Smart City / Autonomous Infrastructure

Badger Meter launched OneNetwork, a real-time monitoring and analytics platform designed to unify fragmented water and wastewater system data, at the WEFTEC conference in New Orleans. The company's share price has fallen 27.6% year to date, with a 1 year total shareholder return down 28.6%, though the 5 year total shareholder return of 26.6% still points to longer term gains. The most followed narrative places Badger Meter's fair value at $169, above the last close of $127.77, framing OneNetwork as part of a wider digital push alongside the BlueEdge platform and expansion beyond the meter. That narrative cites intensifying water scarcity, mounting regulatory pressure, and mandates for real-time monitoring as drivers of shorter replacement cycles and pricing power. Supply chain and tariff pressures, along with any slowdown in core utility water projects, could weaken that upbeat case.

Metthier Company Limited, or Metthier, signed an academic memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with the Faculty of Engineering at Mahidol University, Salaya, to develop Thailand's first Smart Integrated Facility Management model SMART Campus. Khayon Tantichatwat, Chief Executive Officer of Metthier, said the collaboration will combine Smart Integrated Facility Management, a Command Center, and Digital Twin to comprehensively upgrade the management of educational spaces and buildings, while also serving as a learning center for the education, public, and private sectors. Associate Professor Dr. Thanaphat Wanichanon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Mahidol University, said the SMART Campus will be Thailand's first smart campus model, using artificial intelligence, automated system management platforms, and the Internet of Things, or IoT, to improve efficiency in campus management. The collaboration covers technology development and research in five key dimensions: Smart Health, Smart City, Smart Logistics, Smart Security, and Smart Environment, aiming to drive the campus toward net zero carbon emissions under ESG standards and carbon neutrality.

The Ministry of Interior is preparing to submit a people's solar cell project to the screening committee for the use of loans under the 400-billion-baht emergency loan decree, specifically the 200 billion baht portion earmarked for energy transition, by October 2. Registration for the project is expected to open on November 1. Deputy Interior Minister Phonphir Suwanchawi said the project has been expanded from rooftop installations only to allow people to install solar panels on the ground and on water as well. Participants must have an electricity meter, and the electricity authority will replace it with a smart meter free of charge, as the Interior Ministry is seeking to use loan funds to purchase smart meters in support of a nationwide Smart Grid plan in the future. Support remains unchanged: the government will contribute 50,000 baht per household for installation. People can install solar cells ranging from 5 kW up to a maximum of 10 kW, with the electricity authority buying back power at 5 kW at a rate of 2.20 baht per unit under a 20-year contract. The target is 1 to 1.5 million households, with a budget of roughly 50 to 75 billion baht. Those interested can apply for loans to install solar panels from three specialized financial institutions: the Government Housing Bank, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Government Savings Bank, at an interest rate of 2.5% per year over a seven-year term. The use of income from electricity sales to repay the financial institutions is still under consideration by the Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Energy Policy Council within October. In addition, operators providing installation services must pass the Vendor List standards of the Provincial Electricity Authority and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, is preparing to join the bidding for smart grid power network projects after Thailand's Power Development Plan, or PDP 2026, opened the way for increased investment in the power grid. Dr. Nattanai Anantaramporn, the company's Chief Executive Officer, said the company already has expertise in communications network systems and expects business direction in the third quarter of 2026 to hold steady near the level of the second quarter of 2026, with its current backlog at 3.9 billion baht. It is maintaining its full-year 2026 revenue target of 3.6 billion baht and plans to bid for new work from government agencies and other sources continuously through the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, estimates that investment in grid and power systems to support renewable energy, energy storage, electricity, electric vehicles and data centers could total around 500 billion baht within five years. Krungsri Securities Public Company Limited expects profit in 2027 to grow outstandingly from 2026, at around 65 million baht, driven by recognition of revenue from SI projects through its 80 percent stake in a joint venture with THCOM and TKC. It therefore sets a target price for ITEL shares at around 2.00 baht and gives a buy recommendation.

