Skip to main content

Theme news

Explore fairsonline.org coverage by editorial theme. Select a theme to see focused stories on innovation, strategy and market change.

Soltage Battery Storage Completes Second NYC Peak Summer Season

Image
Soltage Battery Storage Completes Second NYC Peak Summer Season

Jersey City, N.J. – September 22, 2026 -- Soltage's 55 Drive battery storage facility, New York City's first such asset from the independent power producer, discharged at full capacity during peak summer demand this year, completing its second full operating season on the Con Edison network.

New York's reliability margin has collapsed to 417 MW, down from 2,227 MW in 2018

The New York Independent System Operator reported the drop heading into this summer, the lowest margin in recent history. NYISO has flagged reliability needs in New York City over its five-year planning horizon, with the state targeting 6 GW of storage capacity by 2030, prioritizing downstate projects.

Republic Business Credit Closes $750,000 Factoring Deal With Meritus

Image
Republic Business Credit Closes $750,000 Factoring Deal With Meritus

Chicago – September 22, 2026 -- Republic Business Credit has provided a $750,000 factoring facility to a temporary staffing firm based in the Southeast United States, marking the first funding deal to originate from its newly announced partnership with Meritus Capital.

Republic structures $750,000 facility for staffing firm's cash flow needs

The staffing company, which uses technology-driven recruitment strategies, will use the funding to take on larger clients, add recruiters, expand into new markets and manage payroll obligations without cash flow constraints tied to the cyclical nature of the staffing sector.

Pylontech Starts Mass Production of 588Ah, 601Ah LFP Cells

Image
Pylontech Starts Mass Production of 588Ah, 601Ah LFP Cells

Hefei – September 22, 2026 -- Pylontech (688063:SH) began mass production of its 588Ah and 601Ah prismatic LFP cells for utility-scale energy storage at its Hefei manufacturing base on September 21, with more than 100MWh already produced.

New cells hit 425.8Wh/L energy density and 12,000-cycle life

The 601Ah cell delivers an energy density of 425.8Wh/L, a cycle life exceeding 12,000 cycles and energy efficiency of 96.5%. The higher-capacity design cuts the number of cells and interconnections needed per storage system, allowing more compact architectures and improved lifecycle economics.

Cells feed into 6.25MWh and 8MWh PyOcean systems entering delivery

The 588Ah and 601Ah cells, developed in-house, are being integrated into Pylontech's next-generation PyOcean 6.25MWh and 8MWh energy storage systems, which are moving into project delivery.

RMX Industries Details Edge AI Security Approach in New Brief

Image
RMX Industries Details Edge AI Security Approach in New Brief

Dallas – September 22, 2026 -- RMX Industries, Inc. (OTCQB: RMXI) has published Part Two of its Real-World Intelligence (RWI) brief series, detailing how its QuantrusX edge intelligence platform processes security camera data on customer premises rather than in the cloud, while keeping response decisions with trained personnel.

RMX extends its Real-World Intelligence series into campus and physical security

The new publication builds on Part One's introduction to RWI, a term RMX uses for intelligence generated at the physical edge. Part Two focuses specifically on how QuantrusX converts raw camera activity into operational intelligence for protecting people and property on campuses and other physical sites.

Leidos Wins Up to $127M Army Deal to Extend ARTEMIS ISR Flights

Image
Leidos Wins Up to $127M Army Deal to Extend ARTEMIS ISR Flights

Reston, Va. – September 22, 2026 -- Leidos Holdings (NYSE: LDOS) secured a U.S. Army contract worth up to $127 million to continue operating the Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Exploitation Multi-Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS) through summer 2027, with two additional option years.

Contract extends airborne ISR coverage across U.S. European Command area

The award keeps ARTEMIS flying rapidly deployable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions within the EUCOM area of responsibility, with capacity to shift to other regions when required. Leidos has run the mission since 2020, supplying commanders with real-time data to detect threats and speed operational decisions.

