Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

The U.S. military's most sensitive satellites have long ridden to orbit on a short list of trusted rockets. Now Rocket Lab (RKLB 3.36%) has forced its way into that conversation, earning a spot to compete in the Space Force's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program, an arrangement with a maximum value of $5.6 billion through 2029.

But being invited to compete and actually winning work are two very different things, and the entire opportunity hinges on one machine: the Neutron rocket.

Why Neutron is the linchpin Rocket Lab built its business on the small Electron rocket, but Electron is far too small for the heavy national-security payloads the Space Force needs to launch. Neutron, its larger reusable medium-lift vehicle, is the rocket designed to carry them. The program's structure makes this crystal clear: Rocket Lab has been on-ramped as an eligible bidder, but it cannot win any individual task orders until Neutron completes a successful first flight. In other words, no working Neutron means no share of the $5.6 billion in available contracts, full stop.

Image source: Getty Images.

The path to winning task orders Being a contender requires passing a handful of milestones. First, Neutron has to fly, with a debut currently targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. A clean flight would let Rocket Lab pursue formal certification and then compete for specific missions, and the program plans to award at least 30 launches over its life, with a possible extension into the next decade. Rocket Lab is trying to build credibility ahead of that debut, having already lined up a commercial launch backlog for Neutron and drawn interest from the military for a cargo-transport test. Each contract signed before the first flight strengthens the case that the rocket will have steady demand once it's flying.

Objectively, investors should know that the obstacles are significant. Neutron's timeline has already slipped once after a test failure on its first-stage tank, and new rockets are notoriously prone to delays and early setbacks. Rocket Lab is also arriving late to a field where Space Exploration Technologies (aka SpaceX) and United Launch Alliance are already securing task orders, so it will compete for missions against established providers with proven vehicles. Until Neutron flies, Rocket Lab remains on the outside looking in.

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The takeaway for potential investors Rocket Lab's inclusion in a $5.6 billion program is a genuine vote of confidence, but it is best understood as an option rather than a guaranteed payday. The value of that option rests almost entirely on Neutron's debut going well. A successful first flight would open the door to years of high-value government work and validate Rocket Lab's push to become a serious defense-launch player.

Viasat experts demonstrate satellite-enabled voice call capabilities as part of research collaboration 
during this week’s 5G Automotive Association Meeting Week in Munich, Germany: for the first time integrated with the infotainment system of a BMW iX3.

Showcase highlights what might be possible in future and the potential for reliable voice and messaging connectivity beyond the reach of traditional terrestrial networks.

MUNICH, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced a landmark technology demonstration showcasing the first automotive satellite voice call demonstration fully integrated into a BMW Group vehicle’s platform.

It marks a significant step forward as Viasat brings Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) communications into the connected vehicle ecosystem: enabling drivers and passengers to stay connected in remote or underserved areas where cellular coverage may be limited or unavailable.

Building on an earlier demonstration with eSIM capabilities from Cubic³, a leading provider of software-defined vehicle (SDV) solutions, Viasat experts in Munich utilized advanced technology including Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s Snapdragon® Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 solution, and the Fraunhofer IIS NESC AI voice codec. This enables voice communications to be sent using the NB-IoT communications protocol over Viasat’s highly reliable, L-band satellite network.

For the first time, this technology was integrated with BMW Group’s in-vehicle architecture, allowing voice calls to be initiated and managed directly through the vehicle interface. By extending messaging and voice services beyond cellular coverage, automakers like BMW Group can ensure drivers remain connected for emergency assistance and critical safety applications, regardless of location.

“This demonstration reflects broader industry excitement to ensure consistent, resilient satellite capabilities for next-generation vehicles,” said Sandeep Moorthy, Senior Vice President, Advanced Non-Terrestrial Solutions at Viasat. “By bringing standards-based NTN to vehicles, we can integrate satellite voice and messaging and ultimately enable a future where drivers can remain connected — wherever the journey takes them.”

Viasat, BMW Group, Cubic3, and Fraunhofer IIS are active members of the 5GAA (5G Automotive Association), which brings together technology and automotive partners to develop real-world, scalable connectivity solutions for all road users. Satellite-enabled automotive connectivity applications include voice and messaging emergency services, fleet management, and over-the-air updates in low-connectivity regions.

The NB-IoT protocol, which can support lower data-rate applications, is enabled by global 3GPP standards. Future releases are expected to pave the way for 5G-New Radio (5G-NR) satellite services, which could support video streaming and seamless roaming between terrestrial and satellite networks.

About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are - on the ground, in the air or at sea, while building a sustainable future in space. In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources of the two companies to create a new global communications partner. Learn more at www.viasat.com, the Viasat News Room or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, and YouTube.

Copyright © 2026 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. Viasat, the Viasat logo and the Viasat Signal are registered trademarks in the U.S. and in other countries of Viasat, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Viasat, Inc. Contacts
Richard Jones, External Communications, Corporate & Commercial Services, [email protected] 
Lisa Curran/Peter Lopez, Investor Relations, [email protected]

About 5GAA
The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is a global, cross-industry organisation of companies from the automotive, technology, and telecommunications industries (ICT), working together to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility and transportation services. Created in September 2016, 5GAA has rapidly expanded to include key players with a global footprint in the automotive, technology and telecommunications industries. This includes automotive manufacturers, tier-1 suppliers, chipset/communication system providers, mobile operators and infrastructure vendors. More information.

About Cubic3
Cubic³ brings cellular and satellite connectivity together on one platform for the automotive industry, giving software-defined vehicles (SDVs) seamless coverage across more than 200 countries and territories. With access to over 550 mobile networks, Cubic³ helps automotive OEMs navigate the complexities of global connectivity and compliance, so drivers stay connected whether they're within reach of a cellular network or relying on satellite.

Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Qualcomm, Qualcomm Dragonwing and Snapdragon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements that refer to the expected benefits, capabilities, performance, availability, and future development of Viasat’s satellite-enabled automotive connectivity solutions; the successful integration and commercialization of satellite voice technology within BMW Group or any other company’s vehicles; the anticipated expansion of NTN services for automotive applications; and the connectivity to be provided by Viasat L-band satellites. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: our ability to successfully develop, integrate, and commercialize satellite-enabled automotive technologies; risks associated with demonstrating and scaling new technologies; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of our satellite network, including the ViaSat-3 class satellites and any future satellite we may construct or acquire; unexpected expenses related to our satellite projects; our ability to successfully implement our business plan for new and existing services on our anticipated timeline or at all; risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; changes in relationships with key partners, including automotive OEMs; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, supply, or integrate our solutions; increased competition and introduction of new technologies in the communications and automotive industries; changes in the global business environment and economic conditions; regulatory and spectrum-related risks, including changes affecting spectrum availability or permitted uses; our inability to access or expand use of spectrum or orbital locations; and other factors affecting the communications and automotive industries generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in our SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/19addb9d-bccf-4b68-9bff-fde2f0b7700e

Viasat experts demonstrate satellite-enabled voice call capabilities Viasat experts demonstrate satellite-enabled voice call capabilities as part of research collaborati...

Few stocks capture the AI infrastructure boom -- and its risks -- quite like CoreWeave (CRWV 3.58%). The company rents out the high-end computing power that trains and runs AI models, and demand for it has been ferocious. Yet as of this writing, shares sit near $77 -- about 49% below the 52-week high of $153.20.

The latest leg down has a specific cause. Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Meta Platforms plans to build its own AI cloud business and sell excess capacity to outside customers. Meta happens to be one of CoreWeave's largest customers, so the news raised an uncomfortable possibility: one of the company's biggest buyers may be about to become a competitor.

Shares have fallen for four straight sessions since. For dip buyers, a decline like this is tempting. But a lower price only helps if the business underneath it can support the stock. So, which is this, a bargain or a value trap?

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Staggering growth The top line leaves no doubt about demand. In the first quarter of 2026, CoreWeave's revenue more than doubled, rising 112% year over year to $2.1 billion. That followed 168% growth for full-year 2025, so even as the rate cools, the company is still expanding at a pace almost no business its size can match.

The backlog is just as eye-catching. CoreWeave signed more than $40 billion of new contracts during the quarter, lifting its revenue backlog to $99.4 billion. That figure dwarfs the roughly $12.5 billion in revenue it expects to generate this year, and on paper it offers years of visibility.

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Management still guides for $12 billion to $13 billion in revenue this year, with the exit rate climbing toward $18 billion to $19 billion annualized. Few companies grow into their promises this fast.

The physical footprint is scaling to match. The company now holds more than 3.5 gigawatts of contracted power and recently surpassed 1 gigawatt of actual capacity, a milestone only a handful of cloud operators have ever reached.

The trouble is what all of this costs. CoreWeave is borrowing heavily to buy graphics processing units, lease data centers, and secure power, and the bills are climbing faster than sales.

Its first-quarter net loss more than doubled to $740 million, from $315 million a year earlier, and it widened from a $452 million loss in the prior quarter. Net interest expense alone more than doubled year over year, to $536 million, as the debt load grew.

The spending, meanwhile, is only accelerating. Management expects capital expenditures of $31 billion to $35 billion this year, against that same roughly $12.5 billion in revenue. The demand is not in doubt. The economics are.