Acuity Inc. reported fiscal 2026 net sales of $4.6 billion, up 6.8 percent from the prior year, and fourth-quarter net sales of $1.2 billion, up 2.9 percent, for the period ended August 31, 2026. Full-year diluted earnings per share came in at $17.05, up 36.1 percent, while adjusted diluted earnings per share was $19.90, up 10.5 percent; fourth-quarter diluted EPS was $5.63, up 56.0 percent, and adjusted diluted EPS was $5.77, up 11.0 percent. Full-year operating profit rose 26.6 percent to $713.7 million, and adjusted operating profit rose 7.8 percent to $828.7 million. Within the company's two segments, Acuity Brands Lighting generated full-year net sales of $3.6 billion, down 1.0 percent, while Acuity Intelligent Spaces generated $1.1 billion, up 44.8 percent. Acuity generated $825.6 million in net cash from operating activities for the year, repaid $200 million of its term loan, raised its dividend by 18 percent, and repurchased over 940,000 shares for $287.2 million. The company said its reported results are preliminary pending completion of the audit that will accompany its Form 10-K filing.

Pro Inside Public Company Limited, or PIS, is launching an aggressive second-half push in 2026, moving ahead with gradual revenue recognition from large-scale projects for government agencies and state enterprises that are already underway, while accelerating its pursuit of new bids. It holds a backlog of more than 6,096 million baht to support revenue recognition over the next three to four years. The backlog is mostly made up of Application Solutions work at 58%, followed by IT Integration Services at 31% and Physical Security at 11%. The key turning point is the acquisition of a 50% stake in Energy Max Company Limited, or Energy Max, which manufactures, assembles and distributes electronic electricity meters as well as smart energy management systems in Thailand. This investment builds on PIS's IT expertise by combining it with Energy Max's energy technology, opening the door to the Smart Grid market across smart meters, smart transmission lines and rooftop solar, in line with government policy on the energy transition. It also serves as a mechanism to create a new S-Curve, transforming the company from a contractor for IT systems into a provider of Technology Solutions spanning Application, IT Integration, Physical Security, AI, Cloud, ERP, Digital Banking and Energy Technology.

Thales and Landis+Gyr announced a strategic collaboration to deliver secure, scalable cellular connectivity for smart meter deployments across North America. Under the deal, Thales will supply Landis+Gyr with eSIM technology and advanced IoT connectivity management to simplify and secure remote management of smart meter fleets throughout their lifecycle, combined with Simetric's single pane of glass platform for centralized monitoring and control. The solution uses Thales' latest eSIM technology, compliant with the GSMA's SGP.32 specification, allowing network profiles to be provisioned, changed or managed over the air and reducing reliance on physical SIM replacement. Landis+Gyr serves more than 2,000 utilities worldwide and has more than 180 million connected intelligent devices in the field, while North America's installed base of smart electricity meters is expected to grow from 152.4 million in 2024 to 180.9 million by 2030, according to Berg Insight. The capability will become part of Landis+Gyr's Revelo and Surent platforms, and Thales' eSIM subscription management solutions support more than 450 mobile network operators and more than 200 OEMs across consumer and IoT markets.

Jacobs has been selected by NVIDIA to deploy its Data Center Digital Twin for a large-scale R&D facility in the United States under a three-year software-as-a-service agreement. The digital twin environment, built on NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, will enhance operational planning and improve facility performance across one of NVIDIA's most advanced artificial intelligence research and development facilities. The platform integrates engineering models, operational technology and live facility data into a single operational platform, supporting predictive and simulation-driven use cases including dynamic power load balancing, energy forecasting, liquid coolant leak detection monitoring, predictive maintenance and operator training. Jacobs Executive Vice President Amer Battikhi said operators need smarter and more connected ways to optimize performance and manage energy demand while improving resiliency as digital infrastructure rapidly scales. The award builds on Jacobs' work with NVIDIA advancing digital twin technology for AI infrastructure, and Jacobs is also delivering high-performance computing environments for organizations including Hut 8 in the U.S., SINES DC Campus by Start Campus in Portugal and PsiQuantum in Australia.