Visit London Taps SEO Works to Boost AI Search Visibility

Image
Visit London Taps SEO Works to Boost AI Search Visibility

Sheffield, England – September 22, 2026 -- Visit London, the capital's official visitor guide, has appointed digital growth agency The SEO Works to lead a new Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy aimed at increasing citations in AI-driven search platforms.

Visit London targets AI referrals to drive ticket sales

The tourism board sought an agency partner to adapt to zero-click search environments as more travelers use AI platforms to plan trips. The SEO Works was selected based on its expertise in AI search and prior experience in the travel sector.

Paul Tatman-Madsen, Head of Growth for Visit London, said AI is transforming how consumers research and plan trips, and the partnership will ensure the organization's digital assets are optimized for AI search.

Ezurio Launches BL54LM20 Modules With First Built-In Edge AI

Image
Ezurio Launches BL54LM20 Modules With First Built-In Edge AI

Akron, Ohio – September 22, 2026 -- Ezurio has introduced the BL54LM20 Series, marking the first time its BL54L module line integrates Edge AI processing directly on the chip. The series includes three products: the BL54LM20A, the BL54LM20B, and a BL54LM20B USB-C Adapter, all built on Nordic Semiconductor's new nRF54LM20A and nRF54LM20B system-on-chips.

New modules pair dual processors with expanded memory for larger IoT applications

Each module combines a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application processor with a 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor, backed by 2 MB of non-volatile memory and 512 KB of RAM. The BL54LM20A supports Bluetooth LE Core 6.x, 802.15.4 for Thread/Matter, and NFC within an 11 x 8 x 1.8 mm footprint, alongside Secure Boot, Secure Firmware Update, and Secure Storage.

Hidden Roof Damage Drives Costly Repairs, Warns Ohio Roofing Expert

Image
Hidden Roof Damage Drives Costly Repairs, Warns Ohio Roofing Expert

New Philadelphia, Ohio – September 22, 2026 -- Commercial building owners face escalating repair costs when roof deterioration goes undetected beneath the surface, according to Roofing Expert Mike Hicks of Hicks Industrial Roofing. Hicks, writing in a HelloNation article, outlines how routine commercial roof inspections catch early-stage damage before it disrupts operations or triggers emergency repair bills.

Membrane and flashing failures allow moisture to bypass roofing systems undetected

Punctures, surface cracks, and separated seams in roofing membranes let moisture enter systems long before visible leaks appear inside a building, the article states. Flashing failure at transition points -- where roofs meet walls, drains, and rooftop equipment -- creates a separate risk, allowing water to bypass the membrane entirely even when the roof surface looks intact.

C&D Technologies Wins Stratus Award for AI Data Center Power Systems

Image
C&D Technologies Wins Stratus Award for AI Data Center Power Systems

Horsham, Pennsylvania – September 22, 2026 -- C&D Technologies has won a Stratus Award in the AI Data Center Infrastructure (Power, Cooling, Density) category from the Business Intelligence Group, recognizing its energy storage systems built for high-density AI computing environments.

Award Cites Delivered Performance Over Promises for Data Center Power

The Stratus Awards evaluate organizations for excellence in cloud computing and related technologies. Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at the Business Intelligence Group, said this year's category shifted focus from where workloads run to what infrastructure can sustain independently, and that C&D Technologies met that bar by demonstrating completed technology performance rather than projected capability.

STAUD Deploys Centric PLM to Centralize Fashion Product Data

Image
STAUD Deploys Centric PLM to Centralize Fashion Product Data

Campbell, Calif. – September 22, 2026 -- Centric Software confirmed that Los Angeles-based fashion brand STAUD has gone live with its Centric PLM platform, centralizing product development data across internal teams and manufacturing partners.

STAUD centralizes product workflows in single digital environment

STAUD, founded in 2015 by Sarah Staudinger and George Augusto, produces handbags, ready-to-wear and accessories. The brand implemented Centric PLM to organize product-related information and streamline development workflows, replacing fragmented processes with a unified digital system accessible to both internal staff and external manufacturing partners.

