Jim O Brien/CEO - techbuzzireland.com

Microsoft announces 550 highly skilled jobs at the cutting-edge of the AI sector in Ireland

Taoiseach Simon Harris joined James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Leader and Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre, and IDA Ireland Chief Executive, Michael Lohan, today to announce that Ireland has been selected as a key location for Microsoft to invest in advancing its global AI innovation. The decision will result in Microsoft adding 550 new Irish based engineering and R&D roles to pioneer the development of new AI technologies.

The investment will see Microsoft, a global leader in the development and use of AI, undertake significant industrial research into AI to develop critical, leading-edge technology in the area of AI and cyber security, which will then be made available to public and private sector organisations all around the world.

Multidisciplinary teams in the areas of Azure Networking & Infrastructure, Business & Industry Copilot, Customer Success Engineering and Cyber Security will be recruited to investigate groundbreaking technologies and the development AI infrastructure that is scalable, responsible, trusted and secure. The new roles will ensure that Microsoft Ireland’s Engineering Hub will have end-to-end AI product development capabilities.

Furthermore, teams will seek to drive new applications for AI across multiple industries and create brand new AI-enabled product offerings and internal solutions for Microsoft, supporting the corporation’s strategic objective to be at the forefront of responsible AI development and cyber security.

This investment will result in an additional 550 new highly skilled jobs at Microsoft Ireland over the next three to four years, across areas such as software engineering, applied sciences, product management, program management, data science, design, technical writing and analytics. 120 of these roles are available to apply for from today in software engineering, applied sciences, security research, product management and program management.

Microsoft first invested in Ireland in 1985 and with the addition of the roles announced today the company will employ more than 6,000 people across a multifunctional campus in Leopardstown, its data centre campus in Grange Castle, and LinkedIn.

This investment is supported by the Government of Ireland through IDA Ireland.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “I very much welcome Microsoft’s announcement today. Not only does this highlight Ireland’s attractiveness as an investment destination, it also promises a significant boost for the AI ecosystem in Ireland. Fostering AI skills and advancing capabilities in the field are core to the Government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and this project will help develop new specialist skills and expertise, thereby positioning Ireland for further investment in this critical area.”

Tara Roth, Microsoft Ireland Executive Site Sponsor and Corporate Vice President, Engineering, Microsoft said: “Today we are delighted to announce a strategic investment in our Irish operations that will strengthen our AI capabilities globally. These new roles span many of Microsoft’s future focused key product areas and services including Security. Security is Microsoft’s top priority, and our Secure Future Initiative (SFI) is the largest cyber security project in history. We’re delighted that these roles will significantly contribute to both Microsoft’s AI development and our security efforts.”

James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Leader and Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre said: “AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our time – it will unlock profound possibilities for people, industry, and society. At Microsoft, we are delighted to be at the forefront of the AI era – delivering safe, secure and ethical solutions to all industries that will accelerate breakthroughs in healthcare, education, infrastructure and more for the benefit of society as a whole.

“Through this investment, we are building on our almost 40-year presence in Ireland, which has been characterised by continuous investment, transformation and the diversification of our operations from a manufacturing site to a significant international Hub for Microsoft providing software development, engineering, data centres, finance, operations, and sales and marketing for EMEA. Ireland is undoubtedly an established hotbed of engineering and cyber security talent and leadership, with Irish universities producing some of the very best gradates, and this is a significant contributing factor to both our success and continued investment here.

“The creation of 550 new roles enables us to further strengthen our presence here in Ireland and take AI and cyber security innovation to the next level.”

CEO of IDA Ireland Michael Lohan said: “Ireland continues to prove itself as a location where the world’s most innovative AI companies build groundbreaking technologies. In line with government’s ambitions, by supporting innovative R&D projects like the one announced by Microsoft today, we are helping to shape the future of AI in Ireland and to harness AI as a driver for future economic growth. This investment by Microsoft is set to deliver exceptional economic benefit alongside 550 highly skilled jobs at the cutting-edge of the AI sector in Ireland.