The Meta problem and the price The Meta news sharpens the risk considerably. CoreWeave holds a roughly $21 billion agreement with Meta that runs through 2032, so one of its largest customers is reportedly building the very capability CoreWeave sells.

To be fair, that agreement still binds Meta as a paying customer for now, which limits the near-term damage. CoreWeave's customer base is broadening, too, with recent deals signed alongside AI labs such as Anthropic and Cohere.

But those customers share a trait -- they are deep-pocketed enough to build their own capacity over time, exactly as Meta is now doing. When one of your biggest buyers decides it can do the job itself, the long-term pricing power of the whole industry arguably starts to look shakier.

Then there's the valuation. CoreWeave isn't profitable, so there's no price-to-earnings ratio to lean on. Measured against sales, its roughly $42 billion market capitalization works out to about 3.3 times this year's expected revenue.

That might look reasonable for a fast-growing software company. But CoreWeave isn't software. It's a capital-intensive, heavily indebted infrastructure business with no profits in sight and a customer list that now includes its newest rival.

So is the sell-off an opportunity or a warning? To me, it's a warning. CoreWeave is executing an ambitious plan in a booming market, and its top-line growth is hard to fault. But the road to durable profits runs through tens of billions in spending, a mountain of debt, and pricing power that its own customers are working to erode. That is more uncertainty than I want to underwrite. I'd stay on the sidelines and look for AI exposure where the path to profitability is clearer.

One of Wall Street’s most dependable income stocks has quietly become a market outperformer trading close to a record high.

Its dividend yield is roughly twice that of the broader market, while its payout has increased every year for more than six decades.

The company is Coca-Cola NYSE:KO. Investors have embraced its defensive demand, pricing power and dependable cash returns during an uncertain economic period.

Yet after the shares closed at $82.45 on Wednesday, only 3.8% below their July 7 record, even bullish analysts are divided over how much upside remains.

A 64-year payout streak is only part of the storyCoca-Cola raised its quarterly dividend by about 4% in February, from 51 cents to 53 cents per share.

That marked its 64th consecutive annual increase and lifted the annualised payout to $2.12. At Wednesday’s close, the shares yielded about 2.6%.

The attraction extends beyond income. First-quarter net revenue increased 12% to $12.5 billion, organic revenue advanced 10% and global unit-case volume rose 3%.

Those figures suggest the dividend is being supported by continuing business growth rather than borrowing or financial engineering.

Coca-Cola also enjoys structural advantages few consumer companies can match.

Its brands have global recognition, management can adjust prices and package sizes across markets, and independent bottlers handle much of the capital-intensive production and distribution.

That asset-light structure helps explain why investors have favoured the company during economic uncertainty.

Consumers may postpone expensive purchases, but relatively inexpensive drinks remain accessible, giving Coca-Cola a defensive quality that many cyclical businesses lack.

Citigroup analyst Filippo Falorni delivered the most aggressive recent call on July 14, raising his Coca-Cola price target to $97 from $91 while retaining a Buy rating.

The target implies that Citi believes resilient earnings and brand momentum can justify a further valuation premium.

JPMorgan analyst Andrea Faria Teixeira is also positive, but more measured. She raised her target to $90 from $85 on July 10 and maintained an Overweight rating.

Bank of America analyst Peter Galbo has maintained a Buy rating and a $95 target.

The bank sees the FIFA World Cup as a useful near-term catalyst because the tournament creates repeated beverage-consumption occasions across homes, bars and restaurants, while giving Coca-Cola an unusually broad global marketing platform.

The tournament may support volumes and brand visibility, but it is temporary.

The longer-term case still depends on Coca-Cola protecting demand as consumers become more selective and input costs remain unpredictable.

Coca-Cola now trades at nearly 26 times trailing earnings, a demanding multiple for a mature consumer-staples company.

Its Wednesday's close was also only a few dollars below the record $85.68 reached earlier this month.

Bernstein SocGen provides the clearest cautious counterpoint.

The firm cut its target to $83 from $84 and kept a Market Perform rating, citing an uneven consumer environment, affordability spending, Mexican tax pressures and the possibility that elevated aluminium costs could weigh on bottlers in 2027 and 2028.

The broader analyst picture reinforces that tension.

Twenty-five analysts tracked by Stock Analysis carry an average target of $86.85, implying only about 5% upside, despite an overall Buy consensus.

Coca-Cola reports second-quarter results on July 28. Investors will watch organic sales, volumes, North American demand, commodity costs and World Cup-related commentary.

An Amazon fulfillment center Bloomberg/Getty Images Amazon is testing software to decide where warehouse workers should go. Some managers keep ignoring it.

Internal planning documents show the tech giant intends to expand these labor-management systems across dozens of its North American fulfillment centers and sort centers, where they could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

However, some warehouse managers have been overriding the software recommendations, asking engineers to disable automated features, and finding other ways around the systems, according to internal Slack conversations and the documents from earlier this year.

The pushback has been enough for Amazon to conclude that software recommendations alone aren't enough to get the new technology working as designed.

"Providing managers with optimized recommendations is necessary but insufficient," Amazon said in one of the documents. "Without system-enforced guardrails, manual overrides and habits erode even the best science."

The conflict highlights a broader challenge in automating warehouse management: software can make decisions, but people still have to follow the guidance. The documents and internal communications reviewed by Business Insider suggest getting managers to trust the software, and ultimately defer to its decisions, is proving more difficult than Amazon expected.

Competing philosophiesAmazon uses a growing mix of machine learning, computer vision, and other AI tools that increasingly guide staffing decisions traditionally made by managers.

Initially, those systems functioned as advisory tools. A program called DOPLERS calculates staffing plans, Full Facility Load Balancing recommends labor moves, and Right Link Station automatically tracks and captures check-in data for support staff.

But the internal documents reviewed by Business Insider show Amazon came to see manager discretion as an obstacle.

"Algorithm accuracy cannot be meaningfully measured without enforcement," one of the documents stated.

The documents reveal two competing philosophies of warehouse management. Some managers believe warehouses are still too dynamic for algorithms to understand every situation. Amazon, however, saw that too much human judgment prevented those algorithms from working as intended.

As a result, Amazon's strategy evolved to broader tracking of overrides and stricter enforcement planned over time.

"Hard enforcement is the end goal for 2026," one planning document stated.

"Iterate on the logic"

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy  Bloomberg/Getty Images In an email ahead of publication, an Amazon spokesperson called this story's premise "wrong," saying the company is only piloting the technology at a small number of US facilities to help managers adjust staffing as package volumes change.

Managers still make staffing decisions, the spokesperson added, while the software system provides "better information" and is being refined based on testing and employee feedback before any broader rollout.

"As with all new systems, we continuously iterate on the logic — it takes time, testing, and iteration to get there — which is why it's inappropriate to draw broad conclusions during initial testing phases," the spokesperson said. "We always want to learn what's working for our employees, and what isn't, so we can make adjustments to get things right. That's what pilots are all about."

The spokesperson said the quotes and sentiments cited in the story came from an "early-stage planning document" that captured anecdotal observations during a pilot and "don't reflect how the system operates today." The issues were "not a widespread or ongoing concern," the spokesperson said, adding that the tools are intended to help managers make more consistent staffing decisions, not replace their judgment.

An Amazon spokesperson previously told Business Insider that broader expansion plans remain subject to change and that projected savings estimates are hypothetical because the systems are still being tested.

"Please turn if off"Still, the documents and internal communications reviewed by Business Insider suggest a deeper disagreement over who should make staffing decisions inside Amazon's warehouses.

Some managers often wanted to keep more workers assigned to their areas to maintain productivity or because they believed operations required more staffing than the software recommended, according to Slack messages from inside Amazon that were obtained by Business Insider.

Several managers overstaffed warehouse support roles and "hid hours through manual time edits," as some sites found "loopholes," Amazon said in the official internal documents.

The Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider that managers make staffing decisions based on what the company has learned about shopping patterns over the years, but "there will always be variations."

Internal Amazon Slack conversations from earlier this year show some managers at the company repeatedly asking to disable some of the automated staffing controls, or give warehouse leaders authority to do it themselves.

"Please turn it off now and I will explain," one warehouse manager wrote shortly after Amazon's enforcement effort launched at an early test site.

Minutes later, an Amazon product manager replied, "We will disable enforcement for now."

Some managers argued the software often lacked the context they had on the warehouse floor, noting that the system overreacted to a brief slowdown in package volume, recommending staffing cuts that didn't reflect real-time conditions.

Other managers complained the system pulled workers away from urgent areas, prevented them from reassigning idle employees, or left workers temporarily locked out of new assignments while different systems synchronized.

One manager said automated staffing changes caused packages to repeatedly circulate through the warehouse instead of being processed the first time, prompting a request to "disable the system until it gets fixed."

Another manager questioned whether the software could account for differences between workers. "Does it understand 6 foot three Henry that weighs 250 pounds is way better at chasing than 67-year old Henrietta that weighs under 100 pounds and doesn't reach 5 foot?" this person wrote in Amazon's internal Slack.

The Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider that the Slack channel included a "small handful of managers" and the comments "don't reflect the current state of the technology, since they're from a channel that was intended to provide constructive feedback on this initial pilot."

Amazon wants to double downThe conflict reveals something larger than a disagreement over warehouse software.

Historically, supervisors balanced labor using experience and local knowledge. Amazon wants software to make more of these decisions.

The official internal documents show Amazon interpreted manager workarounds less as evidence that automation had limits than as proof that recommendations alone wouldn't change behavior.

Internal Amazon roadmaps call for progressively tighter controls, including limits on how far managers can deviate from the algorithm. Amazon's own "Success Metrics" for 2026 mention a "reduction in manual staffing interventions by managers."

"Enforcement is our highest-leverage mechanism and we're doubling down," Amazon stated in one of the documents.

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Eugene is Business Insider’s Chief Tech Correspondent, where he leads coverage of Amazon. His reporting spans the company’s retail operations, AWS, Alexa, and its secretive internal work culture.Previously, he worked at CNBC, Fortune Magazine Korea, and Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun. He holds degrees from NYU and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.In 2022, Eugene broke a story uncovering Amazon’s practice of deceptively enrolling customers in Prime and deliberately making cancellation difficult. A year later, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company, citing his reporting. That case culminated in a record $2.5 billion settlement in 2025.His reporting has earned multiple honors, including the SF Press Club’s Bay Area Journalism Award and SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award.Eugene lives in the Bay Area. Contact him via email at [email protected], or Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 650-942-3061. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. ExpertiseAmazon, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, e-commerce, and cloud computing.Popular ArticlesAmazon:Internal Amazon emails give an exclusive look at how CEO Andy Jassy has started to run the company, with obsessive attention to the retail business and what some employees feel is micromanagingAndy Jassy will be the next CEO of Amazon. Insiders dish on what it's like to work for Jeff Bezos' successor, who built AWS into a $40 billion business.Internal documents show Amazon has for years knowingly tricked people into signing up for Prime subscriptions. 'We have been deliberately confusing,' former employee says.Inside Amazon's flailing brick-and-mortar ambitions: missed projections, pressure to cut costs, and a war with Whole FoodsInside Amazon's complex employee-review system, where workers feel left in the dark and managers expect to give 5% of reports bad reviewsAfter 28 years, 'Day 2' finally arrives at AmazonAWS, Alexa, healthcare:Inside Amazon's struggle to break into the lucrative market for SaaS business applications, including an internal pitch to buy $38 billion HubSpotInside Amazon's struggle to crack Nvidia's AI-chip dominanceAmazon's AI data center dream runs into the reality of 'zombie' facilities, higher costs, and labor shortagesAmazon is gutting its voice assistant, Alexa. Employees describe a division in crisis and huge losses on 'a wasted opportunity.'Amazon is working on a new 'Remarkable Alexa,' but internal politics and technical issues plague the projectAmazon projected huge losses from its healthcare business in 2024, but strong sales growth, internal document reveals

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News Summary:

NVIDIA to partner with Noetra Corp. to build the NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory with 13,750 Vera CPUs and 27,500 Rubin GPUs to deliver 140 megawatts of data center capacity based on the NVIDIA DSX platform.The initiative, supported by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), will provide the computing foundation for Japan’s FRONTia Project to strengthen the country’s ecosystem across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and more.AI factory to create open multimodal foundation models to develop AI agents, digital twins, robotics and physical AI applications. TOKYO, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NVIDIA today announced it is working with Noetra Corp. to launch an NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory with 13,750 NVIDIA Vera CPUs and 27,500 NVIDIA Rubin GPUs for national physical AI. Supported by Japan’s AI and industry leaders, the initiative marks the world’s first national AI infrastructure for physical AI, strengthening the country’s AI ecosystem across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, telecommunications and more.

The new AI factory, established by Noetra, will be architected with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 racks using the NVIDIA DSX™ platform, connected and scaled with NVIDIA Spectrum-X™ Ethernet networking. It will enable the development of open multimodal foundation models that power AI agents, digital twins, robotics and other physical AI applications.

The NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory will provide the computing foundation for Japan’s FRONTia Project, which refers to the project titled, “Development of Multimodal Foundation Models with a View to AI Robotics and Physical AI,” launched by METI. The project brings together the country’s manufacturing expertise, real-world industrial data and global technology leaders to develop highly reliable multimodal foundation models for physical AI.

The pretrained weights of Noetra’s multimodal foundation models will be made broadly available to domestic model developers and enterprises alongside software such as NVIDIA Nemotron™, NVIDIA Cosmos™, NVIDIA Isaac™ GR00T open models, NVIDIA NeMo™ libraries and more. This will accelerate the development of agentic AI and physical AI applications.

“Japan invented modern manufacturing. Now, it is building the AI factories that will power the next industrial revolution,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “NVIDIA is honored to partner with Japan and its industrial leaders to build the AI infrastructure that will power the country’s industries, its economy and a new generation of innovation.”

“Japan has launched the FRONTia Project, which will serve as the core of the country’s physical AI ecosystem,” said Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. “By fostering collaboration between Japan and leading global innovators — including NVIDIA — and leveraging Japan’s strengths, such as its onsite expertise and manufacturing technology infrastructure, we will build highly reliable multimodal foundation models and contribute to solving global social challenges.”

“Bringing physical AI into the real world requires enormous computing, data and foundational technologies — challenges no single company can solve alone,” said Hironobu Tamba, CEO of Noetra. “Together with partners across Japan and around the world, Noetra will advance Japan-developed multimodal foundation models and accelerate the deployment of physical AI across Japanese industries by broadly sharing the results of our research.”

Built on the NVIDIA Vera Rubin DSX AI factory architecture, the AI factory will deliver 140 megawatts of data center capacity combined with the NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet networking platform, NVIDIA BlueField® DPUs, and tightly codesigned silicon, systems and software to provide breakthrough AI performance, lower token costs and massive scale for frontier AI training.

NVIDIA DSX provides a reference design and platform for AI factories, helping infrastructure builders accelerate time to production, increase token throughput per megawatt and operate with greater reliability and efficiency.

Advancing Japan’s Physical AI Ambitions
Japan’s AI Robotics Strategy, released in March, sets a goal for the country to capture more than 30% of the global AI robotics market by 2040, representing an estimated $133 billion opportunity. To help achieve the goal, METI is advancing a multimodal foundation model program for robotics and physical AI as part of Japan’s broader industrial AI policy.

As the AI factory expands, it will support training trillion-parameter-scale AI models, giving organizations across Japan access to one of the world’s most advanced AI environments and laying the foundation for the next era of intelligent manufacturing and robotics.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in AI and accelerated computing.

For further information, contact:
Kristin Uchiyama
Corporate Communications
NVIDIA Corporation
[email protected]

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: Japan building the AI factories that will power the next industrial revolution; NVIDIA to partner with Japan and its industrial leaders to build the AI infrastructure that will power the country’s industries, its economy and a new generation of innovation; expectations with respect to growth, performance, availability, and benefits of NVIDIA’s products, services and technologies, and related trends and drivers; expectations with respect to NVIDIA’s third party arrangements, including with its collaborators and partners; expectations with respect to technology developments, and related trends and drivers; projected market growth and trends; expectations with respect to AI and related industries; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing products and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; NVIDIA’s ability to realize the potential benefits of business investments or acquisitions; and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2026 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, BlueField, DSX, Nemotron, NVIDIA Cosmos, NVIDIA Isaac, NVIDIA NeMo and NVIDIA Spectrum-X are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/322eb6fb-fe24-4ea5-a123-2c076a6fa629

NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI Factory for Japan Physical AI NVIDIA today announced it is working with Noetra Corp. to launch an NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory wit...

Oracle (ORCL +3.56%) stock has trended downward since the tech giant struck a deal with OpenAI last September. The $300 billion size of the deal led to a 36% one-day gain in the stock price immediately following the deal's announcement and stoked investor optimism. Still, investors began to doubt whether OpenAI could fulfill its part of the deal.

Moreover, Oracle has borrowed nearly $130 billion as of the end of fiscal 2026 (ended May 31) to build the necessary infrastructure, a considerable burden for a company with a $43 billion book value. Consequently, the stock price has fallem 60% from that high.

Given these price swings, it is increasingly likely that the market is underestimating the massive growth potential of Oracle. These two reasons explain why investors should look at Oracle as a possible buying opportunity.

Oracle Chairman and CTO Larry Ellison. Image source: Oracle.

1. Oracle's valuation is more reasonable now The aforementioned pullback in the stock may have changed Oracle's investment thesis, particularly regarding its valuation. Last September's stock surge lifted Oracle's P/E ratio to 76. At the time, investors seemed willing to pay this premium amid the OpenAI deal.

However, a combination of the falling stock price and a 37% increase in net income during fiscal 2026 reduced its earnings multiple to 22, well below the 32 average P/E ratio for the S&P 500.

Additionally, analysts forecast a continued increase in profits, taking its forward P/E ratio to 16. Hence, despite its considerable debt, that low valuation has made Oracle stock increasingly attractive.

