Hitachi vs Schneider Electric

Investor Presentation Released: Hitachi

AI parsed presentation narrative: Hitachi is successfully executing its 'Social Innovation Business' strategy, achieving a 20% year-over-year revenue increase driven by massive demand in the Energy and Digital Systems sectors. Management is actively optimizing its portfolio by moving high-growth industrial digital businesses into the Digital Systems segment and pursuing strategic M&A in the mobility sector. Key tailwinds mentioned: Global Energy Transition, Digital Transformation (DX) Momentum.

EU Tech Leaders Urge 25% Budget for Critical Tech

At DIGITALEUROPE's Executive Board Strategy Days in Brussels, tech industry leaders urged the EU to dedicate 25% of its next multi-annual budget (2028-2034) to critical and digital technologies. They called for a binding 32% electrification target by 2030, faster grid permits, and protection of the proposed €450 billion European Competitiveness Fund. The proposals aim to strengthen Europe's energy security, digital infrastructure, and startup scale-up capabilities, addressing the region's high energy costs and geopolitical exposure.

• DIGITALEUROPE urges 25% of EU budget for critical technologies.
• Calls for binding 32% electrification target by 2030.
• Proposes EU grid permits within 12 months.

The Drum B2B Awards 2026 Reveal AI Efficiency Gains, Creative Gap

The Drum analyzed over 500 entries for its 2026 B2B Awards, alongside anonymized judge call recordings, to assess the state of B2B marketing. The findings show that AI is widely credited for efficiency gains, with over half of entries citing improved outcomes, including cost reductions and faster asset production. However, only 5% of entries openly credited AI for creative work, revealing industry discomfort. Storytelling, emotion, and humor are now standard practice, and brand and demand metrics are increasingly reported together. Trust is shifting to industry voices, with 20% of entries using them. Notably, only 3% of entries reported measurable results from AI answer engines, indicating an untapped frontier in marketing to machines. The analysis suggests AI has won the efficiency argument, while human creativity remains central, and marketing to AI engines is a major growth opportunity.

• Over 500 entries were analyzed for The Drum Awards for B2B 2026.
• Just over half of entries credited AI with improving business or marketing outcomes.
• Only 5% of entries credited AI with helping in the creative process.

CISA: Hackers Hit 100+ U.S. Water Systems in July

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported that more than 100 internet-exposed systems in the U.S. water and wastewater sector were targeted by cyberattacks in July. The attacks largely targeted programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from multiple manufacturers — including Rockwell, Schneider Electric, and Siemens — and relied in part on AI tools to produce scripts capable of exploiting vulnerable PLCs. While the intrusions have caused outages and disruptions during investigations, they have had little effect on water supplies. U.S. officials say intelligence points to Iran as the likely actor but have not made a definitive attribution. The incidents raise broader concerns about the cybersecurity and resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure.

• CISA observed cyberattacks targeting over 100 internet-exposed systems across the U.S. water and wastewater sector in July.
• Attackers largely targeted programmable logic controllers (PLCs) made by manufacturers including Rockwell, Schneider Electric, and Siemens.
• CISA said the cyberattacks relied in part on AI tools to develop scripts capable of targeting vulnerable Siemens PLCs.