Databricks vs Hitachi

Blackbaud Unveils Platform for Good, Unified Social Impact OS

Blackbaud, a leading provider of AI-powered solutions for the social impact sector, announced the launch of Platform for Good™, described as the industry's first unified operating system. This platform integrates data, AI, and workflows into a single connected pipeline. It comprises three layers: the Data Core, Intelligence Layer, and Action Layer. The announcement includes several innovations: Lantern, a domain-specific language model for fundraising intelligence developed with Databricks; an expansion of Agents for Good™, including the Development Agent and new Data Health Agent; the rebuilt Raiser's Edge NXT® as a native cloud, AI-powered fundraising CRM; the introduction of Blackbaud Marketing™; new financial workflows with an Accounts Payable Agent, Payment Assistant™ (with BILL), and Deposit Connect™; and the Higher Education Connected Campus solution developed with Student First. These innovations were unveiled at Blackbaud's annual customer conference, bbcon, and are designed to help organizations identify growth opportunities and expand capacity.

• Blackbaud announced Platform for Good™, a unified operating system for social impact, at its bbcon conference.
• The platform comprises a Data Core, an Intelligence Layer powered by the Social Impact Signal Graph, and an Action Layer with AI assistants and agents.
• Blackbaud introduced Lantern, a domain-specific language model for fundraising intelligence, developed with Databricks.

Evalueserve Partners with Databricks to Accelerate Data and AI

Evalueserve, a global domain-led AI services firm, has announced a partnership with Databricks, the Data and AI company, to help enterprises modernize their data environments, strengthen data governance, and build trusted foundations for scaling analytics and AI. The collaboration combines the Databricks Data + AI Platform with Evalueserve's data engineering, AI, and domain expertise. Initial solutions include a Private Credit Intelligence Accelerator, a Data Quality Framework, and Automodel Generators. Evalueserve aims to deliver repeatable solutions that make complex enterprise data more usable and trusted, enabling organizations to accelerate AI adoption at scale.

• Evalueserve announced a partnership with Databricks.
• The partnership aims to help enterprises modernize data environments and scale AI.
• Initial solutions include Private Credit Intelligence Accelerator, Data Quality Framework, and Automodel Generators.

Databricks Acquires Row Zero, Plans More Startup Acquisitions

Databricks announced the acquisition of Row Zero, a startup offering cloud-based spreadsheets that can handle over a million live rows. The acquisition was driven by Databricks' finance team, who used Row Zero with Databricks' AI agent Genie for natural-language data queries. By integrating Row Zero, Databricks aims to provide a secure, spreadsheet-based interface for interacting with enterprise data, combining BI, AI agents, and familiar spreadsheet tools. Financial terms were not disclosed. Row Zero had raised $10 million in May 2025 at a $40 million valuation. Databricks, with $7 billion in annualized revenue, has been actively acquiring startups in 2026, including Quotient AI, SiftD.ai, Panther, and Electric, and plans more acquisitions. CEO Ali Ghodsi emphasized the strategic importance of spreadsheets as a user-friendly data interface.

• Databricks acquired Row Zero, a cloud spreadsheet startup.
• Row Zero was founded by former AWS and Tableau engineers.
• Row Zero raised $10 million in May 2025 at a $40 million valuation.

Hitachi and FANUC Enter Strategic Partnership toward Joint Commercialization of Physical AI Implementation

Hitachi and FANUC have entered a strategic partnership to jointly commercialize Physical AI implementation. Additionally, Hitachi has entered a strategic co-creation partnership with Agile Robots to develop intelligence for AI robotics.

US Approves First Small Modular Reactor at Clinch River

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) a construction permit for the first small modular reactor (SMR) in the United States, the GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300, at the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The permit was issued 14 months after application, four months ahead of schedule. The 300 MW reactor will power about 300,000 homes, with commercial operation planned for the early 2030s. The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the project with $400 million. The reactor aims to meet electricity demand from AI data centers, projected to consume 12% of U.S. power by 2030. Critics argue SMRs remain too expensive and slow, citing the cancellation of a NuScale project and higher-than-expected costs for Canada's first BWRX-300.

• NRC granted TVA a construction permit for the BWRX-300 SMR at Clinch River, Tennessee—the first for this reactor type in the U.S.
• The permit was issued 14 months after application, four months ahead of schedule.
• The reactor will have a 300 MW capacity, enough for about 300,000 homes.

Bosch Revenue Up, Profitability Down in H1

Bosch, the German technology and automotive supplier, reported a 3.6% increase in revenue to €46.4 billion in the first half of 2026, but its profitability declined. Adjusted EBIT fell to €2.2 billion, with the EBIT margin dropping to 4.6%. The revenue growth was largely driven by acquisitions, including the heating and cooling business from Johnson Controls and Hitachi. Special effects in the mobility business, such as impairments on production assets due to slower-than-expected e-mobility adoption, weighed on results. Net profit after taxes was around €1.1 billion. Despite the challenging environment, Bosch confirmed its full-year 2026 guidance of 2-5% revenue growth and an operating EBIT margin of 4-6%. CFO Markus Forschner emphasized cost reduction and competitiveness. Bosch also noted that it had posted a net loss in 2025, its first since the financial crisis.

• Bosch's H1 2026 revenue rose 3.6% to €46.4 billion.
• Adjusted EBIT fell from €2.3 billion to €2.2 billion in H1 2026.
• EBIT margin declined from 5.1% to 4.6% year-over-year.