Schneider Electric vs TotalEnergies

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.

TotalEnergies signe un accord avec GIP portant sur des actifs d'infrastructures énergétiques en Afrique

TotalEnergies a conclu un accord de partenariat avec Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), société du groupe BlackRock, portant sur des actifs d'infrastructure pétroliers et gaziers en Afrique. En contrepartie d'un apport en capital de 1,8 milliard USD, TotalEnergies versera à GIP une rémunération en fonction des volumes transitant dans ces infrastructures sur une période pouvant aller jusqu'à 15 ans.

TotalEnergies Signs an Agreement with GIP on African Energy Infrastructure Assets

TotalEnergies has entered into a partnership agreement with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, relating to TotalEnergies' interests in some oil & gas infrastructure assets in Africa. In exchange for a US$1.8 billion capital contribution, TotalEnergies will pay GIP a throughput-based tariff over a period of up to 15 years.

TotalEnergies devient propriétaire à 100 % de l'usine de recyclage chimique de plastiques de Grandpuits

Dans le cadre de la restructuration du capital de Plastic Energy, partenaire (35%) de TotalEnergies (65%) dans l'usine de recyclage chimique de Grandpuits, TotalEnergies a convenu de racheter auprès du nouvel actionnaire la participation de Plastic Energy dans cette usine désormais détenue à 100 % par TotalEnergies.