AKA's EOS Sales AI Completes Pilot With Major Electronics Firm

Seoul, South Korea – September 22, 2026 -- AKA, a cognitive AI company, has completed an enterprise pilot of its EOS Sales Knowledge Engine with one of the world's largest consumer electronics companies, demonstrating measurable gains in sales knowledge accuracy and evaluation consistency across large, geographically dispersed retail and reseller networks.

EOS verifies sales claims against product documentation to close knowledge gaps

The pilot targeted a persistent problem in large-scale consumer electronics retail: keeping product knowledge consistent across linguistically and geographically diverse sales and reseller teams. Traditional evaluation relies on manager judgment for both soft-skill assessment and factual accuracy, a method AKA says introduces inconsistency and scales poorly across markets and languages.

ScamAdviser's Watchmen Wins Scam Fighter Award at GASA Summit

Image
ScamAdviser's Watchmen Wins Scam Fighter Award at GASA Summit

San Francisco – September 22, 2026 -- ScamAdviser's Watchmen platform won the Scam Fighter Award at the Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) America 2026, organized by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) in San Francisco, for its role in cutting fraud detection-to-takedown times from weeks to under 8 hours.

Watchmen deployments contributed to a 38% drop in investment scam financial losses

In deployments with financial regulators, law enforcement agencies, and municipal governments, Watchmen demonstrated national-level impact, including a 38% reduction in the share of investment scam financial losses. The system uses multi-layered filtering, expert rule engines, and Large Language Model (LLM) semantic analysis to monitor corporate communication channels and social media platforms for brand impersonation, triggering automated takedown mechanisms once threats are confirmed.

Evoto Launches 8.0 With Creator Marketplace, $500K Reward Pool

Image
Evoto Launches 8.0 With Creator Marketplace, $500K Reward Pool

New York – September 22, 2026 -- Evoto AI unveiled Evoto 8.0 at its annual launch event, opening a creator marketplace for photographers to sell presets and creative assets, backed by a $500,000 reward pool. The release spans Evoto Desktop, the Evoto App and Evoto Video, adding an Asset Hub, in-timeline portrait retouching for DaVinci Resolve, story-based culling for high-volume shoots, reusable workflow templates and a production-grade SDK.

Viam Unveils BoxBot, a Box-Opening Robot Trained on 125 Demos

Image
Viam Unveils BoxBot, a Box-Opening Robot Trained on 125 Demos

Pittsburgh – September 22, 2026 -- Viam will debut BoxBot, a robot arm that opens taped cardboard boxes, at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh, running September 27 through October 3. The system was trained on just 125 teleoperated demonstrations collected in roughly five hours over four days, using a fine-tuned open-source vision-language-action model with no custom architecture required.

BoxBot combines visual servoing with a fine-tuned SmolVLA model on one data path

The robot uses image-based visual servoing to guide a cutting tip along tape seams typically 1 to 2mm wide, since no two sealed boxes present identical geometry. A fine-tuned SmolVLA model then handles the contact-rich task of peeling open and adjusting four box flaps. Both systems run as native services on the same machine, with the VLA policy inferring locally on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano through Viam's ML model service.

LAUSD Expands Zum's AI Platform to Its Own School Bus Fleet

Image
LAUSD Expands Zum's AI Platform to Its Own School Bus Fleet

Los Angeles – September 22, 2026 -- Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has expanded Zum's AI-powered CMX platform to its in-house school bus fleet starting this school year, unifying technology across both district-operated and Zum-operated vehicles.

Zum already operates 450 buses across 405 routes for LAUSD

The company currently runs approximately 450 buses covering 405 routes for the district. The 2026-2027 school year expansion extends Zum CMX to LAUSD's own fleet, creating a single connected platform regardless of which entity operates a given bus.