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2. RPO growth is not all tied to OpenAI deal Those rising profits are also a result of the growth in its remaining performance obligations (RPO), or backlog. At the time of the OpenAI announcement, it accounted for about two-thirds of Oracle's $455 billion RPO.

Admittedly, losing all or part of the OpenAI deal would be a huge setback for Oracle. Nonetheless, in the nine months since the announcement, its backlog has risen to $638 billion.

In other words, Oracle has booked the equivalent of 60% of an OpenAI deal, helping to justify its borrowing and the $56 billion it spent on capital expenditures (capex) in fiscal 2026. That success in attracting additional business implies that Oracle could survive losing the OpenAI deal.

A potential double for Oracle The above factors set Oracle stock up to double in value by 2028, if not before.

Thanks to a lower stock price and higher profits, its P/E ratio has fallen well below S&P averages, and its forward P/E ratio will take that multiple into the teens if the stock does not rebound soon.

Moreover, the stock sell-off implied the OpenAI deal was an end-all, be-all for Oracle's AI infrastructure business. However, the fact that it signed almost $200 billion in additional deals in nine months indicates that this business could still thrive if the OpenAI deal does not fully materialize.

Thus, investors who can handle Oracle's debt risk should consider this AI stock.

Broadcom (AVGO +1.28%) has performed well over the past 12 months. The company's strong position in the market for custom artificial intelligence (AI) chips is proving to be a massive growth driver. What's more, Broadcom recently announced a deal with Apple (AAPL +4.01%) that arguably strengthens the bull thesis for the stock. Here's what investors need to know.

A long-term deal removes major uncertainty Broadcom has designed and produced chips for Apple's devices for years. But recently, the two companies announced an expanded partnership. Apple committed over $30 billion to Broadcom through 2031, which is expected to lead to the production of 15 billion chips. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, praised Broadcom's chips, calling them "essential to delivering the incredible performance and connectivity our customers expect."

Image source: The Motley Fool.

This is great news for Broadcom, and not necessarily because of the dollar amount. After all, extended over five years, the $30 billion deal comes out to an average of $6 billion annually. Meanwhile, in the second quarter of its fiscal year 2026, ending on May 3, Broadcom's revenue was $22.2 billion. So, the money Broadcom will get from this deal, while not insignificant, isn't exactly a game changer.

However, there are other dynamics at play that investors should pay attention to. For instance, one of the strongest arguments against Broadcom's bull thesis is customer concentration. According to some estimates, Apple alone accounts for roughly 20% of the company's revenue. What would happen if Apple suddenly stopped buying chips from Broadcom? The company's shares would almost certainly fall off a cliff. But investors no longer have to worry about that, at least for the foreseeable future.

The expanded partnership provides a degree of security that Broadcom lacked before, by reducing the risk of sudden revenue loss from one of the company's biggest customers. And that's great news for the company and its shareholders.

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Why Broadcom stock is a buy Broadcom has signed other deals that provide it with significant revenue visibility over the next few years, including with Meta Platforms (META +3.06%). The chipmaker's revenue and earnings are also growing at a good clip, primarily thanks to its work in custom AI chips. Broadcom's second-quarter revenue of $22.2 billion jumped by 48% year over year, with revenue from its AI semiconductor segment soaring 143%.

The company expects sales growth to accelerate within this unit. Broadcom projected that its AI chip revenue would soar by over 200% year over year during its upcoming quarter. It could be just the beginning. As companies increasingly seek cost-effective alternatives to GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), demand for Broadcom's products should remain strong in the medium term. Broadcom's shares jumped after it announced its expanded deal with Apple, and the stock is up 40% over the past 12 months. But it isn't too late to invest.

Ramsdens Holdings PLC (AIM:RFX) shares jumped 13.6% to 670p after an improved takeover offer was secured after shareholder feedback prompted US pawnbroking group FirstCash to raise its recommended bid.

FirstCash increased the cash consideration to 675p a share from 600p. Including dividends of up to 9p a share that shareholders will receive or be compensated for, the total value of the offer rises to as much as 684p a share.

The revised proposal values the pawnbroker, jewellery retailer and foreign exchange business at up to £232 million on a fully diluted basis.

The new cash offer represents a 49% premium to Ramsdens' closing share price on 22 June, before the original bid was announced, and a 37% premium to the company's record closing price before the start of the offer period.

The companies said they had engaged with Ramsdens shareholders following the original recommended offer announced last month and had agreed the higher price in response.

FirstCash also declared the revised proposal to be its final offer under Takeover Panel rules, meaning it cannot increase the bid unless a competing bidder emerges or the Panel grants permission in exceptional circumstances.

The takeover remains structured as a scheme of arrangement and continues to have the unanimous backing of the Ramsdens board.

Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) will release its second quarter earnings report after the closing bell on Monday, July 20.

Analysts expect the San Jose, California-based company to report quarterly earnings of 41 cents per share, up from 33 cents per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Calix’s quarterly revenue is $289.95 million. It reported $241.88 million last year, according to Benzinga Pro.

On April 21, Calix posted upbeat first-quarter earnings and announced an additional $100 million buyback plan.

Calix shares rose 1.1% to close at $39.47 on Wednesday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the recent period.

Considering buying CALX stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nebius (Nasdaq: NBIS), the AI cloud company, today announced a new business model that lets infrastructure partners deploy Nebius’s full-stack AI cloud platform in their own AI data centers. The model brings additional capacity to Nebius customers, and expands the availability of value-added AI compute globally at a time when demand continues to outstrip supply.

Under the model, partners finance and own the infrastructure and hardware, and operate the data centers. Nebius supplies its systems architecture and supply-chain access; deploys and maintains its hardware design and software and services stack on the partner infrastructure; and takes the resulting capacity to market through its global sales organization.

Partners get fully-owned AI infrastructure assets, designed to Nebius standards, and a fast route to serve the AI cloud market. Nebius’s architecture and platform transform a partner’s raw capacity into a production-ready AI cloud, which Nebius then connects to customers. Because Nebius brings the demand, partners can begin generating a return as soon as the capacity goes live.

For Nebius, this asset-light approach expands the capacity it can offer its customers, such as AI natives and enterprises, with minimal incremental capital requirements. Partners’ data centers will join the Nebius capacity pool, adding incremental capacity to that coming online from Nebius’s owned data centers and colocations.

Arkady Volozh, founder and CEO of Nebius, said:

“Our new asset-light model gives infrastructure partners a flexible way to benefit from the explosive growth of AI. Our software allows partners to reach a much wider customer base with much better margins than conventional wholesale bare-metal contracts. We're inviting data center investors, regional partners and others with capacity or capital to contribute to join us in serving this demand – combining their assets and local strengths with Nebius's technology, platform, operational expertise and customer demand.”

Nebius anticipates pursuing a variety of economic arrangements under this partnership model, including revenue-sharing agreements, licensing fees and commissions, as well as committed capacity arrangements that would provide Nebius with access to additional compute to be sold to customers. The company has already entered into initial arrangements under this asset-light model.

As part of the partnership agreements, Nebius will equip partner teams to run the site and will remain responsible for the cloud software and service levels, while the partner manages the facility and hardware. Customers receive the same standard of service whether they run on Nebius’s own infrastructure or a partner’s.

Prospective partners can learn more at nebius.com/infrastructure-partners or contact [email protected].

About Nebius

Nebius, the AI cloud company, is building the full-stack platform for developers and companies to take charge of their AI future — from data and model training to production deployment. Founded on deep in-house technological expertise and operating at scale with a rapidly expanding global footprint, Nebius serves startups and enterprises building AI products, agents and services worldwide.

Nebius is listed on Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NBIS) and headquartered in Amsterdam.

For more information please visit www.nebius.com.

Media kit nebius.com/media-kit.

Disclaimer

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding our ability to enter into acceptable arrangements with partners, our ability to ensure the same standards of service across both partner and Nebius-owned facilities, our ability to sell this capacity through our global go-to-market organization, our forecast revenue from this service in 2026, our future financial and business performance, strategy, expected growth, planned investments and capital expenditures, capacity expansion plans, anticipated future financing transactions and expected financial results, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “guide,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “will” and similar expressions and their negatives are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted or implied by such statements, and our reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted or implied by such statements include, among others, our ability to successfully identify appropriate partners; the ability of our identified partners to fully finance their infrastructure and to operate data centers that meet our requirements; market, macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions; competitive pressures; technological developments; our ability to secure and retain customers; our ability to secure additional capital to enable the growth of the business; unpredictable sales cycles; and potential pricing pressures; as well as those risks and uncertainties related to our continuing businesses included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2026, which is available on our investor relations website at https://nebius.com/investor-hub and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

All information in this press release is as of the date hereof (unless stated otherwise). Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof and, while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

In August 2024, Gabriel Holding A/S announced that, as a result of an adjusted growth strategy with an increased focus on the development of the Group’s global textile business, it would initiate a full or partial divestment of the Group’s furniture manufacturing operations, the “FurnMaster business”.

FurnMaster has a leading position in the market and in Europe consists of two companies located in Poland and Lithuania respectively as well as a dedicated department in Gabriel A/S in Aalborg, Denmark.

