Uncategorized Archives - Arizona Technology Council

Member News April 2026

News, updates and guest blog posts from Arizona Technology Council member companies for the month of January 2026.

Clean Energy News April 2026

News and updates related to clean energy, sustainability, clean tech, funding updates and more for the state of Arizona.

Employee Spotlight – Diana White

Image: Linkedin Inside the Council with Diana Diana White is a dynamic executive leader with over three decades of experience in retail, servant leadership, and entrepreneurship, driving innovation and economic growth across Arizona’s technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Her entrepreneurial/coaching career spans founding D.E.W. Business Solutions, LLC (2014), directing the C...

Shaping Federal Policy to Power Arizona Innovation: Highlights from the Arizona Technology Council’s 2026 DC Fly-In

In April, the Arizona Technology Council returned to Washington, D.C., for its annual DC Fly-In, bringing together Council leadership, members and national partners for a powerful agenda of policy engagement, collaboration and advocacy on behalf of Arizona’s fast-growing technology ecosystem. AZTC’s 2026 DC Fly-In Delegation: Arizona Technology Council Staff: Steven G. Zylstra, President a...

Comcast Business Guest Blog: From Data to Decisions: Unlocking the Power of Smart Technology

Comcast Business As enterprises deploy an ever‑growing web of internet-connected sensors, cameras, and digital touchpoints, they’re swimming in data. Yet, only organizations that can quickly transform that data into actionable insight will reap the full benefits of smart technology, like intelligent automation and more informed decision making across the enterprise.  Join us for a pra...

SRP Board of Directors Approves Temporary Summer Rate Decrease

SRP The Salt River Project (SRP) publicly elected Board of Directors approved a temporary overall 3 percent summer price decrease through a reduction in its Fuel and Purchased Power Adjustment Mechanism (FPPAM). This decrease, which is effective with the May 2026 billing cycle through the October 2026 billing cycle, will provide bill relief to customers during the hottest time of the y...

Phoenix Solar Co-op Aims to Cut Energy Costs

Signals AZ Nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors (SUN) announced the launch of the Phoenix Solar Co-op to help Phoenix-area residents go solar together. The solar co-op is an opportunity for local homeowners and small businesses to learn about solar energy and if it is right for them. “Going solar is a way to get ahead of rising energy costs,” said Jess White, Solar United Neighbors...

Avnet named 2026 CIO 100 Award winner for enterprise AI innovation

Avnet CIO 100 Award recognizes enterprise excellence and innovation in IT PHOENIX – Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT) has been named a 2026 CIO 100 Award winner for an internally developed AI-driven sales support project. The annual CIO 100 Awards recognize organizations that exemplify excellence and innovation in information technology and deliver measurable business value. Avnet’s AI project add...

SRP Brings 55 MW Solar Project Online

Image: inBusiness PHX InBusinessPHX Salt River Project’s first owned and operated solar facility, the 55-megawatt (MW) Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center (CCERC) PV Solar Project, is now serving customers. In addition to providing enough solar energy to power 11,000 Arizona homes for a year, the CCERC PV Solar Project is helping SRP teams research the effectiven...

TSMC Reports 35.1% YoY Revenue Growth in First Quarter

Image: inBusiness PHX InBusinessPHX TSMC announced consolidated revenue of NT$1,134.10 billion, net income of NT$572.48 billion, and diluted earnings per share of NT$22.08 for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Year-over-year, first quarter revenue increased 35.1%, while net income and diluted EPS both increased 58.3%. Compared to fourth quarter 2025, first quarter results r...

Crating Technology Guest Post: How Do Reusable Crating Systems Reduce Environmental Impact in the Supply Chain?

Reusable crating systems reduce environmental impact by minimizing material waste, lowering carbon emissions, and improving long-term logistics efficiency. They also support ESG goals while reducing total packaging costs over repeated shipments. Sustainability in industrial logistics has shifted from a preference to a requirement. Procurement teams are now evaluating vendors based ...

Lucid names new CEO

Image: Courtesy Lucid. 2024 LM Gravity at Super Charger Station inBusiness PHX Lucid Group Inc. has named a new leader, secured additional investment and expanded its robotaxi partnership with Uber and Nuro, the electric vehicle maker announced Tuesday. California-based Lucid (Nasdaq: LCID), which manufactures its vehicles south of Phoenix in Casa Grande, appointed Silvio Napoli as chief...

Comcast Business Guest Blog: Why Using AI to Detect Small Cybersecurity Anomalies Is a Big Deal

Comcast Business As the pace of technological change intensifies, so, too, does the volume and sophistication of cybersecurity threats, and enterprise leaders are taking notice. According to a World Economic Forum survey, 72% of organizations said their cyber risks have increased in the past year, and 63% cited the complex and evolving threat landscape as their greatest challenge to cyber ...

