The Data Movement

Why Context Will Define Agentic AI at the Edge – with Iman Anvari

Host Paul Langston sits down with Seagate’s Director of Advanced Technology, Iman Anvari, for a conversation on the emerging confluence of robotics, edge computing, and agentic AI.    Iman shares his observations from NVIDIA’s GTC, explains why computing has reached a genuine inflection point, and tells us how tiered context will define agentic AI at the edge. He also reveals how he personally uses agentic AI to work more efficiently – and keep his cats entertained.     You'll gain insights into:  * Why robotics are the ultimate convergence of hardware, software, and data infrastructure  * How edge data micro data centers enable AI automation   * Why latency is the forcing function that pushes computing to the edge  * Context as the bottleneck for autonomous agents   * The tiered memory architecture required for effective AI   Chapters:  [00:42] Iman’s Experience at Seagate  [02:26] Why AI Just Hit a Major Turning Point  [04:20] Robotics Trends from GTC  [07:02] Why Robots Need Serious Data Pipelines  [09:45] Cobots & Edge AI Explained  [11:58] The Edge Micro Data Center Solution  [15:47] How Edge and Cloud Work Together  [17:36] What Is Context & Agentic Memory  [20:38] The Hidden Limits of LLMs & How to Fix Them  [22:10] Tiered Memory for Agentic AI  [24:45] Why Storage Is Now Critical for AI Workloads  [28:13] How Harness Engineering Controls Agentic AI  [30:15] Future-Proofing Enterprise Data Strategy  [32:24] How Iman Uses Agentic AI  [36:00] Seagate’s Edge AI Pro Proof of Concept  [39:22] Lightning round Q&A    About the Guest:  Iman Anvari [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvari/] is the Director of Advanced Technology at Seagate, focusing on data storage and orchestration in key vertical markets such as AV/ADAS, Telco 5G, DCOs (Data Center Operators), M&E, video surveillance, and healthcare. Throughout his career, Iman has demonstrated a history of creating new GTM and product strategies within established organizations with a passion for solving customer challenges.     About Seagate:  Seagate is a leader in mass-capacity data storage. We’ve delivered more than four-and-a-half billion terabytes of capacity over the past four decades. We make storage that scales, bringing trust and integrity to innovations that depend on data. In an era of unprecedented creation, Seagate stores infinite potential. Unlock the full value of your data today.    Learn more at seagate.com [https://www.seagate.com/]    Links & Connections:  * Learn more about this episode [https://www.seagate.com/stories/podcast/iman-anvari]   * Connect with Iman on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianvari/]  * Connect with Paul on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-langston-a566a014/]  Follow Seagate:  * Facebook: facebook.com/seagate [https://www.facebook.com/seagate]  * Instagram: instagram.com/seagate/ [https://www.instagram.com/seagate/]   * Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/seagate-technology/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/seagate-technology/]  * X: x.com/Seagate [https://x.com/Seagate]  * YouTube: youtube.com/user/SeagateTechnology [https://www.youtube.com/user/SeagateTechnology]  Discover The Data Movement at seagate.com/stories/podcast [https://www.seagate.com/stories/podcast/]

Mozaic and the Future of Mass-Capacity Storage – with Stephanie Hernandez

In this episode of The Data Movement, host Paul Langston sits down with Stephanie Hernandez, Senior Engineering Director at Seagate, to explore Mozaic—Seagate’s breakthrough HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology platform—and how it’s redefining what’s possible in mass-capacity data storage. Stephanie shares her 15-year journey from magnetic recording researcher to leading future HAMR innovations, explaining how atomic-scale engineering, lasers, and advanced materials like iron platinum are enabling 30TB, 40TB, and soon 100TB-class drives—all within the same familiar 3.5-inch form factor. From overcoming the superparamagnetic limit to scaling production to millions of drives for hyperscale data centers, this conversation reveals the extraordinary science, precision, and vision powering the infrastructure behind the world’s exploding data demand.   Time Stamps  00:00:00 – The Power of Data and Introducing Mosaic 00:01:00 – Stephanie’s 15-Year Journey at Seagate 00:03:30 – The Rise of HAMR and Industry Skepticism 00:08:30 – Understanding the Superparamagnetic Limit 00:10:50 – Grain Size, Signal-to-Noise, and Scaling Challenges 00:12:30 – The Core Innovations Behind HAMR 00:16:00 – Atomic-Scale Precision and Laser-Assisted Recording 00:23:30 – From Research Concept to Mass Production 00:26:30 – Why Capacity Growth Matters to the World 00:27:50 – Hyperscalers, Form Factor, and Fleet Economics 00:31:00 – Driving Aerial Density Toward 10TB per Disc 00:33:30 – Multisensor and Advanced Recording Technologies 00:40:00 – Beyond HAMR: Future Media and Architectures  00:43:00 – The Hidden Innovation Inside the Hard Drive   About Stephanie Hernandez     Dr. Stephanie Hernandez is Senior Engineering Director at Seagate Technology, where she leads advanced research and development for next-generation data storage technologies, including Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) and other cutting-edge media and memory systems. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2010, with graduate research focused on modeling magnetic recording media and spin-torque structures. After joining Seagate, she worked as a read transducer designer before moving into research roles in HAMR and advanced storage systems. Today, Stephanie’s work drives innovation in high-capacity hard drive technologies that power data centers and the global datasphere.    About Seagate:  Seagate is a leader in mass-capacity data storage. We’ve delivered more than four-and-a-half billion terabytes of capacity over the past four decades. We make storage that scales, bringing trust and integrity to innovations that depend on data. In an era of unprecedented creation, Seagate stores infinite potential. Unlock the full value of your data today.  Learn more at seagate.com [https://www.seagate.com/]    Links  Learn more about this episode [https://www.seagate.com/stories/podcast/stephanie-hernandez/] Connect with Stephanie on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-hernandez-59132032a/]  Connect with Paul on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-langston-a566a014/]  Learn more about Moziac technology [https://www.seagate.com/innovation/mozaic/]    Follow Seagate  Facebook: facebook.com/seagate [https://www.facebook.com/seagate]    Instagram: instagram.com/seagate/ [https://www.instagram.com/seagate/]   Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/seagate-technology/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/seagate-technology/]   X: x.com/Seagate [https://x.com/Seagate]  YouTube: youtube.com/user/SeagateTechnology [https://www.youtube.com/user/SeagateTechnology]   –  Discover The Data Movement at seagate.com/stories/podcast [https://www.seagate.com/stories/podcast/]

Welcome to The Data Movement

The Data Movement explores the people, ideas and technologies shaping how data is created, processed and used. Through conversations with technologists, creators and business leaders, we dive into the applications, engineering, insights and challenges behind the breakthroughs that power our data-driven world.