Silicon Republic

LinkedIn data: Is flexibility a double-edged sword for women at work? LinkedIn has published new data indicating that flexible working arrangements could impede promotion opportunities for women in the workplace.

New research suggests that flexible working options have the potential to limit promotional opportunities for women.

This data scientist is making waves in neuroscience We spoke with Lisa at Optum to understand her perspective on a job in the data science space and the various challenges and highlights.

Featured Employer of the Week: Optum. This data scientist is making waves in neuroscience. Optum’s Lisa discusses the factors that drew her to a research career in neurodegenerative diseases. Read the full Silicon Republic feature 🔗 vist.ly/49kx8

In the final episode of season 3 of The Leaders’ Room podcast, we speak to PayPal executive vice-president & global chief risk officer Aaron James Webster, who was in Dublin over the summer to launch the global payment company’s new AI and Fraud Data Science Centre in the city 🔗 vist.ly/49kt2

AI-powered housing and food security SETU projects get €1.1m funding AI-powered housing and food security technology research projects from SETU get funding boost from Enterprise Ireland.

AI-powered housing and food security technologies get funding boost from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund.

What job opportunities exist in the expanding space sector? There are a range of fun and interesting jobs opportunities available to people with the skills to join the growing space sector.

If you are considering a new job in the space industry, do you know what roles might be available to you, within your skillset?

Nobel Prize awarded for macroscopic quantum discovery During a series of experiments in the mid-80s, the three scientists demonstrated quantum mechanics on a circuit big enough to be held in one’s hand.

Three scientists – John Clarke, Michel H Devoret and John M Martinis – have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics today for their macroscopic quantum mechanics experiments.

Take a look at today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, such as:

🤝 OpenAI and AMD make major chip deal
💰 Ørsted raises $9.35bn in discounted share issue
🤖 Dublin fintech launches AI tax co-pilot

...and more!
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Danish energy player Ørsted raises $9.35bn in discounted share issue Orsted, one of the victims of the Trump administration's war on renewables has raised $9.35bn in a discounted shares issue, it says.

As the Trump administration plays havoc with the wind industry in the US, Denmark’s Orsted has raised $9.35bn to shore up its finances.

Qualtrics to acquire Press Ganey Forsta in $6.75bn deal Qualtrics has announced the acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta, a move that will enable the advancement of its own AI capabilities.

The acquisition will enable Qualtrics to expand its AI capabilities in a space that is increasingly adopting advanced methods and technologies.

Dublin fintech launches AI tax platform, aims to raise €500,000 Dublin start-up Leapifai uses AI to deliver tax insights in real time to accountants and financial advisers and is looking for pre-seed investors.

Tax doesn’t have to be taxing, claims this start-up that uses AI to support accountants and financial advisers.

OpenAI’s major chips deal with AMD could lead to 10pc stake As AI's hunger for compute continues, AMD is the latest chip maker that OpenAI has in its sights. The two have inked a deal worth billions that could result in the AI giant owning a 10pc stake.

OpenAI and AMD have inked a major infrastructure agreement that could be worth billions to the chip maker, and could see it cede a 10pc stake to the the AI giant.

The Leaders’ Room: Leading with humility with PayPal’s Aaron J Webster For a company that moves $2trn of money around the world across 45m merchants and 430m consumers, risk is a critical function. We speak to its global risk lead, Aaron J Webster.

VIDEO: You can catch The Leaders Room wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch the interview on our site with Aaron J Webster. A fascinating career journey to his current role as global head of Risk at the fintech - and oodles of wise words:

Fidelity Investments and DCU to collab on project targeting STEM gender gap Fidelity Investments will partner with Dublin City University on a two-year research project exploring how the STEM gender gap can be tackled.

Research shows that women currently make up less than one-quarter of professionals in the STEM space.

The HR balancing act as it shifts towards empowering others Rent the Runway's Niamh Rooney, a HR expert for Ireland and the US, discusses how the HR landscape is changing and the importance of culture.

For Niamh Rooney at Rent the Runway, the HR role navigates a fine line between problem-solving and giving others the skills and support they need to progress independently.

Nobel Prize awarded to trio for immune tolerance research The trio of new Nobel laureates were awarded the prize for their research on the immune system and how it tolerates our own tissues.

Three scientists have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine today (6 October) for their discoveries relating to peripheral immune tolerance.