“Today’s announcement also signals Microsoft’s enduring commitment to Ireland as the location of choice for pioneering, innovative and transformative projects of scale. IDA Ireland and Microsoft have built a longstanding, trusted partnership over four decades of corporate expansion and growth here and we look forward to our continued partnership throughout this very exciting project.”

For more information on the open roles, please visit our careers page.

New road reporting features coming to Waze

Waze has one of the most passionate mapping communities in the world, with drivers who actively report road incidents and editors who add critical local information to the map, like new roads and sharp curves. Over the years, they’ve launched updates to help drivers get around more safely and confidently — and today, they are adding two new features to keep drivers up to date on their journeys.

Speak naturally to report road incidents
On Waze, you can already report a range of incidents, including traffic, potholes, construction and more. Now we’re introducing a new Conversational Reporting feature to make this safer and easier. Say you’re cruising down the highway and spot a sudden slowdown. All you need to do is tap the reporting button and speak naturally, as if you’re chatting with a friend: “Looks like there are cars jammed up ahead!” With the help of Gemini capabilities, Waze will understand what you’re saying and quickly add a real-time report to the map for you — no need to use a specific voice command or tap extra buttons.
Waze will even ask you a follow-up question when it needs more information or details. If you let Waze know there’s something up ahead, it may ask “Can you describe what you see?” After sharing more information – like that you see a trash can on the road – Waze can categorize the report, helping other drivers be aware and avoid the hazard.
Conversational Reporting launches in beta to Waze trusted testers globally this week in English on Android and iOS, with plans to expand to more users and languages in the coming months.

See school zones on the map
To help keep students, pedestrians and drivers safer when they’re near these busy areas, we’re making it easy for Waze map editors to add school zones to the map. This means that when you’re driving near a school when it’s open and we have information for that school zone available, you’ll receive an alert that reminds you to be extra cautious.
School Zones start rolling out on Android and iOS globally later this year.
Waze combines the power of community and technology to bring you features that keep you informed

New in Maps: Inspiration curated with Gemini, enhanced navigation and more

For nearly 20 years, Google Maps has helped people understand and navigate the world — and today, Google is announcing that more than 2 billion users turn to Maps each month because of their fresh, comprehensive map. By using AI to analyze billions of images, alongside data from local partners and our community, we’re able to make over 100 million updates to the map every single day. So whether you’re traveling the world or across town, you’re seeing the most up-to-date information possible.

Read more
From fuel-efficient routes to Immersive View, AI has helped us build new experiences for over a decade. And now, we’re transforming Maps with the power of Gemini models, helping you get answers to complex questions about the world.

Ask Maps for inspiration curated with Gemini
People already turn to Maps to get ideas for places to go and things to do. Now, we’re making it even easier to get inspiration curated with Gemini: all you need to do is ask Maps.
Say a friend is visiting and you need to plan an activity. Just ask Maps for “things to do with friends at night” to get ideas curated with Gemini — like checking out a speakeasy or live music. Find out what people like about a place by reading the helpful review summarized with Gemini — especially convenient when you’re pressed for time. If a place catches your eye and you want to learn more about it, like whether it has outdoor seating or a quiet atmosphere, just ask Maps questions about a place to get relevant answers in a snap.
All of these features are made possible thanks to our Gemini’s powerful creation, reasoning and summarization capabilities — grounded in our trusted data about 250 million places around the world and insights from the Maps community. These features start rolling out in the U.S. on Android and iOS this week. You’ll also see similar experiences in the coming months on Search — including AI-powered review summaries and the option to ask detailed questions about places.
Check out how we’re also helping developers, enterprises, and cities with our mapping technology and Gemini capabilities.