The transaction agreement entails that a wholly owned subsidiary of Leggett & Platt, Incorporated acquires the shares in the two subsidiaries, UAB FurnMaster (Lithuania) and FurnMaster Sp. z o.o. (Poland), and will assume responsibility for the employees, assets and liabilities of the dedicated FurnMaster division within Gabriel A/S.

The Group’s Mexican FurnMaster business is not included in the transaction and will continue to be offered for sale.

The initial purchase price (Enterprise Value) has been agreed at DKK 67.3 million (approximately EUR 9 million). In addition, there is the possibility of a conditional deferred cash payment of up to DKK 7.5 million (approximately EUR 1 million).

The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.

Management has prioritised finding a qualified buyer who recognises FurnMaster’s strong market position and possesses the necessary capabilities and platform to further develop the business, while at the same time achieving a transaction value that positively impacts the Group’s financial position.

Management believes that the agreement fully satisfies these objectives, as the transaction both enables the continuing business to maintain its desired strategic focus on the development of the Group’s global textile operations and significantly strengthens the Group’s balance sheet through the cash proceeds from the sale.

With locations in North America, Europe and Asia, Legett and Platt’s Work Furniture business is a leading supplier of components and finished furniture to leading furniture brands. Through its strong global platform, including ownership of Trio Line in Poland, which it has successfully operated for a number of years, Leggett & Platt possesses the organisational structure and competencies required to support FurnMaster’s continued development. Consequently, management is highly satisfied that Leggett & Platt has become the new owner of the business.

For further information regarding the transaction, please contact CEO Anders Hedegaard Petersen, [email protected]
or telephone: +45 96 30 31 17.

Further Information:

Gabriel Holding A/S has been advised throughout the transaction by Deloitte Corporate Finance and DLA Piper.

About Leggett & Platt:

Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) is a diversified manufacturer that designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in many homes and automobiles. The 143-year-old company is a leading supplier of bedding components and solutions; automotive seat comfort and convenience systems; home and work furniture components; geo components; flooring underlayment; and hydraulic cylinders for material handling and heavy construction applications.

For further information, please visit www.legget.com

This is a translation of the original Danish text. In the event of discrepancies between the Danish and English texts, the Danish version shall prevail.

Gabriel Holding AS - Announcement no 18_Gabriel agrees to sell its European FurnMaster business to Leggett & Platt

, /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is expanding the reach of its venture capital fund to support development of promising defense technologies in British and European markets. Lockheed Martin Ventures, the company's $1 billion startup investment arm, is opening a London office with the goal of investing at least $100 million of its funding in the United Kingdom and Europe.

"We are reaching even deeper into the investing ecosystem, meeting our potential partners where they are," said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Ventures. "Our presence will help us seize opportunities for investing earlier in the startup lifecycle, ensure technical interoperability with existing platforms, and better support our allied customers."

The decision follows the largest boost in available capital in the fund's history, when the company announced in April that it would boost investment capacity from $400 million to $1 billion. Using a portion of that enhanced funding capacity, Lockheed Martin Ventures Europe will accelerate the insertion of new technologies into defense technology — part of the company's commitment to strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base.

"We are looking to invest in technologies that complement the company's national security capabilities and help advance solutions to meet current and future customer mission needs, while further strengthening the transatlantic defense industrial base," said Dan Tenney, senior vice president of Global Business Development and Strategy. "We expect our investment strategy to evolve as technologies emerge and the startup environment matures in markets where we do business around the world."

Why it Matters

The decision by Lockheed Martin Ventures leverages rapid increases in venture capital investment, particularly in the United Kingdom and Europe. European customers increasingly seek sovereign capabilities, and as the world's largest aerospace and defense company, Lockheed Martin is uniquely positioned to accelerate their development. The investments will help strengthen the defense industrial base and increase the resilience of our supply chain, generating economic benefits for the United States and our allies. Lockheed Martin Ventures has already invested in a number of promising companies in Europe, with more deals expected to close soon. Facts and Figures

Lockheed Martin Ventures is one of the most active and longest continuously operated Aerospace and Defense corporate venture capital firms in the United States. Since its founding it has matured 60 companies to become suppliers. Lockheed Martin Ventures was founded in 2007 with initial funding of $100 million. To date, it has invested more than $500 million in more than 120 companies, including several in European markets. Over the past two years alone, 25 companies have been added to the portfolio. Companies seeking more information about Lockheed Martin Ventures opportunities can contact the team here. 

About Lockheed Martin Ventures
Lockheed Martin Ventures makes strategic investments in companies that are developing cutting edge technologies in core businesses and new segments of the national security market important to Lockheed Martin.

More than a source of capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures provides portfolio companies with access resources such as our world-class engineering talent, state-of-the-art technologies and research, and the full suite of Lockheed Martin's business and technical expertise

For additional information about Lockheed Martin Ventures, visit 
www.lockheedmartinventures.com.

About Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at www.lockheedmartin.com.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin

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HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aramco awarded Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) a multi-year contract to deliver integrated stimulation and completion services for unconventional gas development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This award is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas development programs globally.

This award builds on Halliburton’s established portfolio supporting Aramco’s unconventional program. Across many of the Kingdom’s unconventional plays, Halliburton delivers a comprehensive suite of drilling and completion solutions. Its integrated service model is designed to support high-intensity development programs and improve operational efficiency, workflow predictability, and execution reliability. This collaboration supports broader regional efforts toward integrated unconventional development programs.

“This award highlights our long-standing collaboration with Aramco and builds on more than 80 years in the Kingdom, while advancing unconventional gas development in the Kingdom,” said Rami Yassine, president, Eastern Hemisphere, Halliburton. “Beginning in the third quarter of 2026, Halliburton will deploy the Kingdom’s first fully integrated intelligent fracturing platform through OCTIV® Auto Frac and Sensori™ fracturing monitoring services to contribute to asset value for one of the world’s largest unconventional fields."

Under the program, Halliburton will deploy intelligent automation solutions for fracturing to optimize performance in real time and support disciplined implementation across multi-well campaigns. These technologies support digital integration across operations while advancing efficiency and operational reliability.

Development activities in the Jafurah Basin are underway. To support this effort, Halliburton plans to increase its investment in local manufacturing, improve its supply chain, and expand workforce development programs within the Kingdom, aiming to scale operations and sustain high performance as unconventional activity accelerates.

ABOUT HALLIBURTON

Halliburton is one of the world’s leading providers of products and services to the energy industry. Founded in 1919, we create innovative technologies, products, and services that help our customers maximize their value throughout the life cycle of an asset and advance a sustainable energy future. Visit us at www.halliburton.com; connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

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New F5 Insight workflows help enterprises update BIG-IP fleets faster, more safely, and with greater accountability as AI accelerates vulnerability response timelines

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in delivering and securing every app and API, today announced new fleet management capabilities for F5 Insight for ADSP that help enterprises reduce risk exposure across F5 BIG-IP environments as frontier AI compresses vulnerability response timelines. The new F5 Insight workflows give security and operations teams fleet-wide visibility, guided update management, enterprise authentication, role-based access controls, and a tamper-evident AI audit trail. This enables customers to move from identifying risk to taking accountable action across large, distributed application delivery and security fleets.

The new capabilities build on F5’s move to monthly hardened software releases and reflect a broader shift in how F5 helps customers respond to AI-accelerated threats. As vulnerability response timelines shrink, enterprises need more than faster fixes. They need the operational control to understand what is exposed, prioritize updates, execute changes safely, and maintain a clear record of action across complex environments.

“Frontier AI has fundamentally altered both sides of cybersecurity,” said Kunal Anand, Chief Product Officer at F5. “It gives defenders powerful new ways to harden software, and it gives attackers faster ways to find and exploit vulnerabilities. F5 is meeting that shift end-to-end. We are changing how we build, harden, and deliver software, and we are giving customers the operational control to move at the same speed. F5 Insight helps teams see what needs attention, update critical infrastructure safely at scale, and prove what changed, when, and by whom. That is what resilience looks like in the frontier AI era.”

Fleet management: From shipped fix to reduced risk

F5 Insight for ADSP v1.2 introduces fleet management workflows for BIG-IP devices, streamlining and simplifying the software update and patching process. Operations teams can see the software version, update readiness, and security posture of every device in their estate, then stage and execute updates across standalone deployments, HA pairs, and fleet segments with guided workflows designed to minimize downtime risk. Key capabilities include:

Fleet-wide software lifecycle visibility: A single view of which devices are current, which are exposed, and which require action across the entire estate.Guided update workflows: Standardized processes to stage, validate, and execute TMOS updates.Pre-execution readiness checks: Validation aligned to fleet and HA architectures so teams can move fast without destabilizing production.Update status tracking: Fleet-wide visibility into update progress during maintenance windows, keeping teams and leadership aligned.With this solution, patching is no longer a scheduled maintenance activity. It is a security capability. F5 enables organizations to move from “fix available” to “risk reduced in production” faster, delivering a meaningful defensive advantage.

