus point.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max are available now from the Soundcore site directly and from Amazon.

Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America has announced that Stripe has signed a new agreement to become a Worldwide Partner and the Official Payment Solutions Partner to golf’s greatest team contest—the Ryder Cup.

Established in 1927, the biennial competition pits 12 of the top professional golfers from the U.S. and Europe against each other in a head-to-head match play competition that has become one of the world’s greatest sporting events, captivating an audience of millions around the globe. The partnership agreement will see Stripe become a top-tier Worldwide Partner to both the 2027 match at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland and the 2029 match at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota, USA.

Dual-headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin and founded by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison, Stripe is building programmable financial services for businesses of all sizes—from ambitious startups to the world’s largest enterprises. This includes the Ryder Cup, which is building on its existing online payments partnership with Stripe so that fans enjoy a faster, more seamless way to pay—whether buying tickets online or spending at the event.

Online ticket sales and hospitality packages will be available through a single checkout experience, with Stripe Link offering fans a faster, one-click option and local payment methods supporting the Ryder Cup’s global fanbase. On site, Stripe Terminal will be able to power payments across food and beverage, merchandise and retail, and Stripe will also work with the Ryder Cup to ensure consistent financial reporting.

Conor McNamara, Chief Revenue Officer EMEA at Stripe, said: “Some of the world’s most complex businesses rely on Stripe for their financial infrastructure—from payments to managing billing, revenue, and money movement. An event like the Ryder Cup—hundreds of thousands of fans with payments running across ticketing, food and beverage, and merchandise—is exactly the kind of scale Stripe operates at everyday. We’re proud to become a Worldwide Partner and to power the full fan journey, from buying tickets at home, to spending at the golf course.”

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive Officer at the European Tour group, added: “The Ryder Cup has grown to become one of the biggest events in global sport. The ticketing, merchandise and catering operations are significant, with over 70,000-square-feet of merchandise space alone at the 2025 match in New York. Stripe’s technology platforms will help us to deliver a cashless experience in Ireland with increased speed and convenience for our fans around the world.”

Terry Clark, Chief Executive Officer at the PGA of America, added: “We are proud to welcome Stripe as a Worldwide Partner of golf’s greatest team event. By leveraging Stripe’s advanced payment solutions, we are excited to offer spectators at the 47th Ryder Cup at Hazeltine a seamless payment experience at every touchpoint.”

See more stories here.

Google unveils The Bakery, its newest building in Dublin’s Docklands, set to welcome Google employees from late 2027.

Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, was joined by Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, at the unveiling of Google’s new office building, affirming Google’s commitment to Ireland, with its opening a landmark moment to celebrate the vibrancy of the Irish economy.

The Bakery, located at Grand Canal Street in Dublin at the site of the original 1874 City of Dublin Bakery founded by Patrick Boland, will add an additional 325,000 square feet to its existing footprint in Ireland. It will have capacity to accommodate up to 1,900 Googlers, part of Google’s 6,000 employees in Dublin, as well as a dedicated events hub.

Sustainability has been central to the building’s design, with the reuse of its existing structural steel and use of low carbon materials and rainwater harvesting, and a rooftop terrace with extensive native planting among its key features.

The event also marked the launch of Implement Consulting Group’s research, looking at Google’s contribution to the Irish economy – the first analysis of Google’s economic impact in Ireland. The report estimates that Google contributed more than €10 billion to Ireland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025 alone, and supported over 18,000 jobs across the wider Irish economy.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:

“Competitiveness is a central theme of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU this year.  By expanding their footprint here, Google is reinforcing Ireland’s position as a digital leader internationally. It is also fitting that a building so central to Ireland’s political emergence is now an engine room for our digital and economic future.”

Speaking at the event, Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said

“Ireland’s vibrant AI ecosystem, world-class talent and strategic infrastructure uniquely positions us to play a leading role in shaping the future of AI in Europe. Google’s investment and increased footprint in the city centre highlights their commitment to Ireland and to innovation, cementing our position as a European hub for technology and AI.”

Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, said:

“Ireland has been home to Google’s European headquarters for more than 20 years and, with the opening of The Bakery, we are delighted to celebrate our decades of investment and our enduring commitment to ensure Ireland can both drive and benefit from the opportunities of this era of innovation.”

Vanessa Hartley, VP and Head of Google Ireland, said,

“Our continued footprint expansion is a clear demonstration of Google’s strong commitment to Ireland. Implement Consulting Group found that Google contributed €10 billion to the Irish economy in 2025, supported more than 18,000 jobs in Ireland, upskilled over 600,000 people in digital skills, and invested €133 million in local philanthropy. This impact represents our determination to ensure the opportunities of AI and the digital age are open to everyone – from our local Dockland neighbours to communities and businesses across all of Ireland.”

Implement Consulting Group have published a report that seeks to capture Google’s economic contribution to GDP through three valuable channels for the Irish economy:

Products & Platforms (approx €4 billion): Led by Search and Ads (€3.5 billion) and Android & Google Play (€370 million), which connect Irish businesses to global markets.

AI & Cloud (approx €3.0 billion): Driven by rapid adoption of cloud computing (€2.2 billion) and AI workflows (€900 million) that are boosting productivity across Irish enterprises and public institutions.

Infrastructure & Offices (approx €3 billion): Supported by Google’s physical footprint, including office operations (€2.2 billion) and its data centre hub in Ireland (€1.1 billion).

Google’s presence is associated with significant employment in Ireland. Implement Consulting estimated that in 2025, Google supported over 18,000 jobs across the wider Irish economy, including more than 6,000 Google employees.

To read the full report visit here.

See more stories here.

Vault365, a leading provider of data protection services, has announcesda new partnership with IT solutions provider Newcorp. Stemming from the partnership, Vault365 expects to generate additional UK revenues of €585,000 in the next 12 months. This will increase overall revenues for Vault365 in the UK by 20% in the same timeframe.

Vault365 is partnering with Newcorp amid increased customer demand for reliable data backup and recovery, data sovereignty, enhanced security, and boosted compliance in an era of evolving cyber risks and regulatory requirements.

Newcorp will provide Vault365 LocalLock, a highly secure immutable data backup appliance which stores critical business data on-premise, to its customer base across the UK. LocalLock prevents backed up data from being altered, overwritten, or deleted by cyber criminals. Newcorp’s customers operate in tightly regulated environments including healthcare, education, and local authorities, and the partnership will serve to strengthen Vault365’s existing presence in these sectors.

Vault365 launched its LocalLock appliance earlier this year to enable organisations to secure and manage sensitive information on-site with local immutability. It works alongside cloud backups to ensure ultra-fast data recovery in the event of an incident such as a cyberattack or hardware failure. Unlike fully cloud-based systems, it can continue to safeguard data offline even during network outages.

Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Vault365, said: “As part of our continued expansion in the UK, we are delighted to welcome Newcorp as a Vault365 partner in the market. Newcorp’s deep understanding of the UK landscape makes it the perfect partner to deliver our LocalLock solution to organisations with complex compliance needs. For many businesses, cloud isn’t the only answer, and storing data securely on-site provides increased protection against ransomware and enables more control over sensitive data.”

Andrew Low, Account Director, Newcorp, said: “The ability to securely store data locally is becoming ever more important to businesses and this partnership enables us to provide increased reassurance to customers that their data is protected and easily retrievable. As well as an advanced technology solution, customers will benefit from local support and expert technical guidance when it comes to securing their sensitive digital assets. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the partnership and expand our Vault365 capabilities.”

See more stories here.

Sean Vincent, Scientific Consultant, Tax, and Stephen Brennan, Associate Director, Tax, at KPMG outline how with the correct investment and development, the electronic engineering sector has the opportunity to thrive and continue growing in Ireland.

KPMG’s report Silicon Isle – KPMG showed that by 2040, Ireland could support up to 34,500 new semiconductor roles. Against a backdrop of accelerating global demand for advanced electronics and intensifying competition for research and development (R&D) investment, Ireland’s ability to sustain and expand its position in the semiconductor and electronics space will hinge on its capacity to attract, support and retain R&D activity.

Ireland’s Semiconductor Industry

R&D in the semiconductor industry is typically carried out by three distinct types of companies, each playing a critical role in the value chain.

1. Fabless companies focus exclusively on chip design, outsourcing manufacturing to specialised foundries (e.g. NVIDIA).
2. Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs), by contrast, manage both the design and fabrication of chips in-house, combining innovation with large-scale manufacturing capabilities (e.g. Intel).
3. Finally, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) companies provide the sophisticated software tools required for chip design and verification (e.g. Synopsys).

Attracting these types of companies to Ireland is imperative to yield high growth and continue to put Ireland at the forefront of electronics R&D in Europe and worldwide.

AI-Driven Supply Constraints and Shortages

The global semiconductor industry saw an unprecedented component shortage during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2023) as a result of disrupted fabs and logistics, and a surge in demand for consumer electronics due to remote working. However, as AI continues to boom, we see pressure being put on the supply of various components for AI usage, such as graphics processing units (GPUs) for data centres, high bandwidth memory for large language models (LLMs), and AI accelerators.

It’s not just GPUs that are in demand, with the AI industry shifting from building chatbots to autonomous AI agents, demand for Memory (RAM) and CPUs (Central Processing Units) surged through the second half of 2025 and has continued into 2026. With this increased demand for new and improved electronic components, Ireland is in a unique position to capitalise on Europe’s chip production ambitions.

Incentives Stack

To remain competitive in an increasingly volatile semiconductor and electronics market, Ireland has continued to strengthen its R&D incentive framework. At the core of this framework is the R&D Tax Credit, which, following Budget 2026, increased from 30% to 35% on qualifying R&D expenditure. When combined with the standard 12.5% corporation tax deduction, this delivers an effective tax benefit of up to 47.5% on qualifying R&D spend. The credit is fully refundable over a three-year period, but potentially shorter for smaller claims.

Direct funding support further enhances the attractiveness of the Irish ecosystem. Both IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland provide grant assistance for qualifying R&D projects, with the exact quantum of grant support being project-specific and can depend on factors like company size, project scale, and location. Capital investment in R&D infrastructure is also supported, with expenditure on buildings used for R&D activities eligible for additional RDTC relief where a minimum level of R&D usage is met.

Regional policy measures add a further dimension to Ireland’s incentive offering. Companies locating R&D activities in the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) region may access enhanced grant rates and supplementary supports under EU regional aid frameworks. For example, companies locating in the BMW region can also (i.e. in addition to R&D Grants and RDTCs) receive capital and employment grants.

Altogether, Ireland’s R&D Tax Credit, IP-focused tax regimes, grant funding, capital allowances and regional incentives form a comprehensive and generous incentive stack that significantly strengthens the appeal of undertaking electronic engineering R&D in Ireland, while supporting the country’s ambition to remain a leading European hub for semiconductor and electronics investment.

International Competition

While Ireland has long been recognised for having one of the world’s best R&D tax regimes, they face stiff competition from countries around the globe. Singapore, for example, is known for having some of the most aggressive R&D incentives and poses a threat to Ireland for direct foreign investment in the electronics space.

While Singapore offers competitive R&D incentives, Ireland benefits by having an advantageous geographical location with links to Europe and North America, a highly skilled workforce, and a long- and well-established track record in the electronics industry. In addition, Ireland’s physical scale, regional flexibility and benefits can provide structural advantages for larger electronic engineering investments.

Ireland is strongly positioned to accommodate facilities with significant infrastructure, power and expansion requirements, including pilot manufacturing lines, advanced packaging operations and semiconductor fabrication. Ireland has demonstrated its ability to accommodate very large semiconductor manufacturing campuses, most notably Intel’s Fab 34 in Leixlip. This capacity for long-term scaling is increasingly relevant as companies seek investments amid growing demand driven by AI, data centres and EVs.

As well as this, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment recently announced Ireland’s National Competence Centre in Semiconductors (I-C3) which is designed to support startups and SMEs by opening access to essential resources such as funding pathways, specialist training, design tools and pilot line facilities. The initiative aims to empower Ireland’s semiconductor startups and SMEs through practical access to design, production, funding and training, driving innovation and sectoral growth.

The Future of R&D

Looking ahead, the Irish Government has set out a clear policy direction for the continued evolution of Ireland’s R&D incentives and innovation supports. While not a list of firm commitments, the Research and Development Tax Credit and Innovation Compass (published 16th February 2026) signal the areas that the Department of Finance considers most important for further examination in the short to medium term to ensure Ireland remains competitive and aligned with international developments. In particular, it highlights further review of qualifying and capital expenditure, administrative simplification, and the potential evolution of innovation-focused supports.