Take the stress out of driving
We’re introducing a major update to make your entire drive easier from start to finish. It’s now simpler to explore along your route before you get on the road — just get directions and tap “add stops.” You’ll see top landmarks, attractions, scenic spots and dining options to help you plan the perfect drive.
Sometimes driving in unfamiliar areas with multiple lanes, forks, and exits can be confusing. To help you anticipate these, our enhanced navigation will show you lanes, crosswalks and road signs clearly on the map. And because no one likes finding out they need to merge at the last minute, we’ll show you exactly which lane you should be in: just follow the blue line in the lane markers while navigating.

We’re also giving you more ways to keep you and your fellow drivers informed. As the winter months approach for many of us, you’ll now be able to see and report weather disruptions along your route — including flooded, unplowed and low-visibility roads.
Lastly, we know your journey isn’t over until you make it to the door of your destination. Now, with updates to arrival guidance, in addition to lighting up your building and entrance, we’ll also show you nearby parking lots and remind you to save your parking so you don’t forget. Once you’re parked, you can get walking directions from your car to the entrance — and even enter Street View or AR walking navigation so you can orient yourself quickly.
The ability to explore along your route, see and report weather disruptions, and our updated arrival guidance start rolling out globally on Android and iOS this week. Enhanced navigation starts rolling out next month on Android and iOS in over 30 metros — with plans to expand to more places over time.
We also have exciting updates coming to Waze, including Conversational Reporting — be sure to check those out, too.

Explore with Immersive View’s biggest update yet
With Immersive View, you can experience what stadiums, parks and routes look like using AI, imagery and computer vision — and even see what the weather and traffic conditions will be like on the day and time you’re planning to visit. Starting this week, Immersive View for places will expand to 150 cities globally, including in places like Brussels, Kyoto and Frankfurt. And we continue to add new categories of places to Immersive View, like college campuses — a great way to take your very own campus tour!
Immersive View for routes is also getting new details. Now, we’ll tell you where to park and highlight if you’ll encounter things like a complex turn along your route so you can be prepared. This update starts rolling out this week on Android and iOS wherever Immersive View for routes is available.
We can’t wait for you to try these updates out. From immersive experiences to inspiration curated with Gemini as well as a new, enhanced driving experience, Google Maps continues to transform how we navigate and explore the world.

Generative AI updates for Google Maps Platform and Google Earth

Today, Google introduced new generative AI capabilities for Google Maps Platform and Google Earth to provide developers and urban planners with fresh, real-world information and to help solve geospatial problems.

IT.ie launches gamified cybersecurity awareness training

IT.ie, the Irish IT managed services company, today, coinciding with Cybersecurity Awareness Month, announces the launch of a new gamified cybersecurity awareness training in a bid to help businesses to tackle the increasing risk of cyberattacks.

The service, which keeps employees on their toes by simulating real cyberattacks, reflects a growing use of gamification by organisations globally and across multiple industries to drive user engagement and business success. A study conducted by TalentLMS found that gamification increases engagement levels during cybersecurity training by 70%.

New regulations, including NIS2 and DORA, are resulting in ensuring that businesses are much more accountable for cybersecurity. Minimising the risk posed by employees will therefore help to reduce the success of attacks. This will save businesses money through decreased insurance premiums, as well as any money that may be paid as ransom.

Human error currently accounts for 90% of data breach incidents. IT.ie’s gamified solution aims to reduce that risk by creating an engaging experience which encourages employees to maintain and upskill their cyber-resistance. This is essential as hackers continue to barrage organisations and their employees with attempted attacks using methods such as phishing, social engineering, malware, ransomware, and spoofing.

IT.ie’s solution begins with a gap analysis, which identifies areas where individuals may be vulnerable and require improvement such as awareness of phishing tactics, or effective password management. The result of the analysis allows IT.ie to create a personalised training path for each user to strengthen the areas where they are weakest.

These training paths feed into Learn.IT, which involves digestible, interactive sessions designed to be engaging, allowing employees to develop their knowledge in manageable increments without significant disruption to their daily workflow.