TomTom has expanded its collaboration with Microsoft, bringing its location intelligence to AI agents built on Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Foundry through Microsoft's new IQ Sharing preview. With their data connected to OneLake, Azure and Fabric customers can build agentic products that understand real-world context, TomTom said in an announcement dated Sept. 30, 2026. TomTom's location intelligence is built on Overture and open standards, supporting interoperability with compatible open datasets so customers can combine operational data with geographic context. Leo Sei, SVP for Product, UX and Marketing at TomTom, said AI agents will only be useful to enterprises if they can understand the real-world context behind business decisions, while Dipti Borkar, Vice President for Microsoft IQ and OneLake at Microsoft, said the integration lets that context be shared with joint customers. TomTom's location intelligence is now available on Microsoft Marketplace and is Azure MACC eligible, and TomTom will showcase a preview of the IQ Sharing capabilities at FabCon Europe 2026 in Barcelona.

Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco estimates autonomous Tesla Semis could generate roughly $17 billion in annual software revenue by 2040, a scenario that assumes about 82,000 Semis operating by then and a 13.5% share of the autonomous trucking market. At that scale, the firm estimates Semi software could produce about $7.5 billion in EBIT, roughly 10% upside to its base case. Percoco estimates Tesla could charge roughly $0.85 to $1 per mile for autonomous Semi software, which at about 18,000 miles a month works out to approximately $12,000 to $18,000 in monthly software revenue per vehicle, far above the roughly $100 per month Tesla charges consumers for Full Self-Driving. Morgan Stanley views its 82,000-vehicle assumption as relatively modest against Tesla's manufacturing ambitions, with the company's 1.8 million-square-foot Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada, designed to eventually produce about 50,000 trucks annually. Early Semi customers include PepsiCo, DHL and US Foods, while a recently announced shipper coalition has ordered 2,500 trucks; the $17 billion estimate covers software rather than Semi vehicle sales and excludes potential additional revenue from charging.

Motorola Solutions has acquired DeepNeuronic, a Portuguese developer of AI video analytics, in a deal advised by Young America Capital. Motorola Solutions acquired 100% of DeepNeuronic's share capital, including its Brazilian subsidiary, with terms not disclosed. DeepNeuronic was founded in 2021 by Vasco Lopes and Bruno Degardin, who met at Portugal's University of Beira Interior and earned their PhDs there in artificial intelligence and computer vision. Its software reads live camera feeds and flags incidents as they happen, and is already used by highway operators, airports, manufacturers and retailers in Portugal and Brazil. Motorola Solutions will build the technology into Avigilon, its video security platform, which serves customers in more than 100 countries, and DeepNeuronic's 17-person team is joining Motorola Solutions and will stay in Covilhã. Ran Zfoni, Vice President and Head of Israel & Europe Tech at Young America Capital, advised DeepNeuronic's founders through the transaction, while Cuatrecasas served as legal counsel to DeepNeuronic with a team led by partner Vasco Bivar de Azevedo.

Critical Loop announced that its software-defined power controller, Cygnus, has achieved official CSIP 2030.5 certification and completed interoperability testing with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, joining the utility's Flex Connect Approved Solution Providers list. Combined with its existing UL 3141 listing, Cygnus is the first power controller on the market to hold both certifications, giving customers broad compatibility across utility environments including PG&E and Southern California utilities. The milestones support flexible interconnection, an approach California is embracing to accommodate rapidly growing electricity demand without waiting years for traditional grid upgrades. PG&E's Flex Connect program currently supports five operational sites, including commercial EV fleets, public fast-charging infrastructure and battery energy storage systems, with more than 85 additional projects in the active pipeline. Critical Loop, a finalist in PG&E's 2025 Innovation Pitch Fest, said it is now actively onboarding commercial and industrial customers across California, offering a path to full operations in months rather than years.