With electronics demand continuing to surge, it is important that Ireland reinforces its position as a leading location for electronic engineering R&D and investment. Increased competition to capitalise on the AI-driven expansion of the electronics sector means Ireland must continue to refine and strengthen its R&D and innovation incentives, ensuring it remains an attractive destination for R&D activity in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

Get in touch

For more insights or if you have an R&D-related query, visit KPMG’s R&D Incentives practice at kpmg.ie

Green Dividend report

Globally, the health sector is responsible for an estimated 5 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, with 70 percent of that footprint arising from the production, packaging and disposal of the products hospitals use every day. New evidence from Irish hospitals shows how to counter this:

Bon Secours Hospital, Cork : Medical Device Remanufacturing

• 150 remanufactured devices generated €48,015 in savings for the hospital across 2023 – 2025, plus a further €3,328 in direct payments from the device collection service.
• The programme diverted 41.1 kg of medical waste from incineration and delivered a cumulative 261 kg CO? reduction, equivalent to roughly 1,000 km of driving.
• All devices are CE-marked and regulatory compliant, with no adverse patient outcomes recorded.

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital  – Safe Clean Box

• A closed cabin device pre-cleaning system in use in the Mater, cut cleaning non-conformances by 50% and saved 160 staff hours a year.
• Total annual savings of roughly €32,000, with the equipment’s capital cost offset within two years.
• 82% less energy use than the ultrasonic cleaners it replaced, and 1,200 litres of water saved per day.

University Hospital Galway  – Ecco Spray

• A recent HIHI pilot found that refillable ultrasound gel system replacing single-use sachets cut gel volume per scan by 95% and eliminated plastic sachets entirely.
• Patients reported no reduction in comfort, and the change required no retraining or workflow disruption.
• Ireland performs roughly 500,000 ultrasound scans a year,  meaning even small per-scan savings add up nationally.

HIHI’s GreenTech in Health programme tests sustainable products directly in Irish hospitals and clinics generating verified, site specific evidence that environmental performance and patient care are not in tension. The report argues that this evidence base is exactly what is missing across most of Europe. The WHO Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health, published in May this year, found that more than three quarters of countries in the region still lack clear strategies, timelines or budgets for health system decarbonisation – largely because they lack the kind of verified, real-world data that HIHI’s pilots generate.

Yet the report identifies a significant Irish policy gap: despite being one of the country’s largest purchasers of single-use products, healthcare does not feature as a named priority sector in Ireland’s Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy 2026 – 2028.

HIHI National GreenTech in Health Lead, Eimear Galvin, said:

“Sustainable healthcare, in Ireland and globally, has too often been framed as a cost, a compliance obligation or a long-term ambition deferred to future budgets and future governments. This must change. The innovations exist, the clinical appetite is there, what we now need is procurement reform to match it.

“The widely held assumption that sustainability costs more does not hold up. Drawing on clinical pilots, international case studies and lifecycle evidence, the report shows the opposite is often true, and that export markets are moving, creating significant opportunity for suppliers that can meet new demands for sustainable healthcare solutions.”

The growing commercial imperative is a central tenet of the report. From April 2027, all NHS suppliers, regardless of size, will be required to publish comprehensive Carbon Reduction Plans covering full Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, a change that will directly affect Irish SMEs and start-ups for whom the UK is a primary export market. EU rules are tightening in parallel: the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will require Digital Product Passports and minimum durability standards for healthcare products from 2026, while the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive already obliges large suppliers to disclose their emissions. Global buyers are moving from asking suppliers to claim sustainability to requiring them to prove it. The report makes the case that Ireland – home to over 450 medtech companies – is uniquely placed to lead the shift toward sustainable healthcare.

HIHI National Director Dr Tanya Mulcahy, said:

“The environmental footprint of Ireland’s health system, including its energy use, reliance on single use products and waste, is a clinical, financial and strategic challenge that demands action. It is also a genuine opportunity. Through our GreenTech in Health programme, HIHI provides the national testbed infrastructure to turn sustainable innovation into procurement ready, export-competitive solutions.”

The report sets out four recommendations for the Department of Health, the HSE, Enterprise Ireland, and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment – calling for dedicated funding for green procurement pilots, full Scope 1–3 emissions reporting, export-ready circular design capability, and the formal inclusion of healthcare as a priority sector in Ireland’s next Circular Economy Strategy.

The full report, The Green Dividend: Why Sustainability is Ireland’s Health and Enterprise Opportunity, is available from Health Innovation Hub Ireland  here. Executive summary is here

About Health Innovation Hub Ireland

Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) is a joint initiative of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Department of Health, delivered through Enterprise Ireland and the HSE, across three locations – Cork, Dublin, Galway. HIHI connects Ireland’s innovation capability with the clinical settings needed to test, validate and adopt it, translating research into real-world impact and domestic pilots into international markets. Its GreenTech in Health programme provides the national testbed infrastructure to turn sustainable healthcare innovation into procurement-ready, export-competitive solutions.

About HIHI GreenTech

Climate change is a significant threat to public health, the health and human services system and the social determinants of health and wellbeing. HIHI is committed to stimulating and supporting the development of innovative products and services that promote environmental sustainability in healthcare.  In 2024/25 partnership with HSE Climate and Sustainability and the Irish College of General Practitioners  HIHI ran the first call to market for suitable product alternative isn Ireland.  HIHI Chairs the national GreenTech in Health Collective – a multi-stakeholder systems level collaboration of policy, industry, academia, clinical and state agency, led by HIHI. The Collective advises on the development and testing of sustainable products in healthcare, supports green innovation and aligns with global best practice to address the research and innovation gaps in sustainable product pathways.

See more breaking stories here.

Expleo’s monthly AI Pulse barometer is carried out by Opinium among 800 business leaders in Ireland, the UK, Germany and France. The June research indicates wide-ranging apprehension, as 57% expressed concern about how AI is transforming their organisation – up from 48% in May. And, the proportion of business leaders who believe AI is primarily a benefit to their business fell from 64% in May to 51% in June. Now, 23% in Ireland are struggling to get excited about AI adoption in their business, compared to an average of 18% across other markets surveyed.

Despite the concerns, Expleo found that 64% of business leaders in Ireland are confident in their organisation’s ability to use AI successfully. This could explain why overall, the AI Pulse sentiment tracker shows a score of 65 out of 100 for confidence in AI in June, down just one point from 66 in May.

Additionally, the research shows that business leaders in Ireland are torn about what the impact on their day-to-day work would be if AI was no longer there. When asked what would happen if AI tools were no longer available, 20% said their work would become more stressful, while 21% believe it would become more complicated. Conversely, 18% believe their work would become less stressful without AI, while 20% believe it would become less complicated.

A further 16% say they would not have enough time to complete their work without AI, 8% believe they would be unable to carry out their role altogether, and 18% say it would make no difference.

Phil Codd, Managing Director – Ireland, Expleo, said: “Our data from June demonstrates exactly why we are tracking AI sentiment in Ireland month-by-month. As we all know, it is a fast-changing technology that is having a profound impact on businesses. On top of that, highly publicised news and events involving some of the world’s largest AI companies can have huge sway on people’s perceptions. It will be interesting to see how this may play out in our AI barometer going forward.