The gamification comes into play with the Phish.IT element of the solution, which regularly targets employees with realistic phishing attempts to test their recognition, awareness, and response to threats. These simulated attempts mean that employees can get practical use out of the skills they have developed through the training.

As employees engage with the solution, this feeds into an overall company risk score. Over time, businesses and their employees can see the benefits that the training is having as their score decreases. This measurement of success also helps to create a sense of collective responsibility and a positive cybersecurity culture within organisations.

Eamon Gallagher, founder and managing director, IT.ie, said:

“Through experience, we know that the journey a business takes in developing a coherent cybersecurity strategy is not achieved overnight, and employees are the last line of defence in terms of the cyber threat landscape. Our Cyber Awareness Training & Phishing simulation platform paves the way for organisations to invest in their people so as to ensure the development of a robust and healthy cyber security culture. Our goal is to create an experience that is personalised, easily consumable and not overly disruptive from other important day-to-day tasks.”

Renovation Nation: Home improvement projects drive consumer spending surge in Ireland

Revolut, the global financial app with more than 45 million customers worldwide, and over 2.8 million in Ireland, has identified a surge in the amount its customers across Ireland are spending on home improvements projects.

Revolut’s consumer spending analysis tracks millions of card payments each month to indicate several real-world spending trends by the country’s Revolut customers.

With Ireland’s national Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) increasing by more than 10% in the 12 months to August 2024, it could be that rising prices are pushing many across the country to renovate rather than relocate.

Rising prices driving renovation demand?

Whether getting onto the property ladder for the very first time or weighing up whether a move to a bigger home is within reach, it appears that priority number one for families across Ireland is renovating houses in accordance with their needs. Revolut’s analysis suggests that people are opting to renovate rather than relocate, either by extending or remodelling homes.

Headline figures included a 30% rise (QoQ increase) in payments to special trade contractors, with an additional 14% rise (QoQ increase) in masonry, stonework, and plastering costs, pointing to a probable jump in the number of house extensions getting underway last month.

Architects and tradespeople the beneficiaries

With an increased demand for work on home improvement projects, architectural firms and surveyors are proving the beneficiaries of people in Ireland’s need to renovate their homes. Spending on fees for these services rose 22% (QoQ increase) — up 18% on this time last year.

Busier carpentry contractors (33% QoQ increase) and heightened spending on plumbing and heating equipment (19% QoQ increase) suggests increasing workloads for these trades too.

Meanwhile, the amount spent at household appliance stores rose by 22% (QoQ increase), as consumers spent a third more (33% YoY increase) on furnishings for their homes in Ireland compared to last September — with a 22% increase in the last quarter (QoQ increase) reinforcing this trend.

Credit enabling home improvements

Revolut customers in Ireland looking to renovate their homes can avail of personal loans of up to €30,000 at competitive interest rates from 6.50% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) variable. Whether for home improvement projects, or something else, customers can spread the cost with flexible repayments. Over 20% of Revolut’s existing personal loan customers said their reason for accessing credit was to carry out home improvements, while in the last month, the amount of home improvement loan applications Revolut received rose by 4% (MoM increase).

A recent survey by market research company Dynata on behalf of Revolut found that over 18% of people (from a sample of 1,000 respondents representing every county in Ireland) said that renovating their house or apartment would be a good reason to use a loan in the next year.

Maurice Murphy, Head of Lending – Europe at Revolut Bank UAB, said: “During those big life events, such as moving or renovating your home, it’s important to be able to trust your bank, get a great return on your deposits, and have hassle-free access to credit when you need it. These spending patterns suggest that a growing number of our customers in Ireland are putting their money towards decorating, renovating, or extending their homes.”

Revolut Bank UAB (Irish Branch) was recently recognised by financial comparison site Bonkers.ie as ‘Ireland’s Best Consumer Business’ and ‘provider of the Best Current Account’, while the company ranked 9th as part of the Ireland RepTrak® 2024 study earlier this year.

