The tech industry knows that computing is set to be transformed in the age of big data and the cloud, as existing computing resources are being stretched to their limits and beyond.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. has seen this clearly. It has been trying to set some new standards for computing, developing new tools for the future of enterprise IT, including hybrid IT solutions and its next-generation computer, The Machine.

To gain some insight into HPE’s strategy for the future, Dave Vellante (@dvellante) and Paul Gillin (@pgillin), co-hosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, visited the HPE Discover EU conference in London. (*Disclosure below.) There, they spoke to Antonio Neri, executive vice president and general manager of HPE’s enterprise group.

HPE refocuses on hybrid IT

The conversation started as Neri described the basics of HPE’s new strategy. He called HPE a “hybrid IT” company, referring to the mixture of in-house and cloud-based IT resources. He also corrected the notion that HPE was only an infrastructure company, bringing up its hybrid IT strategy. An overview of that strategy is to make hybrid IT simple, power the “intelligent edge” or device-based data processing for the Internet of Things, and then refocus on services.

“We also have the expertise to help customers move from where they are to where they want to be,” he said.

What customers are looking for is hybrid IT with a consistent user experience, whether on- or off-premises, Neri offered. HPE is committed to driving innovation there, but also to the business model, he continued. What if HPE can bring benefits of public-cloud economics to on-premises systems, not just in technology but also the way they pay for it, he asked.

The Machine comes to life

The Machine is an experimental project designed to test a memory-based computer. In theory, it could be faster than any normal computer. HPE showed off its prototype Machine on the show floor during HPE Discover EU. Neri spoke about The Machine, relating that they booted it up in October and proved that a memory computer will be out soon. “Three years ago HPE told the market this was a radical approach, and now we have proven it can be done,” he stated.

HPE plans to showcase the next version of The Machine in a few months. It is also set to integrate some of The Machine’s systems into its composable infrastructure initiative. By 2018, HPE will have the memory part of The Machine, called a “memristor,” in every product it ships, Neri promised.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of HPE Discover EU. (*Disclosure: HPE and other companies sponsor some HPE Discover EU segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE. Neither HPE nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo by SiliconANGLE