News

San Francisco – September 21, 2026 -- Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) has launched new in-store software that gives grocers and CPG brands a real-time digital map of every shelf in a store, drawing on more than 10 million unique data points collected daily by its network of roughly 600,000 shoppers.

Instacart shoppers visit stores 15 times daily, feeding shelf-scan data into new tools

The company's shopper network visits stores across North America more than 15 times per store per day on average. That shelf-scan data is combined with insights from over 1.6 billion lifetime orders and imagery captured by Instacart shoppers and Caper Carts, which use Arpalus computer vision technology, to build a live view of stock levels, demand spikes and merchandising performance.

Waterloo, ON – September 21, 2026 -- Applied Brain Research (ABR) has released the ABR SDK, a production toolkit combining its Niagara streaming speech recognition and Nith streaming speech synthesis models into a single API that runs entirely on edge processor hardware, eliminating network dependency for voice interfaces.

Niagara ASR generates first text output in as little as 115 milliseconds

The Niagara automatic speech recognition models produce initial text from audio input in 115 milliseconds, measured on embedded application-class CPUs. The Nith text-to-speech models generate first audio output from initial text in 147 milliseconds, with all models operating faster than real time across every supported platform.

NEW YORK – September 21, 2026 -- Forus, an AI-driven healthcare startup, has reached a $3 billion valuation after closing a $150 million Series C funding round earlier this month, CEO Sahir Jaggi confirmed during a NYSE Live broadcast tied to the trading floor's pre-market advisory.

Forus raises $150 million to link doctors, pharmacies and biopharma data

Jaggi said the capital will support the company's platform connecting physicians, pharmacies, payers and biopharmaceutical firms to accelerate access to new treatments for patients.

Washington – – September 21, 2026 -- The Walton Family Foundation has launched Human Nature, a storytelling initiative documenting nature-based water projects that a June 2026 University of Georgia study found can deliver returns of up to $8 for every $1 invested when flood reduction, clean water, habitat and recreation benefits are counted.

Foundation expands Environment Program to scale proven water solutions

The initiative pairs on-the-ground restoration work with efforts to shift policy, financing and market conditions, according to Moira Mcdonald, director of the foundation's Environment Program. A 2025 Morning Consult poll cited by the foundation found 80% of Americans want wetland restoration prioritized by state and local governments.

Saudi Arabia – September 21, 2026 -- CEER, Saudi Arabia's first national vehicle brand, has unveiled its debut EXOBOT sedan and SUV models, projecting an $8 billion contribution to the Kingdom's GDP by 2034.

CEER projects $21 billion trade balance boost alongside GDP gains

Beyond the $8 billion (over SAR 30 billion) GDP contribution, CEER expects to add $21 billion (over SAR 80 billion) to Saudi Arabia's trade balance improvement by 2034. The company also anticipates creating quality direct and indirect jobs as production scales.

Waltham, Mass. – September 21, 2026 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Mercy BioAnalytics' Investigational Device Exemption application for its Evident Ovarian Cancer Screening Test, clearing the way for the company's pivotal SOARA Clinical Validation Study pending Institutional Review Board sign-off.

FDA clears IDE application for Mercy's Evident Ovarian Cancer Screening Test

The approval permits Mercy to launch the prospective SOARA study -- Safety in Ovarian Cancer for Average-Risk Women, Analysis -- to evaluate the safety of the blood-based test in average-risk women. The IDE clearance does not constitute FDA approval or clearance of the Evident test itself, but authorizes the specified clinical investigation to proceed.

Boulevard, California – September 21, 2026 -- The Inner Circle has named Adria Nadine Ross a Pinnacle Professional of The Year for her work in holistic health and energy medicine, recognizing more than two decades of clinical practice based in San Diego, California.

Practitioner holds San Diego's Best Holistic Health award for 12 straight years

Ross has received the San Diego Award for Best Holistic Health Practitioner for twelve consecutive years, a run that spans a client base built through upscale spa settings and independent private practice.

Camden, N.J. – September 21, 2026 -- American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the U.S., has been named to the fourth edition of TIME's World's Best Companies list for 2026, a ranking produced with market research firm Statista Inc.

TIME and Statista evaluate 1,000 top global performers across three metrics

The ranking draws on survey data from more than 200,000 employees worldwide to gauge satisfaction, three-year revenue growth figures from Statista's revenue database, and sustainability transparency scored against standardized ESG KPIs. Companies were required to show positive revenue growth over the past three years to qualify for consideration.

American Water secures two additional TIME recognitions this year

Beyond the World's Best Companies list, American Water was also named to TIME's World's Most Sustainable Companies for 2026 and TIME's America's Best Companies for 2026.

Jeffersonville – September 21, 2026 -- The American Water Charitable Foundation has awarded a $25,000 STEM Education Grant to Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, funding a three-part outdoor science program for girls in Southern Indiana.

Grant funds hands-on STEM series covering conservation and pollinator habitats

The award will underwrite a three-part outdoor education series giving Girl Scouts direct experience in scientific research, environmental conservation and pollinator habitat restoration. The grant was announced during a Free Family Fun event at Origin Park earlier this month, where Indiana American Water also deployed a mobile water trailer for attendees.

Seoul – September 21, 2026 -- LG Energy Solution said its Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has qualified as NVIDIA DSX Ready BESS, a designation reserved for partner products meeting NVIDIA's DSX reference design requirements for AI factory power infrastructure.

Qualification targets AI data center power bottlenecks

The DSX Ready program certifies building blocks for NVIDIA's DSX AI Factory Platform, which unifies compute, networking, power, cooling, facilities and software for AI factories. LG Energy Solution's AC-coupled BESS meets NVIDIA's applicable AC energy storage requirements, addressing AI load smoothing, voltage ride-through and power reliability challenges that data center operators face when scaling capacity.