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National Lighting Bureau Opens Call for Entries for 7th Annual Tesla Awards

William Attardi on January 18, 2026

The National Lighting Bureau has opened the call for entries for the seventh annual Tesla Awards, a program that recognizes excellence in indoor and outdoor lighting projects. The awards highlight projects that demonstrate the value of effective lighting design through improved visual performance, support for health and wellness, reduced environmental impact, enhanced safety and security, and increased occupant satisfaction. Open to new construction and retrofit projects completed in 2023, 2024, or 2025, the program welcomes submissions from anyone involved in lighting design or implementation. To learn more or begin a submission, visit NLB’s website.

Inflation Held Steady at 2.7% to End 2025

William Attardi on January 18, 2026

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in December, virtually unchanged from November and roughly in line with analysts’ expectations, per the latest reading from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation was helped by falling used car and truck prices, but rising grocery costs prevented the rate from making more progress toward the Fed’s 2% target. Food prices spiked 0.7% in December—the fastest monthly gain since 2022, the New York Times noted. Compared to the same period in 2024, food prices were up by 3.1%. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has previously said he expects the peak impact of tariffs to show up in Q1 of this year. Morning Brew

JLL Report:2026 Global Data Center Outlook

William Attardi on January 16, 2026

The data center sector is projected to increase by 97 GW between 2025 and 2030, effectively doubling in size over a five-year period. By 2030, global data center capacity could reach 200 GW. This rapid growth will be driven largely by hyperscale cloud expansion and AI demand. The Americas is the largest data center region, representing about 50% of global capacity. The Americas also has the fastest growth rate of the three global regions, with a projected 17% supply CAGR through to 2030, preserving its position as the dominant data center region. The U.S. drives most of the activity in the region, accounting for about 90% of capacity in the Americas. Key highlights:

  • Nearly 100 GW of new data centers will be added between 2026 and 2030, doubling global capacity.
  • By 2030, AI could represent half of all workloads with inference becoming the primary driver.
  • The sector is experiencing an infrastructure investment supercycle requiring up to $3 trillion by 2030.
  • Tenants will likely spend an additional $1 to $2 trillion to fit out their space with IT equipment.

https://www.jll.com/en-us/insights/market-outlook/data-center-outlook

Scientists Create Robots Smaller Than a Grain of Sand by Daniel Akst

William Attardi on January 11, 2026

They run on light and are the world’s smallest, fully programmable, autonomous devices. Now researchers at Penn and the University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest, fully programmable, autonomous robots, packing significant capacities into a device smaller than a grain of salt. These are parsimonious little things, barely visible to the naked eye yet able to sense their environment, respond to it and move around in complex patterns. As described in a new paper in the journal Science Robotics, they run on infinitesimally small quantities of energy and gain power from light. Tiny robots do have potential medical functions and a second area of potential use could be in manufacturing tiny devices such as computer chips with intricate circuitry. Scientists Create Robots Smaller Than a Grain of Sand – WSJ

US Third-Quarter Productivity Rises at Fastest Pace in Two Years

William Attardi on January 11, 2026

U.S. worker productivity grew at its fastest pace in two years in the ​third quarter as businesses invested heavily in artificial ‌intelligence, depressing labor costs. Nonfarm productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, accelerated ‌at a 4.9% annualized rate, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the quickest pace since the third quarter of 2023 and followed an upwardly revised ⁠4.1% growth rate in ‌the second quarter. US third-quarter productivity rises at fastest pace in two years

US Trade Deficit Shrinks to $29.4 Billion, Lowest Since 2009

William Attardi on January 8, 2026

The U.S. trade deficit has been reduced to $29.4 billion, after last being reported at $48.1 billion. The forecasted deficit had been $58.1 billion, com reported. The deficit dropped by $18.7 billion, and was $28.7 billion less than the predicted figure. The deficit is the lowest since 2009,according the news reports. The improved trade balance indicates that while the U.S. is still importing more goods and services than exporting them, the reduced deficit could strengthen the U.S. dollar. With a stronger currency, there could be increased foreign demand for the dollar, resulting in an appreciation in its value. US trade deficit shrinks to $29.4 billion, lowest since 2009 | Just The News