“In truth, there are people in every organisation who may not trust AI. Much like how we are approaching cybersecurity, CIOs must have a similar approach to AI. It is only with the right, robust governance and assurance in place that they can reassure their leadership teams and people that their AI is not only safe, but it has real value for each individual, too.”

See more stories here.

Somewhere in your business there is probably an AI subscription that seemed like a good idea at the time. The pilot impressed everyone, a handful of people now use it daily, most tried it twice, and the transformation it was meant to deliver has settled into something closer to a modest convenience. If that sounds familiar, you’re in the majority. The AI Economy Ireland 2026 report from Trinity College Dublin and Microsoft found that 92 per cent of Irish organisations are using or planning to use AI, and warned in the same breath that the gap between the firms getting real value and the rest is widening.

The challenges of AI

The usual explanations blame the technology. The model wasn’t good enough, the vendor oversold it, the hype ran ahead of the reality. Sometimes that’s fair. More often the tool did roughly what it promised, and the disappointment came from somewhere older: nothing changed around it.

We have made this mistake before, at industrial scale, and an economist wrote the definitive account of it thirty-five years ago. When factories first electrified in the 1890s, most owners pulled out the steam engine and installed an electric motor in the same central position, driving the same overhead shafts and the same leather belts to the same machines in the same layout. A new power source, dropped into an unchanged factory. Paul David’s classic paper, The Dynamo and the Computer, explained why the expected productivity gains were delayed for decades. They arrived only in the 1920s, when a new generation of engineers stopped asking where to put the motor and started asking what a factory should look like now that power could go anywhere. Small motors on every machine, floors arranged around the flow of work instead of the reach of a drive shaft. Once the work was redesigned around the technology, electrification drove roughly half of all manufacturing productivity growth in that decade.

Every AI rollout since has faced the same fork, whether anyone in the room named it or not: bolt-on or redesign. The bolt-on swaps the power source and keeps the factory. The redesign asks what the work should look like now that this capability exists.

In the work itself, the bolt-on fails in a predictable way. When you automate one step of a process built around humans doing that step, you don’t remove the constraint, you move it. A team uses AI to produce first drafts in minutes instead of days, and the review stage, still staffed and structured for the old pace, becomes the new queue. Output rises at one point in the chain, piles up at the next, and the tool takes the blame for a process that was never re-plumbed to absorb what it now produces.

In people, the bolt-on fails more expensively. Handing staff AI access without developing their ability to direct it, judge it and check it isn’t adoption, it’s abdication. The capability that matters is not prompting, which anyone can pick up in an afternoon. The scarce skill is knowing when the output is wrong: the confident answer that doesn’t hold, the summary that flattened the one detail that mattered, the analysis that reads as plausible rather than true. Google Cloud’s DORA research put it plainly last year: successful AI adoption is “a systems problem, not a tools problem.” Most AI budgets still treat it as one.

And even within the people, capability is never one number. It’s a spread. In the same firm, on the same tools, with the same access, I’ve watched people struggling with the basics and trying hard, people defaulting to the tool for a quick answer and stopping there, and a few whose workflows have rebuilt the way they think, who are AI-capable in their sleep. Same rollout, wildly different outcomes, all under one roof. Which is why adoption figures flatter everyone. Ireland’s 92 per cent measures whether the tool is in the building. It says nothing about how many people in the building can use it with judgement, and that spread, not the subscription, is where the value gap lives.

It also explains one finding in the Irish research that deserves more respect than it has been given. When Google and Amárach asked 400 Irish SMEs this spring what held them back, the most common answer was fear of making mistakes, ahead of a lack of skills and well ahead of cost. That gets reported as hesitancy, a nation of cautious adopters trailing the curve. I’d read it as the most clear-eyed finding in the study. Those owners have sensed, correctly, that they don’t yet have the judgement in-house to catch AI’s errors, and they are declining to deploy a tool they can’t supervise. The instinct is sound. What it calls for is building the capability that makes the caution unnecessary, and no subscription will do that on its own.

Be suspicious, too, of anyone selling the alternative. The 100 per cent successful AI rollout, where everything worked, and everyone levelled up together, is a Jackanory story. We are inside a transformation with too many moving pieces for that: people move at different speeds, with different mindsets, at different levels of adoption, and no rollout brings everyone through at once. The factory engineers of the 1920s never found the perfect layout either. They built floors that could be rearranged as the machines and the people kept changing, and the rearranging never stopped. Whatever you redesign this year will be partly wrong by next year. Waiting for it all to settle means waiting forever. The realistic aim is a version you expect to revise, which still beats a bolt-on that fails in a way we’ve understood since the dynamo.

So before the next purchase, or the next renewal, one question: is this a bolt-on or a redesign? What work will we rebuild around it, and who will we develop to run it? If there’s no answer, you’re not adopting AI. You’re paying for it.

Rahim Hirji is a future-of-work strategist who helps organisations stay human as technology changes faster than people can adapt. He is the founder of The SuperSkills Intelligence Company and author of SuperSkills: The seven human skills for the age of AI, published by Kogan Page.

See more breaking stories here.

In a first for local authorities, the Hub is an innovative new online platform providing access to a wide range of local data on the demographic, social, economic, housing and environmental characteristics of Dublin City.

The Dublin City Knowledge Hub represents the first stage in a new initiative to make authoritative public data more accessible to policymakers, elected members, community organisations, researchers and the public. Bringing together over 20 interactive dashboards and mapping applications in a single location, the Hub enables users to explore and better understand local conditions across Dublin City.

The platform provides information at Local Electoral Area (LEA), Dublin City Committee Area and Small Area level (local areas with approximately 75 households), allowing users to examine local patterns across the city. The Hub includes detailed information on:

—  Population and demographic profiles, including age structure and population change;
— Citizenship, ethnicity and other social characteristics;
— Health and wellbeing indicators;
— Income and deprivation measures;
— Housing activity, including planning permissions, commencements and completions;
— Residential property prices for both new and second-hand homes based on the Property Price Register; and
— Environmental indicators covering a range of themes across Dublin City and the wider region.

The Dublin City Knowledge Hub has been designed as a practical evidence base to support informed decision-making across a wide range of sectors.

All data published through the Hub is drawn from authoritative public sources, including the Central Statistics Office, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Pobal, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Geological Survey Ireland. By bringing these datasets together in a single, easy-to-use platform, the project demonstrates the value of the reuse of publicly funded data and supports the objectives of Ireland’s National Open Data Strategy.