Governance controls for AI-assisted operations

As AI becomes part of day-to-day operations, organizations need to document what happens: what the AI accessed, what it recommended, who approved the action, and what the outcome was. F5 Insight now offers governance-grade controls for AI-assisted operations designed to support auditability and defensibility, including:

Enterprise authentication: Integration with existing identity providers through LDAP and SAML SSO eliminates separate credential stores and simplifies adoption across teams.Role-based access controls: Least-privilege access ensures the right people see the right data and can take the right actions without over-provisioning visibility or operational authority.Tamper-evident AI audit trail: Every interaction with the AI assistant is captured in a tamper-evident record with controlled access and 30-day retention.These controls are essential for organizations in regulated industries or under compliance mandates where accountability for every operational action, whether taken by a person or an AI, must be documented.

Operational intelligence that connects visibility to action

F5 Insight continues to deliver unified observability and AI-driven intelligence, now strengthened by fleet management context. Through MCP integration and support for popular large language models, operations teams can query their fleet data in natural language, surface which applications and policies are exposed by a given vulnerability, and receive prioritized action plans built from F5 domain expertise. Pre-configured queries from F5 experts are available alongside the ability to ask custom questions, giving teams operational guidance tailored to their environment.

F5 Insight for ADSP is available as self-managed software, with a SaaS model forthcoming. Fleet management capabilities are available now for BIG-IP environments.

Supporting resources

Blog: Announcing new fleet management capabilities within F5 Insight for ADSPBlog: A faster release cadence: What’s changing at F5, and what you need to doBlog: The operational reality of AI-era security and how we’re helping you meet itWebinar: How F5 Insight for ADSP updates transform BIG-IP operationsProduct trial: F5 Insight for ADSPAbout F5

F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) is the global leader that delivers and secures every app. Backed by three decades of expertise, F5 has built the industry’s premier platform—F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP)—to deliver and secure every app, every API, anywhere: on-premises, in the cloud, at the edge, and across hybrid, multicloud environments. F5 is committed to innovating and partnering with the world’s largest and most advanced organizations to deliver fast, available, and secure digital experiences. Together, we help each other thrive and bring a better digital world to life.

For more information visit f5.com
Explore F5 Labs threat research at f5.com/labs
Follow to learn more about F5, our partners, and technologies: Blog | LinkedIn | X | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

F5 and BIG-IP are trademarks, service marks, or tradenames of F5, Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: F5, Inc.

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Shares of Apple (AAPL +3.95%) jumped to a record high on Wednesday, following some positive developments for the tech titan.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

More AI models could be coming to the iPhone On Tuesday, CNBC reported that Apple was evaluating innovative technology that could shrink large artificial intelligence (AI) models to run directly on an iPhone.

PrismML, a tiny Silicon Valley start-up, licenses the technology from the California Institute of Technology. PrismML CEO Babak Hassibi said Apple is testing the tech's performance on its devices.

If those tests prove successful, Apple could bring the power of advanced AI models to iPhone users. It could also help Apple reduce its cloud computing costs if AI applications can run directly on its devices.

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And on Wednesday, news broke that the Cyberspace Administration of China would allow Apple to provide AI services in the populous country.

Chinese e-commerce and cloud giant Alibaba will integrate its Qwen AI model into Apple Intelligence. Baidu, China's internet search leader, will also work with Apple to develop AI features for its devices.

Apple's AI strategy is emerging Apple has largely stayed out of the AI model race, much to the benefit of its shareholders.

Rather than spending tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars to compete with model makers like OpenAI and Anthropic or hyperscalers like Google and Meta Platforms, Apple has sought to partner with AI leaders to bring their innovations to its users.

It's a smart, cost-effective strategy. And these recent developments are beginning to show that Apple can still benefit from AI without incurring massive costs.

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Apple, Baidu, and Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Shares of Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu rose Thursday on their partnership with Apple for deploying their AI tools.

Hong-Kong listed shares of Alibaba rose 5% after the company confirmed that its Qwen AI model would be integrated into Apple services in China.

U.S.-listed shares of Alibaba had closed slightly higher overnight after an Alibaba spokesperson told CNBC that "Qwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences within iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and vision OS for users in China."

Alibaba HK shares

Baidu's Hong Kong-listed shares gained 4% as the company confirmed that it was working with Apple on Apple Intelligence features for iPhones in China.

This comes amid reports in late June that its artificial intelligence chip unit Kunlunxin is targeting an initial public offering in the city, which could value its affiliate at $50 billion.

The Cyberspace Administration of China in a notice on Wednesday included Apple Intelligence, along with six other smartphone-based AI services including Huawei Technologies, in a list of approved service providers.

The Apple-Qwen combination will allow users to access the model's capabilities, "like text and image understanding and generation, without needing to jump between tools," the Alibaba spokesperson added.

Apple did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comments.

Baidu hk shares

The technological rivalry between China and the U.S. has intensified, as they race for AI dominance. The U.S. has sought to curb China's ability to access high-end chips, while Beijing has tried to wall off U.S. investments into Chinese tech companies.

"AI leadership is becoming central to economic competitiveness, global standard-setting, and the maintenance of democratic governance," according to a report by  research organization RAND.

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng, Joseph Wilkins and Kai Nicol-Schwarz contributed to this report.

MIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (“AST SpaceMobile”) (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications, today announced the pricing of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 1.625% convertible senior notes due 2034 (the “Notes”) in a private offering (the “Notes Offering”) to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The sale of the Notes to the initial purchasers is expected to settle on July 20, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Key Elements of the Transaction:

$1.0 billion 1.625% convertible senior notes due 2034, which have an initial conversion price of approximately $79.57 per share of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock, which represents a premium of approximately 20.0% over the last reported sale price of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock on July 15, 2026. Capped call transactions entered into in connection with the pricing of the Notes have an initial cap price of $149.20 per share of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock, which represents a premium of 125.0% over the last reported sale price of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock on July 15, 2026. Option to Purchase Additional Notes:

AST SpaceMobile also granted the initial purchasers of the Notes in the Notes Offering an option to purchase, for settlement within a 13-day period beginning on, and including, the first date on which the Notes are issued, up to an additional $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes.

Use of Proceeds:

AST SpaceMobile estimates that the net proceeds from the Notes Offering will be approximately $983.6 million (or approximately $1,131.2 million if the initial purchasers’ option to purchase additional Notes is exercised in full), after deducting the initial purchasers’ discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by AST SpaceMobile. AST SpaceMobile intends to use $96.9 million of the net proceeds from the Notes Offering to pay the cost of the capped call transactions described below. AST SpaceMobile intends to use the remaining net proceeds from the Notes Offering to pursue an expanding universe of growth initiatives and secure additional access to orbit for its space-based cellular broadband network, including partnerships and/or acquisitions to further vertically integrate its business and mitigate risks associated with third-party launch providers. AST SpaceMobile currently does not have any understandings or agreements with respect to any such strategic transactions. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional Notes, AST SpaceMobile expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the additional Notes to enter into additional capped call transactions with the option counterparties (as defined below), with the remainder of the net proceeds to be used as described above.

Additional Details of the Notes:

The Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of AST SpaceMobile. The Notes will accrue interest at an annual rate of 1.625%, payable semiannually in arrears on February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning on February 1, 2027. The Notes will mature on February 1, 2034, unless earlier converted or repurchased.

Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding November 1, 2033, noteholders will have the right to convert their Notes only upon the satisfaction of specified conditions and during certain periods. On or after November 1, 2033 and until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding February 1, 2034, noteholders may convert their Notes at any time regardless of these conditions. The initial conversion rate will be 12.5672 shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $79.57 per share of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock, which represents a premium of approximately 20.0% over the last reported sale price of $66.31 per share of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 15, 2026), subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. AST SpaceMobile will settle conversions of Notes by paying or delivering, as the case may be, cash, shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock, or a combination thereof, at AST SpaceMobile’s election.

The Notes will not be redeemable at AST SpaceMobile’s option prior to the maturity date, and no sinking fund is provided for the Notes.

Noteholders will have the right, subject to certain conditions and exceptions described in the indenture governing the Notes (the “indenture”), to require AST SpaceMobile to repurchase for cash all or a portion of their Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the indenture) at a purchase price of 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the relevant repurchase date. In addition, following certain corporate events that occur prior to February 1, 2034, AST SpaceMobile will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for a noteholder who elects to convert its Notes in connection with such corporate events.

Capped Call Transactions:

In connection with the pricing of the Notes, AST SpaceMobile entered into capped call transactions with certain of the initial purchasers of the Notes or affiliates thereof and other financial institutions (the “option counterparties”). The capped call transactions cover, subject to customary adjustments, the number of shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock initially underlying the Notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock upon any conversion of Notes and/or offset any cash payments AST SpaceMobile is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. The cap price of the capped call transactions is initially $149.20 per share, which represents a premium of 125.0% over the last reported sale price of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock of $66.31 per share on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 15, 2026, and is subject to certain adjustments under the terms of the capped call transactions.

In connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, AST SpaceMobile expects the option counterparties or their respective affiliates will enter into various derivative transactions with respect to AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock and/or purchase shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the Notes, including with, or from, as the case may be, certain investors in the Notes. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock or the Notes at that time.