The Next Wave of Industry 4.0

William Attardi on January 7, 2026

For years, manufacturers have been told the future of Industry 4.0 lives in the cloud. Cloud-first AI may be powerful, but for many manufacturers, it’s too disruptive, too risky, or simply incompatible with day-to-day requirements on the shop floor. As we head into 2026, we’re seeing an inflection point. Manufacturers are embracing a new model of AI: lightweight, on-premise agents that integrate directly with existing systems rather than replacing them. These systems don’t require a rip-and-replace strategy or a costly cloud migration. Instead, they work with what’s already there. It’s a more grounded, incremental approach that aligns with how factories actually operate and how leaders actually make decisions. This shift is happening for three reasons at: The Next Wave of Industry 4.0 | Quality Digest

Siemens and NVIDIA Expand Partnership

William Attardi on January 7, 2026

Siemens and NVIDIA announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership to bring artificial intelligence into the real world. Together, the companies aim to develop industrial and physical AI solutions that will bring AI-driven innovation to every industry and industrial workflow, as well as accelerate each other’s operations. To support development, NVIDIA will provide AI infrastructure, simulation libraries, models, frameworks and blueprints, while Siemens will commit hundreds of industrial AI experts and leading hardware and software. Siemens and NVIDIA will work together to build AI-accelerated industrial solutions across the full lifecycle of products and production, enabling faster innovation, continuous optimization and more resilient, sustainable manufacturing.  Siemens and NVIDIA Expand Partnership – tEDmag

Mobile Robots Future-Proofing Supply Chains by Michael Murphy

William Attardi on December 30, 2025

Tariff implications and geopolitical tensions impact global supply chains, forcing manufacturers to think about how they manage inventory and minimize the effects of inflation. To address these conditions, manufacturers are turning to innovations, including mobile robots, that can offer more predictability for warehouse operations. Robots can work continuously to keep the flow of goods moving. With the ability to move hundreds of cases an hour, they can ensure that daily goals are met even as order-fulfillment demands increase. Automating this inbound process can alleviate several challenges for manufacturers. Mobile Robots Future-Proofing Supply Chains | advancedmanufacturing.org

Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’ by Courtney Subramanian

William Attardi on December 18, 2025

Two dozen top artificial intelligence companies have signed on to join the federal government’s “Genesis Mission,” an effort by the Trump administration to boost the use of the emerging technology for scientific discovery and energy projects. OpenAI, Microsoft Corp., Nvidia Corp., Amazon Web Services and Alphabet Inc.’s Google were among the firms that have either already signed memorandums of understanding with the government, have existing projects with the Energy Department or national laboratories, or have expressed interest in joining the effort, according to a White House statement. The mission will harness the computing resources of the Energy Department’s national labs to tap federal datasets and enable more experiments utilizing AI, Michael Kratsios said at the time. He predicted the effort would help shorten the timeline for scientific discoveries. Microsoft, Google among 24 firms joining US AI ‘Genesis Mission’

The Genesis of the U.S. Space Force – On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, officially creating the United States Space Force, a new and independent branch of the U.S. military. The establishment of the Space Force marked a historic shift in how the U.S. views and manages its military operations in space, reflecting the growing importance of space as both a domain of strategic competition and national security. The Space Force is tasked with ensuring the U.S. maintains its superiority in space, focusing on both the defense of space assets and the development of offensive capabilities. Its mission includes:

  1. Space Operations: Overseeing space-based systems, such as satellites, that provide essential services to the U.S. military, including communication, reconnaissance, and missile defense.
  2. Space Security: Protecting U.S. space infrastructure from threats, including anti-satellite weapons, cyberattacks, and other potential forms of disruption by adversarial nations.
  3. Space Research and Development: Developing and deploying cutting-edge space technologies, including space-based defense systems, that ensure the U.S. maintains an edge in space exploration and military operations.
  4. Supporting National Defense: Integrating space capabilities into broader national defense strategies, ensuring that U.S. forces can operate effectively in space as part of a multi-domain approach to warfare.

The Space Force is designed to streamline and strengthen the U.S. military’s space operations, which were previously under the purview of the U.S. Air Force. By separating space operations into a distinct branch, the government hoped to increase focus on space as a critical area of national defense and enhance the U.S. military’s ability to respond to emerging threats. Source: Day in History