AI & Automation

AI & Automation

EIT Launches AI & Robotics Community with €80M Fund

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has launched the EIT AI & Robotics Community, a three-year initiative (2026–2028) aiming to launch 14 innovations, support over 10 scale-ups, and help ventures access €80 million in investment. Its first program, the AI Entrepreneurs Lab, opens applications until October 21, 2026, with a five-day bootcamp scheduled for November 9–13, 2026, in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Up to 15 participants will be selected, and five €10,000 prizes will be awarded at Demo Day. The program also includes the AI Growth Studio (€100,000–€200,000 grants) and FactoryX for industrial validation.

2026-09-20

AI & Automation

Huawei launches Ascend 960DT AI chip in Q1 2027, doubles performance

Huawei has moved up the launch of its Ascend 960DT AI chip to Q1 2027 — from Q3 2027 — citing doubled performance and annual advancement. The chip will power new AI systems built on Huawei’s Peerium Computing Architecture, including the Atlas 950 SuperCluster, which supports up to 256,000 accelerator cards. Analyst Rui Ma noted a discrepancy between the earlier 15,488-chip Atlas 960 SuperPoD target and the newly announced 4,096-chip system. The announcement precedes the September 24 meeting between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and reflects Huawei’s push amid U.S. semiconductor restrictions.

2026-09-18

AI & Automation

Overroute raises $5.5M to scale AI freight execution platform

Overroute has raised $5.5 million to scale its AI freight execution platform, now deployed across all J.B. Hunt business units and handling millions of loads annually. Born from a 2024 partnership with UP.Labs, the platform launched publicly in July and integrates with existing TMS, ERP, and visibility systems without workflow disruption. Led by UP.Partners and joined by Tulane Ventures and others, the funding will accelerate hiring and product development for enterprise carriers. Overroute’s roadmap now includes freight planning and asset optimization beyond load-level coordination.

2026-09-10

AI & Automation

AI Hardware Boom Lifts Taiwan Exports 61.9% to $97.94bn

Asia's air cargo export market is splitting into two speeds ahead of peak season: AI hardware demand is lifting transpacific flows, while new EU import rules are depressing Asia–Europe volumes. Taiwan's July export orders hit $97.94bn — up 61.9% YoY — driven by 88.9% growth in US-bound orders and 89.5% growth in ICT products. China/Hong Kong–US air cargo rose 13% YoY in August, versus a 14% decline to Europe. Fuel surcharges climbed sharply, with Cathay Pacific's HK-based charge rising to HK$11.20/kg. Carriers including Afcom Holdings and Ethiopian Airlines are expanding freighter fleets, while FedEx and DHL reintroduce older aircraft types.

2026-09-09

AI & Automation

Descartes acquires Extensiv for $120M, fourth 2026 deal

Descartes Systems Group acquired Extensiv for $120 million on September 1, marking its fourth acquisition of 2026. The deal follows its August 24 agreement to buy Tai for $100 million, and earlier 2026 purchases of Idelic ($28 million) and Drivin ($30 million). Descartes reported $193.6 million in revenue and $48.5 million in profit for the quarter ending April 30 — up 15% and 35%, respectively. It will release fiscal 2027 Q2 earnings on September 10. Extensiv, based in El Segundo, California, strengthens Descartes’ warehouse, inventory, and e-commerce fulfillment offerings for third-party logistics providers.

2026-09-03

AI & Automation

Pharma Supply Chain Leaders Prioritize AI at 96% Rate

A LogiPharma survey reveals that 96% of pharmaceutical supply chain leaders prioritize AI and machine learning as top investments, citing demand planning, inventory optimization, and logistics orchestration as primary use cases. Regulatory uncertainty remains the largest adoption barrier, and over half express doubt about AI’s ability to improve disruption prediction. A stark 43-percentage-point gap separates AI’s 96% priority rating from network optimization’s 53%, highlighting an operational maturity gap between visibility and response capability. The findings were published September 1, 2026.