Supporting Evidence-Based Planning

The Dublin City Knowledge Hub is the first initiative of its kind developed by a local authority in Ireland, providing an integrated collection of interactive local-level dashboards and mapping applications covering such a broad range of topics. It establishes an important foundation for evidence-based planning, service delivery and policy development across the city.
The platform has also been designed with future development in mind. As new datasets become available, including results from Census 2027, the Knowledge Hub will continue to expand, providing an evolving evidence base to support decision-making over the coming years.

A Partnership for Better Public Data

The Dublin City Knowledge Hub has been developed through a long-standing collaboration between Dublin City Council and the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University. The initiative reflects a shared commitment to improving access to public data and supporting better-informed decisions through innovative digital tools.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron said:

“The Dublin City Knowledge Hub provides an important new resource for understanding the changing social, economic, housing and environmental characteristics of Dublin City. By making high-quality local data more accessible, the platform will support better planning, more informed decision-making and greater public understanding of the city and its communities. This is great new tool that will support both DCC in our work but also provides a useful resource for many of our stakeholders that operate in all areas across the city.”

Justin Gleeson, Director of the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University, added:

“The Knowledge Hub demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration between local government and the research sector. By bringing together authoritative public datasets in an accessible and interactive format, the platform makes local evidence available to a much wider audience and provides a strong foundation for future planning, research and community engagement. It’s brilliant to see Dublin City Council taking the lead on this new initiative – the combination of solid data and excellent visualisation tools make this a great resource.”

The Dublin City Knowledge Hub can be accessed here: www.dublincityknowledgehub.ie

The event brought together SMEs, local government representatives, educational partners and technology leaders to discuss the practical adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the opportunities AI presents for businesses and communities across the region.

Joining Minister Smyth at the Dell Technologies Cork campus were Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Damian Boylan, and Mayor of Cork County, Cllr. Bernard Moynihan. The event was delivered in association with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Local Enterprise Office Cork City and Local Enterprise Office South Cork.

Discussions focused on real-world examples of AI adoption by Irish businesses, highlighting how organisations are already using AI to drive innovation, productivity and growth. Attendees also explored the importance of digital skills, inclusion and collaboration in ensuring the benefits of AI are widely shared.

The programme featured a panel discussion with organisations already using AI across a range of sectors, providing practical insights into how businesses are leveraging the technology to enhance operations, improve productivity and unlock new opportunities. Participants also took part in breakout sessions focused on AI fundamentals, security and compliance, and the future of AI skills and education.

Colman O’Flynn, Cork Site Lead and Vice-President of Business Transformation, Dell Technologies said: “We were delighted to welcome Minister Smyth, the Lord Mayor of Cork and the Mayor of Cork County to our Cork campus as part of the AI Works for Ireland roadshow. Coming in the first days of Ireland’s EU Presidency, the discussions reinforced something we feel strongly about at Dell Technologies: Ireland’s AI opportunity will only be fully realised if businesses, communities and individuals of all sizes have the confidence, skills and support to participate.

“Through our collaboration with local enterprise, education and business partners across Cork, we are helping organisations access the knowledge, expertise and technologies needed to embrace AI and digital transformation.

“As Ireland looks to strengthen its position as a leader in digital innovation, continued collaboration between industry, government and education will be critical to ensuring the benefits of AI are accessible to organisations and communities across the country.”

The survey of 1,000 adults nationwide commissioned by Ask Acorn, a nationwide network of financial advisers, and carried out by IReach looked at whether enrolled workers will choose to stay, pause, or leave My Future Fund during the first opt-out period which runs from July 1st to August 31st.

Highlights from the Ask Acorn Autoenrollment Survey include:

• While 84% plan to remain in the scheme, 14pc will pause contributions
• Of the 16% of workers who said they are planning to opt out, half say they will redirect contributions to a private pension.
• People aged 25-34 show the strongest commitment, with 89% planning to stay enrolled. Just one in ten in this group is considering opting out.
• Among 45–54 year olds, 23% plan to exit the scheme entirely – but 13% will redirect savings to a private pensions arrangement

According to experts at Ask Acorn, the scheme has achieved its primary objective of getting workers thinking about their long-term financial future and that the next step is helping people to understand whether auto-enrolment alone will be enough to deliver the retirement they want.

Keith Butler, CEO of Ask Acorn, commented on the findings,

“While it’s still early days, these findings point to a strong initial vote of confidence in auto-enrolment and the role it could play in improving long-term financial security. It’s particularly encouraging to see such high participation among younger cohorts, who stand to benefit the most from starting early.

Auto-enrolment has succeeded in getting people engaged with pensions. The next conversation should be about whether people can now afford to do more. Someone who has received a salary increase or bonus since joining the scheme may be in a position to increase their retirement savings beyond the minimum contribution levels.

For many workers, that could mean complementing auto-enrolment with an additional pension arrangement that better reflects their long-term retirement goals.

Equally, employers who have now embraced workplace pensions through auto-enrolment might consider making higher contributions than the statutory minimum as part of supporting and retaining employees.

The important thing is that people don’t simply see auto-enrolment as the finish line. It should be the starting point for building a retirement plan that’s right for them.”

Young workers engaged but feeling the pressure

Of 18-24 year olds who have been enrolled, 64% plan to remain in the scheme, while 27% intend to stay enrolled but pause contributions. This is the highest pause rate of any age group, and experts at Ask Acorn suggest that cost-of-living pressures are already influencing behaviour among younger participants.

Women more likely to remain enrolled

The research also reveals a gender divide, with 73% of women planning to remain enrolled without making any changes, compared to 67% of men. Ask Acorn says this could be encouraging in the context of historically lower pension coverage among women in Ireland.

Mr. Butler continued,

“Higher levels of sustained participation among women could help to narrow long-standing retirement savings gaps over time, especially if engagement remains strong as the scheme matures. It also highlights the potential for auto-enrolment to play an important role in supporting more balanced and inclusive pension outcomes across the workforce.”

Regional differences in enrolment

Enrolment levels are higher outside Dublin, with 36% of adults in Munster and Connacht/Ulster enrolled, compared to 31% in Dublin and 25% in the rest of Leinster.

A groundbreaking study into the ethical and psychological implications of human-AI relationships, AI Intimacy and Psychoanalysis by Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska, academic, writer and filmmaker,  addresses the hugely topical, but hardly new, question of our emotional bonds with machines.

To find out more about this I caught up with Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska when she was recently in Dublin.

Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska talks about her background, her new book, Freud, AI models and more.

About Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska:

Agnieszka Piotrowska, PhD, is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, trained psychologist, and psychoanalytic life coach. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and supervises doctoral students at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Staffordshire.