Yuanta Securities said today's Cabinet meeting has three interesting issues to watch. The first is the allocation of central budget funds for flood relief worth 2 billion baht. The second is infrastructure investment to build flood drainage channels that bypass the inner city, worth 160 to 200 billion baht, which is expected to be positive for the construction contractor, construction materials, and TEAMG groups. The third is a household solar project covering 1 million households, plus Smart Grid and Smart Meter, worth 70 billion baht under the 200 billion baht emergency loan decree to restructure energy. The research team views these issues as positive for GUNKUL, SSP, TRT, AKR, FORTH, and SAMART, among others.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Thai Capital Market Business Council, known as FETCO, took part in roadshow activities in New York in the United States and London in the United Kingdom from September 22 to 25, 2026, as part of the mission of Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in attending the 81st regular session of the United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA81. Leading global institutional investors from 43 funds, representing assets under management, or AUM, of more than 48 trillion US dollars, attended to hear information and pose questions in direct exchanges of views with the country's leader. Asadej Kongsiri, a board member and manager of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, disclosed that in New York, investors placed the greatest weight on Thailand's neutral stance amid geopolitical volatility and saw it as an opportunity rather than a risk. Investors were also watching the Middle East situation, which could pressure energy prices and Thailand's economic growth, and the prime minister addressed this concern with a plan to reduce reliance on imported energy through a transition to renewable energy and investment in smart power grids, while highlighting the JUMP+ and BOI to IPO programs as mechanisms to draw New Economy businesses into the Thai capital market. In London, British institutional investors gave top priority to political stability, followed by the momentum of a new investment cycle, as reflected in the record-high number of applications for promotion from the BOI. Paiboon Nalinthrangkurn, chairman of the Thai Capital Market Business Council, or FETCO, said that since the start of 2026, foreign capital had begun flowing back into the Thai stock market by about 1.5 billion US dollars, or 10 percent of the more than 15 billion US dollars that flowed out over the past three years. As for the details of the roadshow, in New York, cooperation came from the partner Bank of America, National Association, in inviting foreign institutional investors. The group meetings involved 22 leading funds, such as BlackRock, Blackstone, Citadel, Fidelity and Schroders, with combined AUM of about 45 trillion US dollars, and two one-on-one meetings were held with Pacific Investment Management Company, or PIMCO, and Brookfield. Leading organizations Microsoft and Google also held discussions with the prime minister. In addition, Jefferies, a leading US investment bank and a partner of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, brought 15 leading funds with combined AUM of about 1.7 trillion US dollars to hear information directly from the prime minister. In London, the event was held together with UBS, and the institutional investors who attended to hear the information were top-level executives from eight funds, such as BlackRock and Schroders, with combined AUM of about 16.5 trillion US dollars. On the same occasion, the Stock Exchange of Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding with the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, on a framework for cooperation on dual listing of securities on both markets, the development of products such as exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, market and index product data, ESG products and services, as well as the exchange of information and knowledge between the two. The prime minister witnessed the signing and also joined the ringing of the bell to open trading at the NYSE to promote Thailand's potential and readiness before global investors. The number of funds and the AUM figures do not double-count funds that met the delegation in both New York and London.

Arcadis is expanding its strategic collaboration with Autodesk to accelerate AI-driven design and engineering by combining automated digital workflows with human technical expertise. The partnership links Arcadis's engineering and sustainability expertise with Autodesk's Design and Make platform and Autodesk AI suite, and specifically connects Arcadis's Model Context Protocol with Autodesk Assistant, an AI tool that evaluates geometry, engineering intent, and project history. By embedding proprietary data and standards directly into the software, the initiative aims to speed decision-making and cut project risk while keeping human engineers in control. Under the "See Through Walls" initiative, the companies use AI, sensor data, and predictive analytics to inspect hidden building conditions, supporting decarbonization and material reuse, and the partnership also plugs Arcadis's broader network of tech startups into Autodesk's platform to build scalable tools across global markets. Across Arcadis's existing operations in North America and Europe, digital automation has already reduced standard quality review timelines from five days to approximately half a day on select projects, releasing technical capacity and accelerating client delivery schedules.

