AI is moving from writing essays to designing real-world products. Paint giant PPG used it to create a clear coat that dries over 50% faster, launching it last spring. It’s part of a quiet revolution in industrial R&D.
Microsoft is rolling out Copilot Checkout, letting users buy from Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe merchants without leaving the chat. It’s the latest move in the AI assistant shopping race started by OpenAI and Google.
Intel’s stock is up over 70% since plans for a U.S. government stake emerged. But with the U.S. holding only 5.5% so far and Intel still reliant on TSMC, the path to regaining manufacturing leadership is long.
CrowdStrike is spending a hefty $740 million to acquire identity security startup SGNL. The move highlights a major shift as companies scramble to secure not just human users, but the exploding number of non-human and AI identities.
Laramie County, Wyoming, has approved Project Jade, a sprawling AI data center campus, and the 2.7-gigawatt natural gas power plants to run it. The total investment could exceed $50 billion, with construction starting soon and the first buildings potentially online by mid-2027. The project is framed
Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have moved a long-held LLC out of California, a preemptive strike against a proposed one-time 5% tax on residents with over $1 billion in assets. The move, which had to be completed by December 31, 2025, to avoid the retroactive tax, highlights the high-
Volkswagen is locking in Qualcomm as the primary tech provider for its new software platform, developed with Rivian. The first cars using the system, starting with the electric ID.Every1, are slated for 2027.
Microsoft is launching Windows 11 version 26H1 this spring, but it’s only for new PCs with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 chips. This isn’t a feature update for everyone else, just a specialized platform release to support new hardware.
The massive TAM-1 subsea cable system has made landfall in Panama. This critical piece of infrastructure is designed to link Florida with Central America and the Caribbean, with AT&T as its anchor tenant.
Supply chain software firm Kinaxis has named Razat Gaurav as its new CEO. He takes over from interim CEO Bob Courteau on January 12, 2026, and will also join the company’s board. Gaurav is a longtime supply chain tech executive with a background at Blue Yonder, i2, LLamasoft, and most recently Planv