For more information, visit: www.revolut.com/en-IE

Celest IgniteX Beast Earbuds Review

The Celest IgniteX Beast Earbuds comes with 10mm LCP dynamic drivers,0.78mm 2pin interchangeable cable design and 3D printed resin shell which are quite different to your typical earbud and they also look cool.

These are simple no fuss earbuds however with no fancy features or app for a curated listening experience but overall the sound is ok with a bright sound to them overall.

No tinny sound was noted and with a direct connection via USB-C no lag latency noted either and calls clear both ends.

The sound is what people want to know about and for me overall balanced no direction but fine on highs lows and mids when in certain genres and same with bass and an overall brighter listening experience. The earbuds come with a Hybrid Dual Driver
1 Dynamic Driver + 1 Balanced Armature Hybrid Dual Driver.

These would suit people who are on a budget or just do not care about the niceties you get with more expensive earbuds and I think the company is aiming at more of a market share with several other offerings at affordable prices to meet the masses.

You can control calls and the volume play and pause with the inline remote and that is all you will find here which is basic but there is plenty out there who just like having basic to the points get the job done things and this is what these earbuds do.

IgniteX Beast, one of the Five Divine Beasts
IgniteX Beast is a mythical creature recorded in ancient texts such as The Classic of Mountains and Seas and The Biographies of Immortals. It resembles a deer, with hooves like a horse, its body engulfed in flames, capable of spewing fire, and its roar echoes through the heavens. It was once the mount of the Flame Emperor. In folklore, it is seen as a symbol of strength and courage, also representing good fortune and blessings for childbirth. The deer head symbolizes vitality, the flames represent light and hope, conveying good luck and happiness.”

Features

10mm LCP Liquid Crystal Polymer Diaphragm Dynamic Driver | Custom Celest Balanced Armature | 3D Printed Ear Shell | Semi-Universal Mold Shell
0.78mm 2pin Detachable Cable | Acoustic Structural Shell | Oxygen-Free Copper Earphone Cable | Hybrid Dual Driver
1 Dynamic Driver + 1 Balanced Armature Hybrid Dual Driver

3D Printing + Coloring Process
IgniteX Beast earphone shell is made using resin 3D printing, with a semi-transparent black finish. The faceplate of the earphone features flame elements, with flame textures created through modeling. After 3D printing, the design is spray-painted to give it a gradient effect of ‘Zyra’ and ‘Kuno,’ capturing the appearance of flames in mid-burn.

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Free your inner DJ: Introducing the DDJ-FLX2

AlphaTheta, a world-class manufacturer of DJ equipment, announces the release of the DDJ-FLX2, an easy-to-use DJ controller that’s perfect for anyone thinking of starting to DJ.

Simply install one of several compatible DJ applications on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, connect it to the DDJ-FLX2, and you’ll be ready to seamlessly mix tracks and apply exciting effects with ease, just like professional DJs do. And don’t worry if you don’t have your own music files – you can start DJing using compatible streaming services, such as Apple Music via Algoriddim’s djay app.

Whether you want to get a reputation for crowd-pleasing party sets, express yourself creatively through DJing, or just enjoy mixing with your friends, the DDJ-FLX2 is the perfect controller to help you turn your fantasy into reality.

The DDJ-FLX2 is available now for £159. For more information, head to alphatheta.com. See more news here

Dell AI Factory Transforms Data Centers with Advanced Cooling, High Density Compute and AI Storage Innovations

Today Dell Technologies introduces new integrated rack-scalable systems, server, storage and data management innovations to the Dell AI Factory, powering high density computing and AI workloads at scale.

“Today’s data centers can’t keep up with the demands of AI, requiring high density compute and liquid cooling innovations with modular, flexible and efficient designs,” said Arthur Lewis, president, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies. “These new systems deliver the performance needed for organizations to remain competitive in the fast-evolving AI landscape.”