Itron Inc. announced on September 22 that its Riva S and Riva T IEC electricity meters are now available to utilities across the Asia-Pacific region, marking the first deployment of its Gen6 network platform devices in the area. The expansion builds on more than 25 years of Adelaide operations and targets markets such as Australia, where roughly one in three homes uses rooftop solar. The Riva meters act as grid sensors and control points for distributed energy resources, using high-frequency sampling and localized edge computing to detect voltage swings, transformer loading issues, emerging faults, and power outages in real time. Itron has already shipped more than 18 million distributed intelligence-enabled meters and licensed over 27 million distributed intelligence applications. The launch comes as second-quarter 2026 revenue fell 7% year-over-year to $563 million, with Networked Solutions down 17% on project timing, while Annual Recurring Revenue rose 21% to $417 million and adjusted gross margin hit a record 41.4%. CEO Tom Deitrich cited structurally better earnings power and raised the full-year 2026 outlook to revenue of $2.37 billion to $2.41 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $6.30 to $6.50.

Itron announced a technology collaboration with Crytica Security on September 22 to embed real-time threat detection directly into its smart meters and edge endpoints. The partnership addresses a critical vulnerability in utility field infrastructure, where resource-constrained smart meters cannot host traditional endpoint security software; Crytica's lightweight probe continuously scans devices to detect unauthorized instruction modifications within seconds without impacting device performance. The move reinforces Itron's strategic shift toward higher-margin, software-centric outcomes, following Q2 2026 results released on July 28 in which adjusted gross margin expanded 460 basis points year-over-year to 41.4%, ARR surged 21% to $417 million, and adjusted EBITDA grew 8% despite top-line headwinds, prompting management to raise full-year non-GAAP EPS guidance to a range of $6.30 to $6.50 per share. Total revenue nonetheless contracted 7% year-over-year in Q2 2026 to $563 million from $607 million, dragged by a 17% drop in Networked Solutions revenue, while total backlog edged down to $4.4 billion from $4.5 billion a year ago. The Crytica deal carries no immediate financial disclosure or revenue timeline.

Four analysts revisited Aurora Innovation between September 11 and September 24, 2026, around the company's Investor Day, with price targets ranging from $7 to $18 as shares rallied roughly 60% so far in 2026. Morgan Stanley raised its target to $18 from $14 on September 11, keeping Overweight, while Canaccord lifted its target to $17 from $15 on September 24, keeping Buy, and Evercore ISI added Aurora to its Tactical Outperform list on September 15, citing potential for a 10% to 15% near term move. Goldman Sachs raised its target to just $7 from $6 on September 24, the lowest of the four, maintaining a Neutral rating and calling the Investor Day an incremental positive but saying the driverless demos and OEM participation pointed to a slower, costlier ramp than previously modeled. At the September 23 Investor Day, Aurora set a target of more than 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030 at gross margins CFO David Maday compared to a software business, and said it expects to exit 2026 with 200 driverless trucks under Transportation as a Service contracts, roughly $80 million annualized, plus a Hirschbach deal for 500 Driver as a Service trucks starting 2027. In July, Aurora reported second-quarter results with $2 million in revenue, a $266 million operating loss, and roughly $225 million in operating cash used, ending the quarter with nearly $1.2 billion in cash after issuing 30 million shares for $215 million net, and reaffirmed full year revenue guidance of $14 million to $16 million, up 400% at the midpoint. Aurora lost more than $800 million in 2025 and targets exiting 2028 with positive free cash flow on a run-rate basis, while short interest stood at 17.98% of the float as of September 15, 2026, up from 174.94 million shares a month earlier to 198.26 million shares.