Green light for Amazon's Project Kuiper at National Space Centre Cork Amazon's Project Kuiper has been given the green light for the Cork, Ireland-based roll-out of its satellite programme.

The Cork-based gateway is one of hundreds being installed globally.

Check out today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, including:

🤖 OpenAI’s Sora updates copyright stance
⚡ Ardian acquires Energia
❄️ Enovus Labs opens cool facility in TU Dublin

...and more!
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Pikachu instrumental in OpenAI copyright U-turn on Sora app? Misuse of famed characters like Japan's Pikichu seem to have prompted a u-turn from OpenAI when it comes to copyright on it's new Sora social media app.

The sheer amount of misuse of copyrighted characters from Pikachu to Spongebob has seen OpenAI reverse course when it comes to their use on its new video-generator social media app Sora.

French private equity firm Ardian to acquire Energia Energia is to be acquired by French equity firm Ardian, as part of the organisation's growth plans in the renewables and energy fields.

Ardian will purchase Energia Group from I Squared Capital which acquired the company in 2016 for €1bn.

Space-tech Enovus Labs opens cool expanded lab in TU Dublin As well as keeping cool on the moon, Enovus Labs is developing Segri-COOL tech for the AI data centre boom.

Enovus Labs is over the moon to officially open an expanded R&D laboratory to further develop its cooling technologies.

Which rapidly growing sectors are hiring right now? In Ireland and further afield there are a number of exciting organisations looking to add to their teams across a range of sectors.

From Accenture and Aerogen to Medtronic and MSD, there are a range of companies looking to employ skilled people in these rapidly evolving sectors.

Top 3 leadership myths debunked Slay the dragon of bad management advice with this insight from Hogan Assessments’ Dr Ryne Sherman.

Slay the dragon of bad management advice with this insight from Hogan Assessments’ Dr Ryne Sherman.

Think like a founder, remove obstacles, amplify the impact of others & lead with humility, just some of the advice from Aaron J. Webster for our final episode of the season. Aaron, Global Chief Risk Officer at PayPal, a company that transformed the way we do business online. 🔗 vist.ly/496cx

Opinion: Furore over AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood reveals deeper AI anxiety In his latest column, Jonathan McCrea gives his take on the AI ‘actor’, Tilly Norwood, who has become the talk of tinseltown.

In his latest column, Jonathan McCrea gives his take on the AI ‘actor’ who has become the talk of tinseltown.

Check out today’s Daily Brief for the latest sci-tech news, including:
🤝Ekco snaps up Solsoft
💸OpenAI valued at $500bn
🔬SETU researchers named in Stanford Top 2pc ranking

... and more!
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Five SETU scientists listed among world’s top 2pc on Stanford list The annual Stanford/Elsevier list identifies the world’s most leading researchers based on citations, h-index and bibliometric indicators.

This year, the SETU scientists that made it to the ranks includes Prof Marie Claire Van Hout, Dr Sweta Rani, Prof Gillian Gardiner, Dr Wanan Sheng and Dr Marcos Mariano.
Plus, SETU and ATU are launching new veterinary schools from 2026.

Reports: OpenAI hits $500bn valuation after share sale OpenAI has reached a $500bn valuation after current and former employees at the ChatGPT-maker sold approximately $6.6bn worth of shares.

OpenAI has reached a $500bn valuation after current and former employees at the ChatGPT-maker sold approximately $6.6bn worth of shares, multiple news publications report.

From hackathons to life in space: Here's what's up at Space Week 2025 Space Week Ireland 2025 is running from 4 to 10 October with entertaining and educational events for a wide group of audiences.

There's a stellar line-up of events for this year's Space Week, which kicks of tomorrow.

D-wave lead on how quantum is already transforming industries Some quantum computing applications are 'many years away, and some of the applications are [possible] today', says D-wave's Murray Thom.

D-wave’s Murray Thom tells Silicon Republic that quantum tech is not just a thing of the future.

‘AI is not a magic bullet’: Developing ethical AI for real-world impact DCU’s Dr Sunder Ali Khowaja tells us about his research into AI black boxes and the challenges of data privacy and ethical use.

‘Developing a reliable AI system requires a lot of hard work, careful engineering and a deep understanding of the problem domain,’ says DCU’s Dr Sunder Ali Khowaja.