Her documentary work includes Married to the Eiffel Tower ( 2008), a critically acclaimed and internationally broadcast film exploring unconventional human attachments, which established her international reputation as a filmmaker working at the intersection of psychology and human experience.

She is the author of The Cinema of Agnieszka Holland: Anger and Ethics (Routledge, 2026), Psychoanalysis and Ethics in Documentary Film (Routledge, 2014 & 2023), and The Nasty Woman and the Neo-Femme Fatale in Contemporary Cinema (Routledge, 2019).

See more podcasts here.

PACE (Potato Juice to Fatty Acids for New Bio-based Value-Chains in Europe) will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind flagship biorefinery by retrofitting part of Royal Avebe’s existing production facility. Using advanced fermentation and microbial chain elongation, the facility will convert potato juice side-streams into valuable biobased medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), for applications across the chemical industry.

The project represents an important step toward reducing Europe’s dependency on fossil and palm oil-based chemistry while strengthening local, circular value chains. By integrating circular solutions into existing industrial infrastructure, PACE demonstrates how industrial side-streams can be transformed into scalable and commercially relevant chemical building blocks.

Kick-off meeting

The kick-off meeting took place on 17 June 2026 in Amsterdam. The meeting marked the official start of the four-year project and brought together representatives from all consortium partners to align on objectives, implementation activities and next steps. It was a productive and inspiring day, laying the foundation for a successful collaboration over the coming years.

The meeting provided an opportunity for partners to discuss the project roadmap, establish collaboration mechanisms and coordinate activities across the technical, industrial, sustainability, market uptake and communication work packages. The strong engagement and enthusiasm across the consortium highlighted the shared ambition to make PACE a success.

Vision and objectives

As Niels van Stralen, project coordinator said, “PACE demonstrates how circular chemistry can become part of existing industrial systems at a meaningful scale. By upgrading infrastructure that already exists and using locally available side-streams, we show that sustainable chemistry does not have to start from scratch. PACE is an important example of how Europe can build more resilient and circular chemical value chains.”

Next steps

The PACE consortium will now focus on the first implementation activities required for the establishment of the biorefinery and the optimisation of the MCFA production process. In parallel, partners will advance the validation of bio-based MCFAs in targeted industrial applications, while carrying out sustainability, circularity and market uptake assessments to support future replication across Europe.

Stakeholder engagement, knowledge exchange and communication activities will accompany these efforts, ensuring collaboration across the value chain and supporting the wider deployment of circular bio-based solutions.

Project consortium

• CHAINCRAFT BV (Coordinator) – Netherlands
• COOPERATIE KONINKLIJKE AVEBE UA – Netherlands
• INNOV AD – Belgium
• ECOVER CO-ORDINATION CENTER – Belgium
• ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION (LEITAT) – Spain
• STICHTING PDC RESEARCH FOUNDATION – Netherlands
• Anorel NV – Belgium
• ena Development Consultants – Greece
• SPECIALTY OPERATIONS FRANCE (Syensqo France) – France
• SYMRISE AG – Germany

For further information, you may contact at info@pace-project.eu.

Website URL: https://pace-project.eu/

Is there a chance that artificial intelligence might have consciousness? What could make what appears to be statistical predictions have what may resemble human consciousness?

Some people have said that, in the brain, what processes language or other experiences is different from the outcome. Simply, there are components and mechanisms in the brain that don’t look like the experience itself. So, even if there are vectors and tensors hidden away in AI, could AI have some aspects of consciousness?

There is a growing amount of discussion about the necessity of making progress on AI sentience, or, say, the consciousness of large language models [LLMs].

World Brain Day 2026

The objective is to explore what LLMs might have, given their ability to relate, at certain levels, to human knowledge or understanding.

Yet, for all that has been written in support of possible AI consciousness, there is no other candidate for which AI might be conscious than language.

This means that the primary objective of any AI consciousness team or lab is to figure out the fraction of language in human consciousness and compare that to AI.

This exploration could lead to a possible conceptual measurement for sentience in general, helping to shape how animal consciousness is measured, which may also influence animal rights, animal welfare, and so forth.

Simply, for now, the path is to develop all the functions that can be conscious in humans. Then, identify the attributes that might make them conscious — which could contribute toward a total measure — so that human, animal, and machine consciousness can be explored around them.

If all the possible functions that the brain performs are divided into four categories, memory, feelings, emotions, and regulation of internal senses, then, if the attributes that make them conscious are also divided into at least four initial categories, attention, less than attention, intent, and subjectivity, it is possible to start from there.

Language is a subdivision of memory. So, while memory still consists of several other subdivisions, such as other sounds, sights, tastes, and so forth, language is a fraction of memory, which is itself a fraction of the brain’s functions. Feelings, emotions, and regulation of internal signals all have their own subdivisions.

Then, the attributes also apply to functions wherever they are mechanized. This means that if a function exists somewhere, what makes it conscious is also there.

Therefore, making an estimate based on functions and their attributes would be useful in advancing the exploration of language for machine consciousness.

Eleos AI Research

Eleos AI Research is supposed to be the most promising organization on earth working to solve AI consciousness, but they seem to have shifted their work toward mechanistic interpretability, since it appears to be the thing to do, both to seem technical and to follow the lead of their allied organization, Anthropic.

However, consciousness is not a mechanistic interpretability problem. Mechanistic interpretability is primarily about understanding [against the black box or] how AI works and, if possible, improving safety and alignment. While it may benefit AI consciousness research, it does not actually help measure language — the real function that AI has — to compare it with human language as a fraction of consciousness.

Simply, Eleos AI Research is supposed to have a major division or program to estimate or calculate language as a division of consciousness. It is this central work that could become their biological approach to solving AI consciousness.

Other efforts in philosophy and mechanistic interpretability may complement the work, but the initial focus, to make their work viable, is to find a biological anchor, language and then estimate from there. Consciousness
is a brain problem. Even consciousness conversations around AI is predicated on the brain.

Eleos AI Research has not done so. Hopefully, they find a way, or seek clues from the postulate in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.

The convention of the American Psychological Association [APA] will be held from August 6 – 8, 2026, in Washington, DC, and virtually, where they will also discuss with AI corporate executives, how AI plays a role in their work.

David Stephen does research in conceptual brain science and served as a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.

See more breaking stories here.

The research, released as Indeed launches Career Scout in Ireland, reveals that while 76% of workers are open to changing careers, many are being held back by financial uncertainty (31%), age (27%), starting again as a beginner (23%), a lack of qualifications (23%) and uncertainty about which jobs would suit them (23%).

More than six in ten (61%) say they have transferable skills but are unsure where those skills are most relevant, while half (50%) wish they knew what jobs they qualify for based on their skills and experience.