Nation’s First K-12 Semiconductor Training Cleanroom Opens in Phoenix

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusiness PHX Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), a public career and technical education school district, is expanding Arizona’s workforce pipeline with the opening of the nation’s first K-12 CTE advanced manufacturing cleanroom at its Northeast Campus in north Phoenix. Designed to replicate real-world semiconductor and advanced manufacturing enviro...

Intel joins Terafab project as chipmaker seeks manufacturing comeback

Phoenix Business Journal Intel Corp. is joining Elon Musk’s long-shot effort to build advanced semiconductors for Tesla Inc., SpaceX and xAI, marking an unexpected alliance as the chipmaker works to reclaim its standing in a fiercely competitive industry. California-based Intel, which has major chip factories in Arizona, said Tuesday it will help the so-called Terafab project “ref...

New solar farms in Cochise County bring renewable energy to over 90,000 homes across the state of Arizona.

Apache Solar II, a large-scale solar and battery energy storage project in Cochise County, officially entered commercial operation Dec. 5, adding renewable capacity to ED3’s system. [Image: ED3] inBusiness PHX TEP and Arizona Electric Power Cooperative are changing how they collect power by building new solar farms in Cochise County. Combined, the companies are bringing renewable energy ...

ASU Breaks Ground on Downtown Phoenix Health Headquarters

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusiness PHX General contractor McCarthy Building Companies, with its design partners, CO Architects and DFDG Architects joined university and state leaders to break ground on Arizona State University’s new Health Headquarters building in downtown Phoenix. The approximately 175,000-square-foot, five-story facility being constructed in the downtown Phoenix...

Five Arizona Utilities Fund Grants for Communities Impacted by Coal Transition

inBusiness PHX Five organizations serving Arizona communities impacted by the transition away from coal-fired power plants will receive grant funds to support their local economies from the Utility Grant Funding Program. The program is jointly funded by Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Tucson Electric Power and provides critical support to develop new, sustainable eco...

Six Arizona entrepreneurs named to Inc.’s Female Founders 500 Including Vivian Valenty from VB Cosmetics

Vivian Valenty, the founder of the quick-drying nail care system Dazzle Dry is one of six Arizona women who made the 2026 Inc Female Founder 500 list. Jim Poulin | Phoenix Business Journal inBusiness PHX Several Valley women made the 2026 Inc. Female Founders 500 list. Six Arizona honorees were on The 500 list, which was announced earlier this month. Some were additionally r...

Phoenix Commits $50M to ASU Health, Expanding Bioscience Core

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusiness PHX Mayor Kate Gallego and the City Council approved a $50 million investment into ASU Health, which will house ASU’s John Shufelt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering on the Phoenix Bioscience Core in downtown. The Council’s vote—a unanimous one—pledges an additional $38 million from the City’s Sports Facility, Biosciences, and Touri...

Crating Technology Guest Post: How Phoenix Industries Solve Complex Logistics with On-Site Custom Crating

For Phoenix-based businesses in the semiconductor, aerospace, and medical sectors, shipping high-value assets is a high-stakes operation. Moving sensitive equipment to a third-party packing facility often introduces unnecessary handling risks and potential for damage. To mitigate these variables, many local operations are pivoting toward on-site solutions, utilizing the best custom crating ...

Phantom Space acquires Utah thermal tech firm to speed orbital data center

Phantom Space Corp. plans to accelerate development of its rocket launch vehicle after acquiring assets and intellectual property from Vector Launch Inc. Image: Phantom Space Phoenix Business Journal Phantom Space Co. has made another key acquisition that the Tucson-based company says will speed up development of an orbital data center system it is building. With the acquisition ...

Member News March 2026

News, updates and guest blog posts from Arizona Technology Council member companies for the month of January 2026.

Clean Energy News March 2026

News and updates related to clean energy, sustainability, clean tech, funding updates and more for the state of Arizona.

Impact Sales Advisors Guest Blog: Is Your Sales Performance Down? The Culprit? Your Sales System.

By Mark Sutter, Founder of Impact Sales Advisors If your revenue has felt heavier the past two years, you’re not alone. Here’s the reality many sales teams have experienced in recent years: Quota attainment is down across many sales organizations over the past two years. • Sales productivity has declined amid longer sales cycles and lower conversion rates. • B2B buyers p...

Arizona Chamber Launches AI Initiative Focused on Policy and Innovation

inBusinessPHX The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry announced the launch of the AZ AI Leadership Initiative, a coalition of industry experts, business leaders, and policymakers working to strengthen Arizona’s leadership in next-generation technology, digital infrastructure, and workforce development. The initiative will focus on advancing smart technology policy, bolster...