The future of accelerated compute with leading cooling innovations

The Dell Integrated Rack 7000 (IR7000) handles accelerated computing demands with superior density, more sustainable power management and advanced cooling technologies. This Open Compute Project (OCP) standards-based rack is ideal for large-scale deployment and features a futureproof design for multigeneration and heterogenous technology environments.

Key features include:

Designed for density, the 21-inch Dell IR7000 is designed to support industry-leading CPU and GPU density.
Future-ready and efficient, the rack features wider, taller server sleds to accommodate the latest, larger CPU and GPU architectures. This rack was purpose built for liquid cooling natively, capable of cooling future deployments of up to 480KW, and is able to capture nearly 100% of heat created.
Engineered for greater choice and flexibility, this integrated rack offers support for both Dell and off-the-shelf networking.
Deployments are simple and energy-efficient with Dell Integrated Rack Scalable Systems (IRSS). IRSS delivers innovative rack-scale infrastructure optimized for AI workloads, making the setup process seamless and efficient with a fully integrated plug-and-play rack scale system.

Dell Technologies introduces AI-ready platforms designed for the Dell IR7000:

Part of the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA, the Dell PowerEdge XE9712 offers high-performance, dense acceleration for LLM training and real-time inferencing of large-scale AI deployments. Designed for industry-leading GPU density with NVIDIA GB200 NVL72, this platform connects up to 36 NVIDIA Grace CPUs with 72 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs in a rack-scale design. The 72 GPU NVLink domain acts as a single GPU for up to 30x faster real-time trillion-parameter LLM inferencing. The liquid cooled NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 is up to 25x more efficient than the air-cooled NVIDIA H100-powered systems.
The Dell PowerEdge M7725 provides high performance dense compute ideal for research, government, fintech and higher education environments. Designed to be deployed in the IR7000 rack, the Dell PowerEdge M7725 delivers more compute with improved serviceability scaling between 24K-27K cores per rack, with 64 or 72 two socket nodes, powered by 5^th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs Front IO slots enables high speed IO connectivity and provides seamless connectivity for demanding applications. The server’s energy-efficient form factor allows for more sustainable deployments through both direct liquid cooling (DLC) to CPUs and air cooling via quick connect to the integrated rack.

Unstructured storage and data management innovations for the AI era

Dell Technologies unstructured data storage portfolio innovations improve AI application performance and deliver simplified global data management.

Dell PowerScale, the world’s first Ethernet storage certified for NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, delivers new updates that enhance data management strategies, improve workload performance and offer greater support for AI workloads.¹

Enhanced discoverability: Unlock data insights for faster smarter decision-making using PowerScale metadata and the Dell Data Lakehouse. A forthcoming Dell open-source document loader for NVIDIA NeMo services and RAG frameworks is designed to help customers improve data ingestion time and decrease compute and GPU cost.
Denser storage: Customers can fine tune their AI models by training them on larger datasets with new 61TB drives that increase capacity and efficiency while reducing data center storage footprint by half.²
Improved AI performance: AI workload performance is enhanced through front-end NVIDIA InfiniBand capabilities and 200GbE Ethernet adapter support that delivers up to 63% faster throughput.³

With new enhancements to the Dell Data Lakehouse data management platform, customers can save time and improve operations with new features like disaster recovery, automated schema discovery, comprehensive management APIs, and self-service full stack upgrades.

Customers can simplify their data-driven journey and quickly scale their AI and business use cases with Optimization Services for Data Cataloging and Implementation Services for Data Pipelines. These services increase accessibility to high-quality data through discovery, organization, automation and integration.

Dell Generative AI Solutions with Intel for modern workflows

As part of the Dell AI Factory, Dell Generative AI Solutions with Intel offers jointly engineered, tested and validated platforms for seamless AI deployment. Featuring the Dell PowerEdge XE9680 and Intel ® Gaudi 3 ® AI accelerators with Dell storage, networking, services and an open-source software stack, these preconfigured, flexible and high performing solutions support a range of GenAI use cases including content creation, digital assistants, design and data creation, code generation and more.

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