Aubrey Lovell (00:09):
Hey, everyone. And welcome back to Technology Now. A weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where we take what's happening in the world, and explore how it's changing the way organizations are using technology. We're your host, Aubrey Lovell-

Michael Bird (00:21):
... and coming to you from the World Economic Forum annual meeting here in Davos, Switzerland, me, Michael Bird. Yes. We are coming to you very nearly live from one of the world's most important business summits. Now, in this episode, we'll be meeting with HPE's president and CEO Antonio Neri, to talk about why Davos matters. We'll be talking about the importance of bringing businesses, governments, and other organizations together, and we'll be discussing HPE's plans for the meeting.

Aubrey Lovell (00:51):
Incredible, and important. So if you're the kind of person who needs to know why what's going on in the world, matters to your organization? This podcast is for you. And we're also making a video version in this episode, so do check out the HPE website, or YouTube channel as well. Or if you're watching, subscribe to Technology Now on your podcast app of choice, so you don't miss out. All right, Michael, take it away.

Michael Bird (01:16):
Davos is a hugely important focal point of global trade business and regulation. For most of the year, it's an Alpine town of 11,000, but for one week, every January, around 3,000 leading business figures, politicians, activists and celebrities, descend on the town for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Bringing along ideas, debates, and increasing attention to major issues facing the world today. And for one year only, it's 3,002 attendees, because my producer and camera operator, Alicia and I, have been invited along too, for a walk-and-talk meeting with HPE's Antonio Neri.

Michael Bird (01:54):
HPE are active participants at the World Economic Forum, and are key contributors to the AI House at Davos, a global not-for-profit, with a mission to solve issues for humanity, by lowering the technological barriers to entry, and closing the divides to innovate with artificial intelligence. Sounds great. But, how do we do it? And why is Davos the place to stamp your mark? Well, to find out, I've had the absolute pleasure of taking a walk with HPE's president and CEO Antonio Neri.

Michael Bird (02:27):
So, I'm joining you on your walk-

Antonio Neri (02:30):
Thank you.

Michael Bird (02:30):
... to the Congress Center.

Antonio Neri (02:31):
We have a few minutes here to walk through this beautiful town-

Michael Bird (02:34):
It is beautiful, isn't it?

Antonio Neri (02:35):
... look at the day. Sunny, snowy. Looking around.

Michael Bird (02:37):
But I don't need to get too cold, so we'd-

Antonio Neri (02:39):
No, it's not cold at all actually-

Michael Bird (02:39):
... better-

Antonio Neri (02:40):
... it's very nice.

Michael Bird (02:41):
... start walking.

Antonio Neri (02:42):
Yeah.

Michael Bird (02:44):
So are you a big fan of snow? Is snow your favorite, or is sunshine? Hot or cold?

Antonio Neri (02:50):
I'm actually more a beach guy, but I enjoy the snow for a little bit. Not the full three months, but maybe a week.

Michael Bird (02:58):
You're a skier, snowboarder?

Antonio Neri (02:59):
I used to snowboard. In fact, I learned here on a place not too far from Davos. I used to come to Switzerland a lot, and there's a place called Scuol-Tarasp, which is actually an hour and a half that way, on the Engadin Train, which is the romantic train you take-

Michael Bird (03:16):
Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Antonio Neri (03:16):
... and it's the last stop of that train.

Michael Bird (03:19):
Wow.

Antonio Neri (03:21):
So I'm familiar.

Michael Bird (03:21):
Do you find any time to ski when you're here?

Antonio Neri (03:24):
No, not at all. I just actually arrived this morning from Houston, and we had to take a shower and already-

Michael Bird (03:32):
Straight on?

Antonio Neri (03:33):
... straight on, yeah.

Michael Bird (03:34):
So we're here to talk about the World Economic Forum annual meeting here in beautiful Davos.

Antonio Neri (03:40):
Yeah.

Michael Bird (03:40):
Can you just explain what is the World Economic Forum annual meeting?

Antonio Neri (03:44):
Well, the World Economic Forum has been founded in 1971, is an international entity. That brings together the corporate, and the private sector, obviously the public sector, the social aspects of our work, all together in this amazing place. Which is a feast of logistics-

Michael Bird (04:07):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (04:08):
... to discuss the biggest societal challenges, and how to together we can advance that social responsibility agenda.

Michael Bird (04:17):
So Davos is a week? Lots of-

Antonio Neri (04:21):
It's almost, I will say it's more like three to four days.

Michael Bird (04:25):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (04:26):
Very intense.

Michael Bird (04:28):
And what are you most excited to hear about, see about, learn about while you're here?

Antonio Neri (04:34):
Well, believe it or not, this place brings together the top 2000 figures, but at the same time, you have the ability to engage the most prominent figures, and make some interesting, tough decisions. I will say in the last few years has been all about climate change, how we protect the planet. At the same time, how technology helps with that, the Industrial Revolution 4.0. But obvious to think that this week will be all about AI-

Michael Bird (05:06):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (05:06):
... robotics and manufacturing. And climate change will continue to be obviously a big topic.