ACA Program Drives AI Startup’s U.S. Market Entry

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusinessPHX TUBR, a Sheffield-based artificial intelligence and predictive analytics startup, is launching commercial trials of its TUBR Pulse analytics platform in Phoenix, Arizona, following participation in a trade program facilitated by the Arizona Commerce Authority. The expansion marks TUBR’s first entry into the United States market and represents a ...

GateWay Community College’s Danny Fisher Selected for Prestigious National CTE Leadership Fellowship

Dean of Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, and Trades Named to 2026 NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Leaders Fellowship Cohort PHOENIX, Ariz. — GateWay Community College is proud to announce that Danny Fisher, Dean of Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, and Trades, has been selected as a Fellow in the 2026 NextLevel Postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship, ...

Honeywell Aerospace Inks $500M Agreement with U.S. Department of War

inBusiness PHX Honeywell Aerospace announced it has signed a groundbreaking supplier framework agreement with the U.S. Department of War (DoW) to rapidly increase the production of critical defense technologies. This agreement includes a $500 million multi-year investment to upgrade the company’s production capacity. Honeywell Aerospace is among the first Tier 1 supp...

Salt River Project inks deal with Invenergy for 200-megawatt solar plant in Pinal County

Image: The Yuma Solar Energy Center built by Chicago power development company Invenergy LLC. Invenergy Phoenix Business Journal Arizona nonprofit utility company Salt River Project says it has entered an agreement with power infrastructure development company Invenergy LLC to build a new solar and battery storage project. Called SunDog Energy Center and located in Pinal County south ...

$75M Carbon-Free Cooling Plant Breaks Ground in Phoenix Bioscience Core

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusinessPHX Cordia celebrated the groundbreaking of Energy Center Phoenix Plant 4, a new state-of-the-art, carbon-free chilled water facility located in the heart of Phoenix’s Biomedical Core. The ceremony, held on March 18, 2026 at 709 N. 6th Street, was attended by key partners including the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Phoenix Bioscienc...

SkySong Marks Two Decades as Tech, Innovation Anchor in Scottsdale

SanTan Valley SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of growth from a bold concept into one of Arizona’s most influential hubs for technology, entrepreneurship and global business. The project, developed through a partnership between Plaza Companies, Arizona State University and the City of Scottsdale, was launched...

New Solar and Battery Project Planned in Pinal County to Help Power Valley Homes

SanTan Valley A new solar and battery storage project planned for Pinal County could soon help provide electricity for thousands of homes across the Valley, including many SRP customers in San Tan Valley and nearby communities. Salt River Project (SRP) recently announced an agreement with energy company Invenergy to build the SunDog Energy Center, a project that will add 200 megawatts o...

Arizona utility regulators voted to repeal renewable energy standards. What it means for taxpayers

KJZZ Arizona utility regulators earlier March formally voted to repeal the state’s renewable energy standards. The Corporation Commission, though, had been taking steps for some time that signaled this was the direction it was headed. The standards had been in effect since 2006. They required regulated utilities, like APS and Tucson Electric Power, to get at least 15% of their energy ...

Employee Spotlight – Cepand Alizadeh

Image: Linkedin Inside the Council with Cepand Cepand Alizadeh is a licensed attorney who joined the Arizona Technology Council in 2025 as the association’s government relations specialist. A Washington, D.C.-area native and first-generation college student, Cepand attended the University of Virginia where he majored in Foreign Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies and Georgetown U...

Comcast Business Guest Post: How AI is Reshaping Unified Communications

Image: Comcast Business Comcast Business AI is transforming unified communications by significantly enhancing workflow management between customer-facing and back-office employees, streamlining data flow, and improving decision-making. By 2026, most enterprises will adopt AI-enabled cloud communication APIs to enhance personalized customer and employee engagement, driving better business outc...

Arevon Energy taps internal leader as CEO after record-breaking year of financing

Phoenix Business Journal Arevon Energy Inc., the Scottsdale developer and operator of large-scale solar and battery storage projects nationwide, has named Justin Johnson as CEO. Johnson, who has been with the company since 2021, had previously been Arevon’s chief operating officer but was moved into the interim CEO slot in February after former CEO Justin Smith departed. Smith j...

Raytheon snags $8.41 billion contract modification for missile defense work

Phoenix Business Journal The Tucson-based missile manufacturing operation of Raytheon racked up a number of multibillion-dollar contracts in 2025, and this past week provided an indication that momentum is set to continue. The U.S. military’s Missile Defense Agency on March 18 announced that it awarded Raytheon an $8.41 billion contract modification that boosted the ceiling of an o...

Optical Perspectives Guest Post: Women’s History Month – Why is Tucson called Optics Valley?