In addition, the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to AST SpaceMobile's Class A common stock and/or purchasing or selling AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock or other securities of AST SpaceMobile in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Notes and prior to the maturity of the Notes (and are likely to do so during the 20 trading day period beginning on the 21st scheduled trading day prior to the maturity date of the Notes, or, to the extent AST SpaceMobile exercises the relevant termination election under the capped call transactions, following any repurchase or conversion of the Notes). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock or the Notes, which could affect a noteholder’s ability to convert the Notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of Notes, it could affect the number of shares, if any, and value of the consideration that a noteholder will receive upon conversion of its Notes.

The Notes are only being offered and will only be sold to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act by means of a private offering memorandum. Neither the Notes nor the shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock potentially issuable upon conversion of the Notes, if any, have been, or will be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.

This announcement is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Notes or any shares of AST SpaceMobile’s Class A common stock potentially issuable upon conversion of the Notes and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale is unlawful.

About AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio, designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to enable 4G and 5G space-based cellular broadband to every device, everywhere, for today’s nearly 6 billion mobile subscribers globally.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains “forward-looking statements” that are not historical facts, including statements concerning the completion of the Notes Offering, the potential effects of entering into the capped call transactions, and the expected use of the net proceeds from the Notes Offering. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “potential,” “will,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Such risks include, but are not limited to, whether AST SpaceMobile will consummate the Notes Offering, prevailing market conditions, the anticipated principal amount of the Notes, which could differ based upon the exercise of the initial purchasers’ option to purchase additional Notes, the anticipated use of the net proceeds from the Notes Offering, which could change as a result of market conditions or for other reasons, whether the capped call transactions described above will become effective, the effects of entering into these transactions, and the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally.

AST SpaceMobile cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. AST SpaceMobile cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors in AST SpaceMobile’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the SEC on March 2, 2026, its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2026 filed with the SEC on May 11, 2026 and the future reports that it may file from time to time with the SEC. AST SpaceMobile’s securities filings can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, AST SpaceMobile disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

More News From AST SpaceMobile, Inc.

Get ready, Android users: Google will begin letting people download third-party apps from the Google Play Store next week, Bloomberg reports. This news comes after the five-year antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, concluded on Tuesday. 

Owners of Android phones in the US will be able to download third-party apps starting on July 22. 

Epic Games sued Google in 2020, claiming that Google's Play Store operated as an unlawful monopoly by restricting easy access to third-party services, such as app stores and non-Google payment methods. 

In late 2023, the court ruled in Epic's favor, and US District Judge James Donato issued a sweeping order requiring Google to open the Play Store to rival app stores. 

In November 2025, the two companies reached a settlement to modify this order, proposing an alternate solution that was made public in March of this year. The compromise would take the form of a Registered App Stores program, requiring third-party stores to remain outside the Play ecosystem as sideloaded apps rather than inside Google Play.

Then, both companies jointly withdrew this modified settlement to avoid "prolonging" the legal process. Since the compromise was scrapped, Google reverted to complying with the court's original, stricter mandate. 

The company launched a dedicated page for its Play Catalog Access Program, announcing that third-party app stores will be downloadable directly from within Google Play starting July 22. App developers will have greater visibility for their products, and their games and applications will be listed on external Android app stores.

Google's service fees will continue to apply to these downloads, while the company lowered its app purchase commissions from 30% down to 10%. As part of the settlement, developers are now allowed to offer users alternative payment methods or to distribute purchase links to their own websites. 

Google spokesperson Dan Jackson told CNET in a statement that by moving past this dispute, the tech giant can focus on launching its new global business strategy aimed at providing more store choices, lower prices and better opportunities for users and developers. 

Jackson emphasized that while Google will strictly comply with the US court's original mandate, it's "committed to maintaining Android's industry-leading security and fostering a competitive ecosystem where every app store and developer has the freedom to compete."

By PYMNTS  |  July 15, 2026

 | 

Microsoft’s cybersecurity business is developing more artificial intelligence (AI) security products, cutting back on some of its more traditional security products, and consolidating engineering teams, which has led to several hundred layoffs, The Information reported Wednesday (July 15), citing unnamed sources.

The company is making these changes to better respond to customer demand for solutions to the threat of AI-powered hacks, and to capture some of the spending that is going to AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI, according to the report.

Reached by PYMNTS, Microsoft declined to comment on the report.

According to The Information’s report, the overhaul is being led by Hayete Gallot, who took over the security business in February. Gallot is prioritizing AI-powered tools such as Microsoft Security Copilot, products that scan code for vulnerabilities and products that help companies monitor their own AI agents.

“The entire industry is getting reimagined from the ground up,” Gallot wrote in an internal Microsoft memo, per the report. “And it will reward the companies that see the shift early, make the hard choices, and execute with discipline. A few months ago, we made those choices. Now we must execute.”

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a Feb. 4 blog post that Gallot rejoined Microsoft as executive vice president, security, and would report to him. Gallot had held senior leadership roles at the company for 15 years before moving to Google, where she served as president, customer experience for Google Cloud.

“She brings an ethos that combines product building with value realization for customers, which is critical right now,” Nadella said in the post. “As we shared during our quarterly earnings last week, we have great momentum in security, including progress with Security Copilot agents, strong Purview adoption, and continued customer growth, and we will build on this.”

It was reported Wednesday that Microsoft is intensifying its competitive strategy against OpenAI and Anthropic by positioning its services as a more secure and cost-effective end-to-end alternative for corporate clients.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Where Payments Decisions Happen: How Issuer Data Is Powering the Next Era of Commerce” found that 42% of issuers said AI has helped them save more than $5 million from fraud attempts in recent years.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Oak-Eagle AcquireCo, Inc. (the "Offeror") announced today the extension of the Expiration Time and Settlement Date for the previously announced offers to purchase for cash (each, a "Tender Offer" and, together, the "Tender Offers") any and all of Electronic Arts Inc.'s (NASDAQ: EA) (the "Company") outstanding (i) 1.850% Senior Notes due 2031 (the "2031 Notes") and (ii) 2.950% Senior Notes due 2051 (the "2051 Notes" and, together with the 2031 Notes, the "Notes"), and solicitations of consents (each, a "Consent Solicitation" and, together, the "Consent Solicitations") from holders of the Notes (each, a "Holder" and, collectively, the "Holders") to certain proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture, dated as of February 24, 2016, as supplemented by that certain Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 11, 2021, by and between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (as successor in interest to U.S. Bank National Association), as trustee (the "Trustee") (the "Indenture") (such consents being solicited are each a "Consent" and, collectively, the "Consents").

The previously announced Expiration Time of 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on July 15, 2026, has been extended with respect to all Holders to 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on July 30, 2026, unless extended or earlier terminated, and the Settlement Date has been extended to August 4, 2026, unless extended or earlier terminated. The Offeror intends to extend the Expiration Time, without extending the Withdrawal Deadline (unless required by law), such that it will remain within three business days prior to the Settlement Date, which we anticipate will occur on or about the closing date of the Merger. The Withdrawal Deadline of 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on February 24, 2026 (the "Withdrawal Deadline"), is not extended and has already expired and any Notes tendered after the Withdrawal Deadline may not be withdrawn.

The Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations are being made in connection with, and are expressly conditioned upon the closing of, the acquisition of the Company pursuant to the Agreement and Plan ‎of Merger, dated September 28, 2025 (as it may be amended, supplemented or modified from time to ‎time, the "Merger Agreement"), by and among the Company, the Offeror and Oak-Eagle MergerCo, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Offeror ("Merger Sub"), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the "Merger"), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Offeror, in each case on and subject to the terms and conditions therein. The Offeror and Merger Sub were formed by an investor consortium consisting of The Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, for purposes of engaging in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. The consummation of the Merger is not conditioned on the consummation of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations.

The terms and conditions of the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are described in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement relating to the Notes dated as of February 10, 2026 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement"). Capitalized terms used herein, but not otherwise defined, have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.

The table below outlines the approximate principal amount of the Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn as of the date hereof, according to information provided by Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the depositary and information agent for the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations (the "Depositary and Information Agent"). Any Notes validly tendered after February 24, 2026, but on or prior to the Expiration Time, will be eligible to receive the Tender Offer Consideration set forth in the table below. The Offeror currently intends to accept all Notes tendered in the Tender Offers, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions described below.

Title of Notes

CUSIP/ISIN(1)

Outstanding
Principal
Amount

Reference
Security

Reference
Yield

Fixed
Spread
(bps)

Tender Offer
Consideration(2) (3)

Aggregate
Principal
Amount
Tendered

1.850% Senior
Notes due 2031

CUSIP:
285512AE9

ISIN:
US285512AE93

$750,000,000

3.750%
UST due
January 31,
2031

3.626 %

+0

$876.41

$68,819,000

2.950% Senior
Notes due 2051

CUSIP:
285512AF6

ISIN:
US285512AF68

$750,000,000

4.625%
UST due
November
15, 2055

4.705 %

+0

$696.18

$7,917,000

(1) The CUSIP numbers and ISINs referenced in this press release are included solely for the convenience of Holders. None of the Offeror, the Company, the Trustee, the Dealer Manager (as defined below), the Depositary and Information Agent nor their respective affiliates shall be held responsible for the selection or use of the referenced CUSIP numbers and ISINs, and no representation is made as to the correctness of any CUSIP number or ISIN on the Notes or as indicated in this press release or any other document.
(2) As defined in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement. Calculated based on the Settlement Date of August 4, 2026. Subject to update pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation if the Tender Offers settle on a different date.
(3) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn after February 24, 2026, but on or prior to the Expiration Time.