Analysts have lifted their fair value estimate for Hill & Smith to £33.43 from £31.46, with price targets now clustered between £31.80 and £38.00 alongside Buy and Overweight ratings. Investec moved the stock to a Buy rating with a £38.00 price target, while Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a £33.00 price target, citing growth prospects tied to U.S. infrastructure investment and grid modernization. Berenberg, Deutsche Bank and Jefferies each raised their price targets into a band between £31.80 and £34.50 while maintaining Buy ratings. The revised valuation reflects a revenue growth assumption trimmed to 3.76% from 4.57%, a net profit margin assumption raised to 13.93% from 13.29%, a future P/E multiple of 19.9x versus 19.3x, and a discount rate of 9.52% versus 9.44%. Analysts continue to flag execution risk, particularly the pace and integration of M&A that Jefferies sees as an important lever for the company.

The Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, is pressing ahead with its Smart Electronics strategy under Reinvent Thailand, aiming to turn new domestic demand into orders for Thai manufacturers, reduce reliance on imports, and upgrade operators from production bases to higher-value design and technology work. Data from the Board of Investment, or BOI, shows that electrical and electronic goods together account for roughly one quarter of Thailand's exports, and electronics alone had export value of about 1.86 trillion baht in 2024. For data centers alone in 2025, the BOI received investment promotion applications for 36 projects worth more than 728 billion baht. Panithan Pavarolarvidya, Secretary-General of the FTI, said the challenge is not just attracting investment, but turning emerging demand into orders for Thai manufacturers, increasing local content, reducing import leakage, and keeping as much value in the country as possible. The plan has four strategic landscapes. In the Data Center and AI Supply Chain area, a scenario framework projects that over the next five years Thailand could accommodate roughly 5,000 more megawatts of data centers on top of the current capacity of about 1,700 megawatts estimated by the FTI, which is expected to generate new investment of about 1.8 trillion baht. The FTI aims to capture about 40% of procurement, production, and domestic value, or roughly 720 billion baht. In the Smart Grid and Renewable System area, it estimates that the three electricity authorities may invest a combined total of about 500 billion baht in grid and power systems over five years, with a target of raising the domestic procurement and value share by about 40%, or roughly 200 billion baht. In the Smart and Green Appliances area, it proposes pushing an Old-to-Green trade-in scheme, targeting about 30 billion baht a year in domestic demand and economic activity, or about 150 billion baht over five years. In the E-Parts for Every Industry area, starting with automotive, the goal is to cut imports and increase domestic production of e-parts by about 90 billion baht within 10 years, a target specific to the automotive industry and not yet including opportunities from data centers, smart appliances, medical devices, automation, and energy. Chayanin Pothiworakun, chairman of the FTI's Electrical and Electronics Industry Group, said the FTI estimates that demand from data centers, smart grids, and smart and green appliances alone in the first five years has the potential to generate more than 1 trillion baht in domestic procurement, production, and economic activity. If the value capture targets are met and part of that local economic activity is converted into domestic value added at around 50 to 60%, there would be potential growth in economic value added of about 100 billion to 130 billion baht a year, equivalent to roughly 0.5 to 0.7% of current GDP. These figures are a potential scenario, not a forecast that the GDP growth rate will rise by 0.5 to 0.7 percentage points every year. The push is being carried out under the framework of Stabilize Today, Transition Now, Invest for Tomorrow, and is part of Reinvent Thailand, which the government and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking, or JSCCIB, discussed together on September 21, 2026.