Optical Perspectives Group By: Bob Parks of Optical Perspectives Group Since it’s Women’s History month, a question from my lawyer (a woman) about why Tucson is called “Optics Valley” reminded me of two influential women who are largely responsible for that legacy. The first is Lavinia Steward of Oracle, Arizona, who made the largest private donation to the University of Arizona up to...

$400M plastics plant set to open in Eloy, promising $1B economic impact

Phoenix Business Journal A $400 million plastics “upcycling” facility that promises more than 100 jobs, hundreds of construction positions and more than $1 billion in projected economic impact is set to open this year in Eloy. The project will position the city as Freepoint Eco-Systems’ Southwest hub for advanced recycling. The Connecticut-based company develops large-scale �...

Apple to buy more than 100 million chips from TSMC’s Arizona fab by year’s end

Apple Inc. plans to buy more than 100 million computer chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s fab site in Arizona by the end of the year, the California-based company announced Tuesday. Image: TSMC Phoenix Business Journal Apple Inc. plans to buy more than 100 million computer chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s fab site in Arizona by the end of t...

Phantom Space acquires rival’s tech to accelerate Arizona rocket development

Phantom Space Corp. plans to accelerate development of its rocket launch vehicle after acquiring assets and intellectual property from Vector Launch Inc. Image: Phantom Space Phoenix Business Journal Phantom Space Corp. plans to accelerate development of its rocket launch vehicle after acquiring assets and intellectual property from Vector Launch Inc., a former Tucson-based start...

Autonomous Trucking to Put $9 Billion Back in U.S. Consumers’ Pockets Annually by 2035

Aurora is committing $1 million to its Aurora Works initiative to establish educational partnerships and technical training programs for the autonomous trucking industry. (Credit: Aurora) Aurora News Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today highlighted findings from a new report revealing that autonomous freight is already a multi-billion dollar bolster for the $1 trillion dollar U....

Comcast Business Guest Post: A New Era in Cybersecurity

Image: Royalty Free, Comcast Business Comcast Business As threats intensify, speedy detection and mitigation are key. For a long time, companies viewed cybersecurity through the prism of prevention—building higher walls and wider moats around their corporate networks in hopes of fending off potential intrusions. When the network perimeter was clearly defined and confined, that strategy m...

Real estate mogul Mike Ingram tapped to lead GCU honors college expansion

This rendering shows an interior view of the newly proposed Sheila and Mike Ingram Honors College on the Grand Canyon University campus in Phoenix. Image: GCU Phoenix Business Journal Grand Canyon University has selected a top Valley real estate developer to bear the name of its expanding honors college. To be named the Sheila and Mike Ingram Honors College, the honors college wil...

Axon stock surges after revealing AI products and strong revenue growth

Phoenix Business Journal Axon Enterprise Inc.’s stock price skyrocketed Wednesday after the company revealed strong revenue growth and a flurry of AI powered products. The Scottsdale-based company behind Tasers, body-worn cameras and other technologies for law enforcement and the military saw its shares spike 25% Wednesday, following the release of its fourth quarter earn...

Cybersecurity Readiness Advisors Guest Blog: Navigating the Ripple Effects: How “Operation Fury” and Geopolitical Tensions Are Reshaping Cyber Insurance in 2026

Cybersecurity Readiness Advisors By Dara Gibson, CEO Cybersecurity Readiness Advisors The digital landscape has always reflected global events, but the recent operational shift has sent shockwaves far beyond the intended targets. For risk managers, C-suites, and cybersecurity professionals, “Operation Fury”, the major joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iranian infrast...

Tribal clean energy funding dropped $1.5B. Tribes are finding another way.

Solar panels operate at the Kayenta Solar Plant in Kayenta, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. Photo: Neeta Lind/Flickr Tucson Sentinel Across tribal nations, hosting a convening with dinner and a tour of an ambitious new project is a familiar scene. But for David Harper, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and CEO of the newly created tribal energy financing organization Huurav, ...

New report shows Arizona added a record amount of solar capacity in 2025

KJZZ New data shows that Arizona installed a record amount of solar capacity last year. Arizona added nearly 2-gigwatts of solar power, bringing the total amount statewide to about 11.5 gigawatts. To put that in perspective, APS’ peak demand last year was more than 8 and a half gigawatts. The gains were the largest among utilities, followed by residential and commercial sectors. W...

Amazon-Backed Robotaxi Co. to Debut in Phoenix, Plans for Operations Hub

Image: inBusiness PHX inBusiness PHX Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous taxi spin-off, announced that they are launching operations in Arizona, beginning with Phoenix, and expanding testing in Texas to Dallas. To support its growing operations, the company will also be opening new depots in Phoenix and Dallas, as well as a new Fusion Center facility in Scottsdale, creating hundreds of jobs ...