Career confidence gap

The findings suggest that many workers in Ireland are eager to explore new opportunities but often lack the confidence and guidance needed to take the next step.

More than eight in ten (82%) say they would find a tool helpful if it showed possible career paths based on their experience and skills, including 31% who would find it very helpful. Meanwhile, 71% wish they could ask questions about a company or role before applying and 54% say they have struggled to explain why they are a good fit for a role during an application or interview.

The research also highlights the scale of career ambition among workers. Six in ten (61%) say they have a dream career they would love to achieve, while nearly nine in ten (88%) could imagine moving into a field where workers will be needed in the long term.

At the same time, workers are navigating growing uncertainty about the future. Economic uncertainty is the leading concern for workers when thinking about their professional future (34%), followed closely by AI and automation (32%).

A personal career coach

To help jobseekers take the next step with greater confidence, Indeed is launching Career Scout in Ireland. Designed as a personal career coach, Career Scout makes it easier to discover career opportunities, find relevant jobs and navigate every stage of the job search process.

With Career Scout, jobseekers can:

• Discover personalised pathways aligned to their skills and interests, including career opportunities they may not have considered before.
• Understand why they may be well suited for recommended careers and find out what they could earn in a new career.
• Simplify their job search by chatting with Career Scout to find better opportunities tailored to their goals, refine searches and uncover jobs specific to their interests.
• Research companies before applying, including pay, culture, size and employee sentiment.
• Keep track of applications in one organised hub through the My Jobs dashboard.
• Strengthen interview and negotiation skills with personalised guidance, role-specific interview tips and practical talking points.

Based on initial US testing, jobseekers who use Career Scout find and apply to relevant jobs seven times faster, and are 38% more likely to get hired[2].

Conor McCarthy, Vice President at Indeed, said: “Changing careers can feel daunting, especially in a rapidly changing work environment. People know they have valuable skills but cannot see how they translate into new opportunities in today’s workplace. Our research shows that many jobseekers are open to change, but they need more clarity, confidence and personalised support to take the next step.

“Career Scout is designed to act as a personal career coach, helping people understand their options, discover roles that match their skills and goals, and move through the job search with more confidence.”

Growing demand for personalised career support

The findings also show that AI is already becoming an increasingly important job search tool for workers in Ireland. More than a third (37%) have already used AI to support a job search.

Among those who have used AI, 42% say it made them feel more confident submitting applications, 41% say it saved them time and 30% report receiving more interview invitations. However, some concerns remain. One-third (33%) worry employers can tell they used AI, while 28% worry AI-generated applications may sound generic.

Career coaching also remains largely untapped. Only 21% have ever used a career coach, with the biggest barriers including never having considered using one (39%), concerns about cost (28%), uncertainty about what a career coach does (25%)and not knowing where to find one (24%).

Career Scout aims to bring more personalised career support to more people, combining Indeed’s two decades of data and insights with AI-powered guidance to help jobseekers apply smarter, not just faster.

McCarthy continued: “For many people, career support has either felt out of reach or too generic to be useful. Career Scout helps bridge that gap by giving jobseekers tailored guidance whenever they need it – whether they are exploring a new path, preparing for an interview or trying to understand what they could earn in a new role.”

Career Scout is now available to jobseekers in Ireland, offering personalised support to help people explore new career paths, understand where their skills fit, and move through the job search with greater confidence.

See more stories here.

Much of the casino experience now appears in the mobile browser, built on open web standards, although native apps still exist in some regulated markets. The shift reflects both the maturity of the web and changes in how casino content is delivered online.

Why Flash Was Replaced by HTML5

For years, the browser was not sufficient for many casino games, in part because performance, compatibility and plugin support were more limited. Casino games often ran on Adobe Flash, a proprietary plugin that browsers had to load separately.

That meant performance and compatibility limits, plus additional security concerns, and Flash was never supported on iPhones because Apple did not allow the plugin on iOS. When Adobe announced that Flash support would end on 31 December 2020, the move was widely expected. The announcement came in 2017, giving studios three years to rebuild.

Apple had signalled its position years earlier, when Steve Jobs published his open letter on Flash and said the iPhone would not support it.

HTML5 emerged as the main successor. HTML5, the living standard maintained by the WHATWG, renders animation, audio and game logic in the browser without requiring a plugin, across desktop and mobile environments.

For studios, that meant building a shared codebase for multiple platforms, while still accounting for platform-specific optimisation and testing. Technologies like WebGL and the Web Audio API helped studios deliver advanced graphics and spatial sound without requiring a separate plugin.

How Instant Play Reduced Reliance on Native Casino Apps

The bigger change was not just the format; it was the whole delivery model. Native casino apps were more practical when phones were slower, and browsers could not handle the same workloads, but they also introduced extra operational complexity.

Every operator had to maintain a separate iOS build, an Android build and a desktop client, each with its own bugs and update cycle. App stores also took a cut and imposed rules that varied by market and product.

There was a storage cost, too. A native casino app could consume hundreds of megabytes of phone storage, which added another installation step before use.

Instant play changes much of that delivery model. The game loads in the browser, recognises the device and adapts the layout. Sessions can often be continued across devices, depending on implementation.

That is why many modern online casino experiences are accessed through a URL rather than only through an icon on the home screen. In many cases, the browser now functions as the main interface, and a single responsive build can serve multiple platforms.

What Mobile-First Design Means in Practice

The technical focus is on the detail. Mobile-first design does not mean shrinking a desktop slot onto a smaller screen. It means designing interfaces that work well on smaller screens and touch input.

Controls are placed for touch input, bet sliders respond to gestures instead of clicks, and portrait and landscape orientations each get their own layout rather than a forced rotation.

Underneath, that adaptability runs on CSS media queries and flexible layout tools like flexbox and grid, the same responsive toolkit used across modern e-commerce and news sites.

It also supports continuity across devices. A session started on one device can often be resumed on another with the same balance, game state and account, depending on the operator’s implementation.

The underlying build can remain the same, although operators may still need market-specific adjustments and testing.

The Browser as an Access Point

As browser engines got faster and 5G reduced some latency constraints, the technical case for a separate app weakened in some contexts.

The industry followed the broader shift toward the web. What remains is a casino experience built on open standards that also power much of the modern web, with deployment and access models that vary by market.

Historically, most organisations did not have much incentive to automate certificate management. Even the ones that did adopt automation workflows limited it to discovery, periodic expiration alerts, and in some instances, automated renewals. That changed when the CA/Browser Forum voted to reduce the maximum validity of public TLS certificates, phasing down from the legacy 398-day validity period to a 200-day period in March 2026 (current cadence), which will drop to 100 days by March 2027, and finally 47 days by March 2029.

