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DOE Issues Request for AI Information

William Attardi on May 28, 2026

(DOE) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is helping ensure America leads the world in Artificial Intelligence (AI) while helping to lower energy costs by co-locating data centers and new energy infrastructure on DOE lands. To support this effort, DOE’s Office of Policy released a Request for Information (RFI) the full PDF RFI to inform possible use of DOE land for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure development to support growing demand for data centers. DOE has identified 16 potential sites uniquely positioned for rapid data center construction, including in-place energy infrastructure with the ability to fast-track permitting for new energy generation such as nuclear. The Department is seeking input from data center developers, energy developers, and the broader public to further advance this partnership. DOE Issues Request for AI Information

NVIDIA to Invest Up to $500B in AI Data Center Construction in US

William Attardi on May 28, 2026

NVIDIA is working with its manufacturing partners to design and build factories that, for the first time, will produce NVIDIA AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S.NVIDIA Blackwell chips have started production at TSMC’s chip plants in Phoenix, Arizona. NVIDIA is building supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas, with Foxconn in Houston and with Wistron in Dallas. Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months. Within the next four years, NVIDIA plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the United States through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn, Wistron, Amkor and SPIL. .  NVIDIA AI supercomputers are the engines of a new type of data center created for the sole purpose of processing artificial intelligence — AI factories. NVIDIA to Invest Up to $500B in AI Data Center Construction in US – tEDmag

Nvidia to Increase Spend in Taiwan by $150 Billion

William Attardi on May 28, 2026

Nvidia announced its plan to expand spending on chip manufacturing in Taiwan to $150 billion, up from $10 billion just a few years ago. By the end of the year, Nvidia will have a brand-new office complex called Constellation, and could have as many as  4,000 employees in northern Taipei when it opens by the end of the decade. Right now, Nvidia has about 1,000 employees in Taiwan. Nvidia will design the new AI computer chips. TSMC, the world’s largest chip maker, will manufacture them. As a result, Nvidia will be TSMC’s largest customer, surpassing Apple. Business News Today – tEDmag

AI Is Enabling the Next Generation of Distributor Workflows by Michael Delgado

William Attardi on May 26, 2026

Workflows at distributors have been more or less the same for decades. Quoting, order entry, PO tracking and invoicing still rely on emails, spreadsheets and ERPs with manual effort expected to close the gap. That model worked when volumes were lower and expectations were more forgiving, but the world is changing.AI does not just speed up existing processes, it changes where the work starts. Instead of manually decoding customer requests from zero, teams can rely on AI to interpret imprecise inputs and return accurate product matches. Translating requests into usable data becomes a background process that happens before a request ever reaches a sales rep. AI also has a level of adaptability that traditional software lacks. It learns over time, picking up on customer preferences and surfacing relevant SKUs and frequently ordered items preemptively. The result is a faster, more accurate quoting process, and reps who are free to spend time with customers instead of spreadsheets. AI has moved from a competitive advantage to a baseline requirement to keep pace. AI Is Enabling the Next Generation of Distributor Workflows | Electrical Wholesaling

NVIDIA and Corning Announce Long-Term Partnership

William Attardi on May 26, 2026

NVIDIA and Corning Incorporated today announced a multiyear commercial and technology partnership to dramatically expand U.S.-based manufacturing of the advanced optical connectivity solutions needed to power next-generation AI infrastructure. Corning will increase its U.S.-based optical connectivity manufacturing capacity by 10x and expand its U.S. fiber production capacity by more than 50% to meet the accelerating demand driven by AI factory buildouts. The expansion includes the construction of three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas and the creation of more than 3,000 new high-paying American jobs. Corning’s expanded capacity will supply the optical connectivity hyperscale data centers use to deploy NVIDIA-accelerated computing at scale. [News] NVIDIA and Corning Announce Long-Term Partnership To Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing for AI Infrastructure – LEDinside

IEA: Global EV Sales Headed for Another Record Year Despite the Early Stumble by Michelle Lewis

William Attardi on May 23, 2026

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) new Global EV Outlook, electric car sales are expected to hit 23 million in 2026, making up nearly 30% of all new cars sold worldwide. That comes after EV sales topped 20 million in 2025, up 20% year over year, with 1 in 4 new cars sold globally now electric. The IEA says global EV sales momentum is continuing despite the ongoing energy crisis tied to the war in the Middle East. And in many places, rising fuel prices are actually making EVs look even more attractive to buyers. The IEA said nearly 90 countries posted year-over-year EV sales growth in March, and around 30 countries set monthly records.  The report projects the global EV fleet could grow from nearly 80 million vehicles today to as many as 510 million by 2035. IEA: Global EV sales headed for another record year despite the early stumble | Electrek

NEMRA Lighting Summit 26 – October 15th – October 17th – Hilton Anatole | Dallas, TX

William Attardi on May 20, 2026

The NEMRA Lighting Summit is designed specifically for Lighting Agencies and Representatives and Lighting & Controls Manufacturers. The summit provides an exclusive setting for structured business planning and strategy, with an emphasis on strengthening Manufacturer–Agent partnerships. Designed for high-value business planning, the Summit brings Manufacturer–Agent partners together to align strategy, strengthen relationships, and plan for 2027, all in one location. The cornerstone of the Summit is the One-on-One strategic planning sessions between Agencies and Manufacturers. These meetings are designed to review performance, set goals, and align on strategies for the coming business year. Home – NEMRA Lighting Summit 26

Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding Bill Introduced in Congress

William Attardi on May 20, 2026

On May 17, 2026, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced the BUILD America 250 Act – Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act. It is the Committee’s bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in America’s roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs. Fundamentally, the bill emphasizes moving people, goods, and freight safely and efficiently across the country. The legislation outlines approximately $580 billion in federal infrastructure funding over five years (FY 2027–FY 2031). It is designed to replace the expiring Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which sunsets on September 30, 2026. Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding Bill Introduced in Congress

Commercial Electricity Use Will Likely Surpass Residential in 2027: EIA

William Attardi on May 19, 2026

Commercial electricity consumption is likely to surpass residential use for the first time on record in 2027, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday in its Short-Term Energy Outlook. The commercial sector, which includes hyperscalers, bitcoin miners and cloud computing, is expected to see electricity sales grow 2.2% to about 1,530 billion kWh in 2026 — roughly the same as the residential sector — followed by 5.3% growth the following year, EIA said. Demand from the residential sector, which has historically accounted for the largest share of U.S. electricity use, will remain largely flat over the next two years, growing about 0.5% in 2026 and 2027. Total U.S. electricity consumption in 2026 will be almost 4,250 billion kWh, up 1.3% from 2025, and is expected to grow 3.1% in 2027. Commercial electricity use will likely surpass residential in 2027: EIA | Utility Dive

America’s Power Grid Can’t Keep Up with AI Demand by Ambia Staley

William Attardi on May 19, 2026

The U.S. needs about 5,000 miles of high-voltage transmission per year to keep pace with electricity demand. In 2024, just 888 miles were completed, according to an analysis by Grid Strategies. That gap is widening even as data center developers race to bring tens of gigawatts of new load online. The result is a structural mismatch between the speed at which demand arrives and the speed at which the grid can absorb it. Global electricity demand from data centers grew by 17% in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency, with AI-focused data center electricity consumption growing even faster, surging 50%. In the U.S., data centers now account for about half of the country’s incremental demand growth, according to the IEA’s global energy assessment. AI data centers have U.S. power grid struggling to keep up

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”