ISS Orbital Edge Accelerator Raises Startup Funding to $750,000

Image
ISS Orbital Edge Accelerator Raises Startup Funding to $750,000

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. – September 22, 2026 -- The International Space Station National Laboratory's Orbital Edge Accelerator has expanded its second-year cohort to eight startups, up from six in 2025, while raising available per-startup funding to a range of $500,000 to $750,000, up from a prior cap of $500,000.

Investment partners drive higher funding ceiling for space startups

A network of global investment partners -- CIRI, Context Ventures, Draper Associates, Draper University, E2MC, and Stellar Ventures -- backed the increased capital pool, according to the ISS National Lab. The expanded funding and cohort size reflect strengthened investor engagement in space-enabled technology ventures targeting low Earth orbit.

CU Anschutz Gets $50M Gift to Build Top CSF Leak Center

Image
CU Anschutz Gets $50M Gift to Build Top CSF Leak Center

Aurora, Colo. – September 22, 2026 -- University of Colorado Anschutz has received an anonymous $50 million gift, one of the largest in campus history, to expand its CSF Leak Program into a world-leading center for diagnosis, treatment and research of cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Patient survey reveals systemic diagnostic failures across the field

CU Anschutz researchers, working with the Spinal CSF Leak Foundation, conducted the largest patient survey ever done on the condition. Nearly 80% of patients reported being misdiagnosed, seeing a median of more than six clinicians before an accurate diagnosis. More than 60% said long waitlists blocked access to specialized care, forcing many to travel across state lines for treatment.

Medscape Extends SBOC Deal to Boost Oncology Access in Brazil

Image
Medscape Extends SBOC Deal to Boost Oncology Access in Brazil

Newark – September 22, 2026 -- Medscape has expanded its strategic partnership with the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC) under a new two-year agreement to widen access to global oncology insights for physicians across Brazil.

Two-year deal targets Portuguese-language oncology content for Brazilian clinicians

The agreement will focus on developing and publishing Portuguese-language educational and medical content aimed at supporting the day-to-day clinical practice of oncology professionals in Brazil. It builds on an editorial partnership first announced in 2022 to combat misinformation in online health content.

Modular Data Center Market to Hit $93.6B by 2031, MarketsandMarkets Says

Image
Modular Data Center Market to Hit $93.6B by 2031, MarketsandMarkets Says

Delray Beach – September 22, 2026 -- The global modular data center market is projected to grow from $41.0 billion in 2026 to $93.6 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 18.0%, according to a new MarketsandMarkets report. The market stood at $34.9 billion in 2025, underscoring an accelerating pace of adoption driven by AI workloads and cloud infrastructure buildouts.

Solution segment dominates as AI deployment demand climbs

The solution segment is set to command $29.85 billion of market value by 2026, the largest share among segment categories. All-in-one modular data centers, which integrate IT racks, power distribution, cooling, fire suppression and security into a single prefabricated enclosure, are forecast to post the highest CAGR at 19.6% through 2031. Skid-mounted systems will grow even faster, at 21.2% annually, as operators seek compact, self-contained infrastructure for rapid rollout in remote and edge locations.

Clarion's IPitomy Launches Resolvix AI Agents, Eyes UCaaS Tuck-In Deals

Image
Clarion's IPitomy Launches Resolvix AI Agents, Eyes UCaaS Tuck-In Deals

Atlanta – September 22, 2026 -- IPitomy Communications LLC, a subsidiary of Clarion Communications LLC, has released Resolvix, a new suite of AI-powered voice and chat agents built for its proprietary Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) platform.

Resolvix delivers round-the-clock call and chat coverage for SMB clients

The tool set provides 24/7 coverage for phone calls and website live chat, automated lead qualification with accurate intake, and scheduling and next-step automation. Resolvix also supports natural, business-specific dialogue with multilingual capability, targeting small and mid-sized business customers across North America.

"Our customers are looking for practical ways to use AI to improve their customer experiences and employee productivity without adding complexity," said IPitomy CEO Joseph Haines, Sr., adding that the strategy centers on a unified platform combining communications, customer engagement and AI.