Michael Bird (05:13):
So you just mentioned AI? Here in Davos, I believe HPE have presence at the AI House?

Antonio Neri (05:21):
Yes.

Michael Bird (05:22):
Can you explain what the AI House is, and why HPE have partnered with them?

Antonio Neri (05:27):
Yeah. I had the opportunity this morning to visit the AI House, and provide few remarks, we are proud to support that initiative. It is a ecosystem of partners, including entities like G42 and others, that really focus on the use of AI in a social, ethical, responsible, and sustainable way. So we participate because we think AI has the potential to change everything, but at the same time needs to be accessible to all.

Michael Bird (06:01):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (06:02):
It needs to be deployed with responsibility and ethics, and at the same time understanding how this technology transform everything. This uses too much energy, so that's not good for the planet, so we need to think about the implications from a sustainable point of view.

Michael Bird (06:22):
Yeah. So what exactly is it that we, HPE, are talking about at the AI House?

Antonio Neri (06:30):
Well, think about the number of countries that come and participate to this event. We want to engage with them in the context of supercomputing and AI. HPE obviously is the market leader in supercomputing, we are deploying some of the largest AI systems on the planet.

Michael Bird (06:51):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (06:51):
We just unveiled the Capitan, which is the largest supercomputer ever built. And the government wants to talk to us, they want to talk to us because they want to understand how to deploy supercomputing power, for their own national requirements.

Michael Bird (07:09):
Yeah, yeah.

Antonio Neri (07:09):
So for me, it's an opportunity to really bring an understanding, but at the same time, sell. Sell our portfolio of solutions and technologies.

Michael Bird (07:22):
So as I said before, we are walking to the big Congress Center here in Davos.

Antonio Neri (07:26):
Yeah.

Michael Bird (07:27):
Clearly there's lots going on. What is it that you specifically are doing here in Davos? Are you meeting lots of customers?

Antonio Neri (07:36):
Well, I meet all sorts of people, mostly commercial customers, but also public officials from many different countries where we already engage in many of their initiatives. Customers are mostly CEOs, and chief technology officers or chief digital officers. For me, it's all about advancing that conversation, the partnership and what we do for them.

Antonio Neri (08:03):
And at the government level, making sure that from a policy perspective, we provide input on what they're doing. And at the same time, like I said earlier, make sure our brand is well understood for what we can do for the government. And there is a number of governments that are very deeply engaged with us, as we speak.

Michael Bird (08:22):
And has that changed over the last few years in terms of the sorts of conversations that you're having?

Antonio Neri (08:28):
I think so. And I think that changed because when we split HPE, we created obviously Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and that gave us an opportunity to be much more focused than we were before, with a large portfolio. And we were mostly recognized as a PC and printer company. Obviously HPE is focused on infrastructure, cloud, security, AI, and the like.

Antonio Neri (08:52):
And so I think since 2015 we have done a good job with our presence, with our brand, in the promenade. And then with our engagements through the WEF in many of other initiatives, to elevate the brand and that recognition of what we are, and what we can do.

Michael Bird (09:12):
You sort of alluded to this, in fact, I think you actually mentioned it in detail, but other than customers, who are the sorts of people that you are meeting with?

Antonio Neri (09:21):
No. Generally you can be as productive as you want, or less productive. Because obviously there are other figures that come here.

Michael Bird (09:29):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (09:30):
Kings and Queens, and potentially stars in the movie industry, and we're not. So honestly, I don't spend time on that.

Michael Bird (09:43):
Not tempted?

Antonio Neri (09:43):
No, not at all. Not at all. You may find them in dinners or lunches-

Michael Bird (09:50):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (09:50):
... but my job is to focus on the job at hand, which is contribute through the work in our own forum like we have done. And again, I'm really proud of what we have done in the last five years, have been very active in the ICB, very active in equality and sustainability, the future of computing.

Michael Bird (10:10):
Yeah.

Antonio Neri (10:10):
And so for me, that's my focus.

Michael Bird (10:13):
What do you think will be the key themes at Davos? I suppose that's different to maybe the sorts of things we're going to be speaking about?

Antonio Neri (10:21):
Well, I mean the agendas tend to be very, very tight. Remember, when you are in these meetings, there is finite amount of time. So they tend to be extremely structured, and extremely to the point. There is not a lot of time for debate or dialogue. There is a lot of discussion around, "Hey, what are going to be the biggest initiatives?" And then there is tremendous follow up between one meeting to the next meeting.

Antonio Neri (10:49):
And remember, there is also summer WEF that takes place in different parts of the world, where the large WEF or the winter WEF, as I call it, is here in Davos. So the point is, commit and go and make progress along the way. And I have to believe again as we go through tomorrow's meeting, AI will be at the top of the agenda, Industrial Revolution will be the other one. Climate will continue to be top. I think a lot of discussion around diversity and equality will continue to be there.