General Information

The Offeror's obligations to complete each Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation are subject to and conditioned upon the following having occurred or, in the case of the General Conditions, having been waived by the Offeror with respect to such Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation, as applicable: (1) the satisfaction of the Merger Condition, and (2) the satisfaction of the General Conditions. Each Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation is a separate offer and is not conditioned on any other Tender Offer or Consent Solicitation. There can be no assurance that any of the Tender Offers or the Consent Solicitations will be consummated. The Offeror may amend, extend or terminate the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations, in its sole discretion.

The Offeror intends to fund the Total Consideration (including accrued and unpaid interest), plus all related fees and expenses, using proceeds from the financing transactions to fund the Merger. Notes that are tendered and accepted in the Tender Offers will cease to be outstanding and will be cancelled.

Any Notes not tendered and purchased pursuant to the Tender Offers will remain outstanding. If the requisite Consents are received with respect to a series of Notes, and the Proposed Amendments become operative with respect to the Indenture for such series of Notes, then the applicable Notes that are not purchased pursuant to the Tender Offers will be subject to the Proposed Amendments. The Proposed Amendments would amend the Indenture to eliminate certain restrictive covenants, eliminate certain events of default and modify or eliminate certain other provisions with respect to such series of Notes. The Requisite Consents have not yet been received with respect to either series of Notes.

To the extent any Notes remain outstanding following the consummation of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations, the Offeror currently intends to cause the Company to defease one or both series of Notes, in which case Holders of such Notes will continue to receive interest on each scheduled interest payment date and principal on the stated maturity date but will not benefit from any restrictive covenants removed pursuant to the defeasance, including the change of control repurchase obligations. The Proposed Amendments do not need to be adopted in order to defease one or both series of Notes in accordance with the terms of the Indenture. To the extent any Notes remain outstanding following the consummation of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations, the Company may (or the Offeror may cause the Company to) also purchase, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire the 2031 Notes and/or the 2051 Notes by any available means, including, without limitation, negotiated transactions, open market purchases, tender offers, redemption or otherwise, upon such terms and at such prices as the Offeror or the Company may determine. Any such transaction may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to Holders of Notes than the terms of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations and will depend on various factors existing at that time. Finally, the Company may (or the Offeror may cause the Company to) leave outstanding any Notes that remain outstanding following the consummation of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations or any transaction described in this paragraph.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC has been retained as the dealer manager in connection with the Tender Offers and as the solicitation agent in connection with the Consent Solicitations (the "Dealer Manager"). In such capacities, it may contact Holders regarding the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations and may request brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominees to forward the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement and related materials to beneficial owners of Notes. Requests for documents may be directed to the Depositary and Information Agent at: +1 (855) 654 2015 or [email protected]. Questions about the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations may be directed to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 834-4466 or (212) 834-3424.

This press release is for informational purposes only. The Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations are being made solely by the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which, or to any persons to whom, such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations are not being made to Holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Tender Offers or the Consent Solicitations to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Offeror by the Dealer Manager, or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

None of the Offeror, the Company, the Trustee, the Depositary and Information Agent, the Dealer Manager or any of their respective affiliates makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender or refrain from tendering their Notes, and no person or entity has been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender Notes and, if so, the principal amount of the Notes to tender.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains or incorporates by reference certain "forward-looking statements" within ‎the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such ‎as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," ‎‎"believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or other similar words. These forward-looking ‎statements are only predictions. These statements relate to future events and ‎involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the ‎actual outcomes to materially differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. New factors ‎could emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors. Because forward-looking ‎statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, ‎you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as guarantees of future events. These forward-looking ‎statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance of results, including the closing of the Merger and successful completion of the Tender Offers and the Consent Solicitations. The Offeror expressly ‎disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement ‎contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect any change in expectations with regard thereto or any ‎change of events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement was based, except as required by law.‎

SOURCE Oak-Eagle AcquireCo, Inc.

Akamai Technologies (AKAM - Free Report) closed at $120.01 in the latest trading session, marking a -4.84% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.38%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.29%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.62%.

Shares of the cloud services provider witnessed a loss of 4.69% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Computer and Technology sector with its loss of 0.53%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.61%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Akamai Technologies in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on August 6, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.58, reflecting a 8.67% decrease from the same quarter last year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $1.09 billion, showing a 4.76% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

AKAM's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $6.74 per share and revenue of $4.49 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -5.34% and +6.81%, respectively.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Akamai Technologies. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.25% lower within the past month. At present, Akamai Technologies boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Akamai Technologies's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 18.71. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 17.16, which means Akamai Technologies is trading at a premium to the group.

Meanwhile, AKAM's PEG ratio is currently 2.3. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As the market closed yesterday, the Internet - Services industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.55.

The Internet - Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 94, placing it within the top 39% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.

The logo of Cadence Design Systems is pictured outside the company's offices in San Jose, California, U.S., January 31, 2020. Picture taken January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Nellis Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SAN FRANCISCO, July 15 (Reuters) - Cadence Design Systems (CDNS.O), opens new tab on Wednesday launched an artificial-intelligence "super agent" that designs printed circuit boards and chip packages, extending ​the company's push to automate more of the engineering process.

The ‌tool, called AuraStack, lets engineers describe their goals in plain language, then plans and carries out the work using Cadence's existing software tools to lay out and ​virtually test circuit designs. Cadence said Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab chips will accelerate the ​AI work.

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Cadence said AuraStack can cut time to market by ⁠up to half and lift productivity on individual tasks as much ​as 15-fold. The AI agent for circuit boards and chip packaging follows ​similar offerings earlier this year to help speed up the design of chips themselves.

In a demonstration, Cadence showed an engineer using the tool to rework a 5G smartphone's circuit ​board to build a cheaper version for a new market. It ​recommended consolidating components for a 28% cost saving, then found a lower-cost power-management chip ‌that ⁠worked with circuit board design.

"The bottleneck isn't automation. It's really engineering intelligence," Michael Jackson, Cadence's corporate vice president and general manager for system design and analysis, said in an interview, referring to the reasoning across ​cost and performance ​trade-offs that the ⁠system is designed to handle.

Cadence named Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Schneider Electric among early users.

Jackson said ​Cadence customers can pair AuraStack with the AI ​model of ⁠their choice, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini or Anthropic's Claude, or open-source models. Pricing will follow a consumption-based model based on how hard the ⁠AI models ​work, and still require Cadence's underlying tools, ​Jackson said.

AuraStack will be available this year, with the rollout to be completed in September, ​Jackson said.

Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

In the latest close session, Toast (TOST - Free Report) was up +1.3% at $30.39. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.38%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.29%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.62%.

The stock of restaurant software provider has risen by 19.67% in the past month, leading the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 0.53% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.61%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Toast in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, Toast is projected to report earnings of $0.32 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 33.33%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $1.87 billion, showing a 20.82% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $1.35 per share and a revenue of $7.38 billion, demonstrating changes of +51.69% and +19.95%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Toast. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. Toast currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Toast has a Forward P/E ratio of 22.18 right now. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 19.89.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 92, which puts it in the top 38% of all 250+ industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

By PYMNTS  |  July 15, 2026

 | 

Nubank has appointed Livia Chanes to the newly created position of chief executive officer for Latin America, according to a Wednesday (July 15) Bloomberg report. Chanes, who has served as the firm’s Brazil CEO since 2024, will now oversee regional operations as the company intensifies its international growth strategy.

Under the new structure, the country managers for Mexico and Colombia—Armando Herrera and Marcela Torres, respectively—will report directly to Chanes. The move is designed to streamline the exchange of successful strategies from the firm’s mature Brazilian market to its newer territories.

“My commitment is to ensure that Mexico and Colombia benefit from everything we’ve built in Brazil,” Chanes said in a statement. “We’re already the largest private financial institution by number of customers in Brazil, but we know we still have enormous opportunities to grow across our different segments. That remains our priority as a company.”

The leadership change is part of a broader management realignment at the FinTech. Earlier this week, Rob Livingston assumed an expanded role as chief financial officer, a move expected to lead to the creation of local CFO positions. These shifts follow the establishment of a global marketing post earlier this year.

Chanes joined Nubank in 2020 and has been a key figure in the company’s recent scaling efforts. The firm was granted a banking license in Mexico last week and is currently seeking a U.S. banking license, which Bloomberg reports could be issued in early 2027.

Nubank said that with more than 15 million customers, it will become the largest digital bank in Mexico.

“The authorization we receive and the growth we have achieved confirm that this model works and has the potential to transform the relationship millions of people have with their money,” Nubank Founder and Global CEO David Vélez said in last week’s release.