The Ministry of Transport has joined hands with Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd. to study the feasibility of applying technology and artificial intelligence to upgrade Thailand's travel and logistics systems. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn gave David Li, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., along with a delegation of executives, the opportunity to meet to exchange knowledge and discuss ways to apply technology in line with the country's transport infrastructure, in order to improve safety, reduce the steps and time involved in travel and transport, and raise the level of service to the public. The ministry has assigned the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, together with the Department of Rail Transport, to work with Huawei and relevant agencies to set up a team to study the feasibility and define pilot projects, focusing on two main tasks: linking freight transport from the rail system to ports, or Rail-Port, and managing passengers and cargo in airport systems, or Passenger & Cargo, which will use AI and data analytics to help manage passenger flow and the handling of cargo in cargo areas. This approach builds on trials of technology in certain missions, such as using data analytics and AI systems to manage passenger flow at airports and studying ways to improve safety at railway crossings. At the same time, there is also the idea of developing an Integrated Transport Command Center to link data across road, rail, water and air transport, as well as exchanging communications technology data for future railway systems, or FRMCS, and approaches to applying 5G technology to transport systems. The ministry will consider these based primarily on standards, safety, suitability with existing systems, and the value of the investment. The Ministry of Transport and Huawei are currently preparing a framework for cooperation in information and communications technology covering five main areas: developing ICT personnel, upgrading digital infrastructure, applying digital technology in the transport sector, improving the efficiency of administration and data integration, and promoting innovation and research. The details of projects under the cooperation framework will need to be studied jointly in each area.

The U.S. Department of Energy selected CenterPoint Energy for a $50M award to support advanced substation technology upgrades in Texas. The funding will help strengthen grid reliability, resiliency, and capacity for the rapidly growing Greater Houston region. CenterPoint plans to deploy Siemens Energy transmission grid-stabilizing technology designed to respond rapidly to changes in electricity demand. The project is expected to increase capacity for current and future energy demand while improving reliability during periods of high usage, and is expected to create more than 500 local construction and installation jobs.

Motorq and Subaru of America announced a partnership to stream native Subaru telematics directly into Motorq's Connected Vehicle Intelligence platform for fleet operators, beginning with model year 2027 vehicles. The agreement marks the first time Subaru has made embedded vehicle data available directly to fleet operators in the United States, and expands Motorq's integrated footprint to 13 global original equipment manufacturers and 25+ brands. Under the partnership, Subaru's Connected Services platform will stream vehicle telemetry directly to Motorq, which will ingest, unify, and normalize signals such as vehicle location, odometer readings, and verified diagnostic trouble codes from Subaru's embedded sensors, with Motorq's Fuse AI generating maintenance and cost-saving recommendations. Fleet administrators can manage driver consent centrally, and Subaru's Fleet Connectivity Program is available on telematics-enabled model year 2027 gas and hybrid vehicles, with prepaid connectivity addable at vehicle ordering. Motorq Co-Founder and CEO Arun Rajagopalan said the partnership bridges factory connectivity and fleet software at a fraction of the cost of aftermarket devices, while Subaru of America Vice President of Field and Distributor Operations Tim Tagye said it gives operators direct, intelligent visibility into their fleets.

The government is preparing to invest in a smart grid system, or intelligent power network, with short-term approval expected for a pilot project budget of approximately 10 billion to 20 billion baht, drawn from the 200 billion baht energy transition allocation under the 400 billion baht emergency loan decree. Concrete progress is expected to begin this year. Naphan Chaisaen, Deputy Managing Director of Research and a fundamental investment analyst covering the capital market at Bualuang Securities, told Than Hoon that the medium-term smart grid roadmap for 2022 to 2031 consists of five pillars. The first is Demand Response, which will replace household electricity meters with millions of smart meters, starting in high-usage areas such as Bangkok, its vicinity, major cities, and industrial estates in Rayong and Chachoengsao. Companies with potential in this area are FORTH, SKY, INSET, ALT, and PCC. Next is RE Forecasting, which involves system integrators such as TKC, SECURE, and SAMART. Then comes Microgrid and Prosumer, with GUNKUL and BGRIM. Next is ESS, or energy storage systems, with EA and GPSC. Finally, EV Integration involves FORTH and EA. Investment in the smart grid can also be accelerated without waiting for full clarity on the new Power Development Plan, and it will serve as key infrastructure to support the massive electricity consumption of data centers in the future without affecting electricity costs or the stability of power supply for the general public.