2026-09-03

AI & Automation

AI Cuts Logistics Costs 5%–20%, Inventory 20%–30% in Supply Chains

AI delivers measurable logistics value in demand forecasting, freight matching, warehouse slotting, and shipment visibility—cutting inventory by 20–30%, logistics costs by 5–20%, and procurement spend by 5–15%. A last-mile operator saved $30M–$35M on a $2M AI investment. Meanwhile, 51% of CEOs report AI-driven supplier risk monitoring gains, though data quality (38%), skills gaps (30%), and ROI clarity (29%) remain key barriers. Real-world wins include 100,000+ AI-handled carrier calls and automated processing of 100–120 daily orders.

2026-09-02

AI & Automation

Clipto raises $15M at $250M valuation for AI video search

Clipto, a San Francisco-based AI startup with teams in Singapore and Hong Kong, has raised $15 million in an all-equity round at a $250 million post-money valuation. Founded in 2023 by Henry Kang — whose prior AI ventures include ZenVideo (acquired by Tencent in 2020) — Clipto indexes videos, audio, images, and documents locally to enable natural-language search. More than 30 million people have used its tools, with hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. The company reached $15 million in annual recurring revenue at the start of 2026 and remains profitable. It employs just over 20 staff across three regions and recently added support for the Model Context Protocol standard.

2026-09-01

AI & Automation

DeepFabric scales supply chain agents with Kenco deal

DeepFabric has partnered with U.S. logistics provider Kenco to scale its agentic AI platform across 14 regional hubs in North America, beginning in Q3 2025. The agents will handle over 2.3 million annual shipments, performing autonomous freight procurement, rate negotiation, and exception resolution across 12,000+ U.S. lanes. Kenco CTO Will O'Donnell emphasized the shift from monitoring to proactive execution, while DeepFabric CEO Michael Chen cited Kenco’s operational rigor as key to validating enterprise agent deployment.

2026-08-30

AI & Automation

64% of Shoppers Use AI Tools for Online Purchases

A Ryder survey of 1,160 e-commerce shoppers found 64% now use AI tools for purchasing decisions — led by search assistants (45%). Price influence fell 12% in apparel and 13% in beauty, while ethical and sustainability factors rose 13% collectively. Remote locker pickup grew 14%, and 39% now expect 1–2-day delivery. Free shipping remains top purchase driver (62%), yet 71% abandon carts due to surprise fees. Returns remain critical: 79% of dissatisfied customers quit brands, citing fees (55%) and lack of flexible options.

2026-08-30

AI & Automation

Mubadala acquires Arrive Logistics majority stake, targets 16,000 daily loads

Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital has acquired a majority stake in Austin, Texas-based Arrive Logistics, with the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. Mubadala Capital, managing over $600 billion in assets, will become Arrive’s largest shareholder. Arrive currently handles more than 8,000 daily loads and ranks No. 7 among freight brokerages and No. 26 on Transport Topics’ Top 100 logistics companies in North America. Under the new ownership, Arrive aims to double its daily load volume to 16,000, expand its trailer pool, relaunch its Arrive Fresh perishables division — which serves over 3,000 cold-chain carriers — and build a dedicated sales team for small and medium-sized businesses.

2026-08-29

AI & Automation

Port of Los Angeles locks in ONE terminal for 30 more years

The Port of Los Angeles has renewed its lease with Ocean Network Express (ONE) for Pier T on Terminal Island for 30 more years, effective after the current agreement expires in 2027. The deal secures ONE’s exclusive use of the terminal, supports over 1,200 jobs, and contributes $140 million annually to the regional economy. Pier T serves as ONE’s primary U.S. West Coast hub since 2017, and the agreement includes investments in electrification and digital infrastructure aligned with the port’s Clean Air Action Plan (2035 target) and Digital Port Initiative. Gene Seroka, Port Executive Director, called the pact vital for supply chain reliability.

2026-08-29