Michael Bird (11:24):
And what can our customers take away from Davos?

Antonio Neri (11:30):
Well, I mean fundamentally, what are the top priorities for the people they work with? When I spend time with companies like financial services or healthcare company, or them are pharmaceutical, then you get an understanding. What are the top priorities when they think 12, 36 months out? So that we can incorporate that set of priorities into our thinking, in order to meet their needs better than anyone else. So in many ways, is also an opportunity to gather tremendous amount of intelligence, and how we should shape our strategy to help them.

Michael Bird (12:12):
And how does that translate to our customers? I guess what we gather, what's this about?

Antonio Neri (12:18):
Well, it's better solutions and better experience through our product and services. A lot of times here there is opportunity to strike some partnerships. Obviously AI today demands a lot of consulting and advisory services up front. We can do it everywhere, or we can do it all. So that's an opportunity too, at the CEO level, to establish those strong partnerships.

Antonio Neri (12:44):
And that's why this year we... You know, every year we bring a sort of different delegation, so that everybody has an opportunity to learn, but at the same time to contribute. So this year Marie Myers, our CFO, is with me as well. This is an opportunity for her to understand how capital allocation is going to be used over the next few years too.

Michael Bird (13:06):
Yeah. And AI is going to be the big topic this year?

Antonio Neri (13:11):
Undoubtedly, I mean, that's no question. And obviously think about countries from Middle East or Africa, or just in the continental Europe. Nobody wants to be left behind, but at the same time, they all want to have their own, I call it AI. Because AI can change the very fabric of the country and the culture. So fundamentally, everybody has to want it, so that they can maintain their identity while they deploy this incredible technology.

Michael Bird (13:46):
Excellent. Antonio, thank you so much for letting us tag along-

Antonio Neri (13:50):
Yeah.

Michael Bird (13:50):
... to your walk to the Congress Center. I hope you have a fantastic Davos 2025.

Antonio Neri (13:55):
I appreciate it. And again, having this conversation in such a beautiful place is-

Michael Bird (14:00):
It's not bad is it?

Antonio Neri (14:01):
It's not bad at all. While then eventually you go back and you close yourself in the Conference Center. But I appreciate the opportunity to walk with you and chat.

Michael Bird (14:10):
Excellent. Thank you very much.

Antonio Neri (14:11):
Thank you.

Aubrey Lovell (14:14):
Thanks so much, Michael, for bringing us that inspiring stuff. And thanks for joining us, Antonio. It was a pleasure to have you. And you can find more in the topics discussed in today's episode in the show notes.

Michael Bird (14:24):
All right. We are getting towards the end of the show, which means it is time for this week in history, a look at monumental events in the world of business and technology, which has changed our lives. Now the clue last week was... It's 2009, how do you spell extinction backwards? Now I think I gave the most obvious answer for this, which was literally spelling extinction backwards. Aubrey, please delight us with the answer.

Aubrey Lovell (14:46):
Well, not quite, but it's the birth and seven minute life of the first extinct animal clone. Yes, we're not talking quite the Dinosaur Theme Park Islands here, but it's not a million miles off. The clone was of the Pyrenean ibex, which went extinct nine years earlier, in the year 2000. And cells for the clone were created using DNA from frozen skin samples taken from the last known individual, before it died.

Aubrey Lovell (15:10):
The animal's mother was a Spanish ibex, which is a closely related species implanted with an egg containing the recovered genetic material. Now, the team behind the research implanted dozens of eggs into different mothers, but only one ibex was born, and died shortly afterwards. Making the species the first to go extinct for a second time.

Michael Bird (15:28):
Interesting stuff. And the clue for next week is... It's 1795, and one Frenchman has this tasty prize in the can. Do you know what it is? I'm not sure I do.

Aubrey Lovell (15:40):
I do not. And I don't even want to guess. But that brings us to the end of Technology Now for this week. And thank you so much to our guest, HPE President and CEO, Antonio Neri, and to you our listeners, thank you so much for joining us.

Michael Bird (15:53):
Technology Now is hosted by Aubrey Lovell and myself, Michael Bird. And this episode was produced by Sam Datta-Paulin and Alicia Kempson-Taylor with production support from Harry Morton, Zoe Anderson, Lincoln Van der Westhuizen, Alison Paisley, and Alyssa Mitri. On-site production support for this episode was provided by Jeff Iles, Hillary Fisk, Naharen Casira, and Maeve Cullity.

Aubrey Lovell (16:15):
Our social editorial team is Rebecca Wissinger, Judy-Anne Goldman, Katie Guarino, and our social media designers are Alejandra Garcia and Ambar Maldonado. Technology Now is a lower street production for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and we'll see you next week. Cheers.