“We’re going from under 200 certificates to over 2,000, across a lot of domains, different server setups, credentials and post-deployment actions for nearly all of it. We’ve had to dedicate significant engineering time to certificate management alone since the change to 200 days. With the 47-day certificate renewals coming up, automation is the only way we can keep up, and Key Manager Plus’ CA-agnostic, certificate lifecycle management has helped us automate the whole thing,” said Jonathan Choiniere, infrastructure manager at RevSpring, a payment solutions provider based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Automating the Last Step of Certificate Renewal

Getting the certificate live is the last step in the renewal process, and this post-deployment task has primarily been handled manually by many teams. While this works when teams are renewing one certificate a year, as certificate lifespans shrink and the same steps repeat roughly eight times as often, manual errors become more likely and the cost of an outage can run into the millions.

“Certificate renewal is rarely the hard part. The work that piles up on teams is what comes after it, at scale: pushing certificates to the server, restarting the services, and confirming they actually went live. End-to-end automation is what turns a 47-day renewal cycle from a scramble into something that runs on its own. With Key Manager Plus, we are eliminating the last manual step in the lifecycle management loop,” said Vasudevan Seshadri, director of product management at ManageEngine.

Quantifying the 47-Day Shift

To help organisations assess their own exposure to the reduced certificate validity mandate, ManageEngine has also released a 47-day TLS impact calculator. It lets enterprises quantify what the mandate means for them based on three factors: the size of their certificate estate, their current renewal labour, and their outage exposure. From there, it compares those numbers against what they will look like once their TLS certificate lifecycle is fully automated. That automation is what Key Manager Plus delivers, and it runs identically whether teams deploy on-premises or in the cloud.

See more stories here.

Guest post By Edward Bowman MSc, Organisational Psychologist 

Not long ago, the biggest recruitment challenge for many Irish businesses was attracting enough applicants.

Today, for many employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the challenge has become something entirely different: identifying the right candidates from an evergrowing volume of applications. Irish SMEs are creating jobs at the fastest pace in nearly a decade.

At first glance, this seems like a positive problem to have. More applicants should mean more choice. Yet the evidence suggests that both employers and job seekers are finding recruitment increasingly frustrating. SMEs are facing a hiring crunch in 2026. With only 12% of small businesses fully staffed, unfilled roles are stalling growth, delaying projects, and increasing costs.

Recent hiring benchmarks indicate that approximately 15% of job applications resulted in an interview in 2016. By 2023, that figure had fallen to around 8%, while more recent research suggests interview rates now sit closer to 2–3% across many industries. In other words, candidates are submitting more applications than ever before, yet securing fewer interviews.

The reasons for this shift are complex, but one factor has transformed recruitment more rapidly than almost any other: artificial intelligence.

Generative AI has dramatically reduced the time required to create polished CVs and tailored cover letters. Candidates can now produce highly professional applications within minutes, optimise them for applicant tracking systems (ATS), and apply for significantly more roles than was previously possible.

While this undoubtedly benefits job seekers, it also means employers are receiving unprecedented numbers of applications that often appear remarkably similar in quality. This has led to what has been described as an AI Arms Race whereby companies have introduced more sophisticated filtering techniques which then leads to more AI being adopted by the job seeker to circumvent them.

For hiring managers, this creates a very different challenge.

Recruitment is no longer simply about attracting candidates; it is about finding meaningful differences between them.

Many organisations continue to rely heavily on applicant tracking systems that screen CVs using keywords and predefined criteria. While these systems are efficient for managing large applicant volumes, they are only as effective as the information they receive. Research by Harvard Business School and Accenture found that 88% of employers acknowledged that qualified candidates are sometimes filtered out because their applications fail to match the precise criteria configured within screening software.

This is not necessarily a reflection of candidate quality.

It is often a reflection of how recruitment systems process information.

For SMEs, the consequences can be particularly significant.

Unlike larger organisations with dedicated recruitment teams, smaller businesses often ask managers to recruit alongside their existing responsibilities. Reviewing hundreds of applications, many of which have been professionally written or AI assisted, consumes valuable hours that could otherwise be spent running the business.

The alternative is often to outsource recruitment to external agencies, an option that may cost between 15% and 20% of a successful candidate’s starting salary. For many SMEs, neither option is ideal.

Having worked in several countries and applied for many roles throughout my own career, I have experienced recruitment from both sides of the process. Like many professionals, I have invested considerable time tailoring CVs and cover letters, only to receive no response or feedback. Employers, meanwhile, frequently describe spending evenings reviewing applications while worrying that they may still overlook excellent candidates.

Both experiences point towards the same conclusion.

The current recruitment process is placing increasing pressure on employers and applicants alike.

Perhaps the most important question we should now be asking is whether we are looking at the right information first.

A curriculum vitae remains an important record of experience, qualifications and career progression. However, anyone who has managed people understands that successful performance depends on far more than previous job titles or years of experience.

Every role contains behavioural demands that rarely appear on a CV.

Some positions require individuals who thrive in highly structured environments. Others demand adaptability, resilience and comfort with ambiguity. Teamwork, communication style, motivation, learning agility, problem-solving and autonomy all influence whether someone is likely to succeed in a particular working environment.

These characteristics are often discovered only after interview or sometimes only after someone has already been hired.

The challenge facing modern recruitment is therefore not whether CVs should disappear.

They should not.

Rather, it is whether CVs alone provide sufficient information at the earliest stages of recruitment, particularly when advances in AI mean that application quality increasingly reflects access to technology rather than genuine suitability for the role.

The future of hiring is unlikely to involve replacing human judgement with algorithms.

Instead, the organisations that recruit most effectively will probably combine multiple sources of evidence: experience, structured assessment, interviews and professional judgement. Technology should support better decision-making, not replace it.

For Irish SMEs, this shift could be particularly valuable. Better early-stage information has the potential to reduce unnecessary screening, improve hiring confidence and create a more transparent experience for candidates, while allowing employers to spend less time sorting applications and more time engaging with the people who are genuinely suited to the role.

Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly changed recruitment.

Our hiring processes now need to evolve alongside it.

The CV is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

But in an era where almost every application can appear polished and professionally written, it may no longer be enough to begin and end the recruitment conversation.

Edward Bowman MSc is an Organisational Psychologist and founder of Psych-Fit, an Irish HR technology company researching assessment-first approaches to recruitment in the age of artificial intelligence.

He previously was a key member of the winning team and business concept in the An Forbairt Student Enterprise Awards at Dublin City University.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-bowman-msc-42a20259/

Website: https://psychfit.org

Email: ed@psychfit.org

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