Member News July 2025 Archives - Arizona Technology Council

FPT Guest Blog: Elevating Arizona’s Skies: Data-Driven Solutions for Advanced Air Mobility

FPT Introduction: Arizona’s Ascent into the Era of Advanced Air Mobility The vibrant hum of innovation is growing louder across Arizona’s skies, signaling the dawn of a new transportation era: Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Imagine electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft seamlessly navigating urb...

Lucid Launches Collaborative to Further Strengthen Supply Chain for American Automotive and EV Manufacturing

inBusiness PHX Lucid Group, Inc., maker of the world’s most advanced electric vehicles, announced it has joined with critical mineral producers Alaska Energy Metals, Graphite One, Electric Metals, and RecycLiCo, to help accelerate the development of domestic critical mineral resources and the procurement of these minerals for use in automotive manufac...

Uber partners with Lucid, Nuro for ambitious robotaxi program

A rendering of a robotaxi that will soon go into production in a joint venture between Lucid Group, Uber and Nuro. Uber Technologies Phoenix Business Journal Story Highlights Uber partners with Lucid and Nuro for robotaxi program 20,000 autonomous vehicles planned for global deployment over six years Uber to invest millions in Lucid ...

ASU and SEMI Partner to Upskill Semiconductor Talent

inBusiness PHX SEMI, the industry association serving the global semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, announced it has partnered with Arizona State University to expand access to high-impact, on-demand training for the global semiconductor workforce. The newly launched courses, available through the SEMI University learn...

Benchmark Completes Key Role in U.S. Manufacturing and Testing for Intel’s Aurora Exascale Supercomputer

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: BHE), a global provider of engineering, design, and manufacturing services, announced the successful commissioning and validation of the Aurora exascale supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory. Benchmark collaborated closely with Intel to provide manufacturing, test development, and test support for Aurora. Argonne’...

ACA’s New Coalition Aims to Make Arizona the Best State to Start a Business

inBusiness PHX The Arizona Commerce Authority and Arizona business leaders announced the launch of the Arizona Small Business Growth Coalition, a statewide alliance of trusted small business providers committed to advancing Arizona’s economic vitality through entrepreneurship. Convened by the Arizona Commerce Authority, the coalition will foster alignment, co...

SRP opens applications for free solar system program for nonprofits

Daily Independent Salt River Project (SRP) is accepting applications for its Solar for Nonprofits Program, which provides free solar energy systems to one qualifying nonprofit organizations in the Valley each year. The application period is open now through Aug. 15. The program is designed to help nonprofits lower their energy costs and reduce carbon emiss...

Lucid Adds Hands-Free Drive Assist and Hands-Free Lane Change Assist as Next Step in ADAS / AD Roadmap

Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID), maker of the world’s most advanced electric vehicles, today announced a major update to its DreamDrive® Pro suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to deliver Hands-Free Drive Assist and Hands-Free Lane Change Assist1 to its award-winning lineup of electric vehicles. These and other vehicle enhancements will be available as an over-the-air (OTA) ...

Rep. Gosar’s La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act passes the House

Parker Pioneer Legislation introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, requiring the Secretary of the Interior to convey 3,400 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to La Paz County to help maximize renewable energy generation and storage capabilities has passed the House of Representatives. In a press release, Gosar said that H.R. 1043 will help “enhance...

Comcast Business Guest Blog: Hospitality Technology Trends for 2025 and Beyond

Comcast Business Hospitality is undergoing a digital transformation driven by evolving guest expectations, labor shortages, and sustainability demands. This report outlines how emerging technologies are reshaping the guest journey from pre-booking to checkout while improving operational efficiency and workforce manage...

Chetu Guest Blog Post: AI Chatbots and Agentic AI Offer Different Solutions that Save Money for Businesses

By Rick Heicksen Director of Sales at Chetu Graphics by Chetu The truth about Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that one size doesn’t fit all, and versatility doesn’t mean interchangeability. As AI comes increasingly to the fore, it is imperative to understand the different aspects of this emerging technology so your enterprise can find the correct solution to meet its needs. What is a Chatbo...

TSMC sales surge in first half of 2025, riding wave of AI chip demand

Phoenix Business Journal Story Highlights TSMC reports $60.5 billion sales in first half of 2025 TSMC expects AI-related chip revenue to double in 2025 Rick Cassidy recently stepped down as director of TSMC’s Arizona subsidiary Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has seen a recent executive shakeup at its Arizona operations amid its record-settin...

Aurora Begins Commercial Driverless Trucking in Texas, Ushering in a New Era of Freight

Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) has successfully launched its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas. Following the closure of its safety case, Aurora began regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston this week. To date, the Aurora Driver has completed over 1,200 miles without a driver. The milestone makes Aurora the first comp...

Arizona Commerce Authority And Southwest Mission Acceleration Center Launch The Office Of Defense Innovation To Strengthen State’s Aerospace, Defense, And Technology Sector

Arizona Commerce Authority News The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), in partnership with the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (SW MAC) today announced the launch of the Arizona Office of Defense Innovation (ODI), a new public-private partnership that will expand Arizona’s aerospace and defense leadership. The strategic initiative will advanc...

Pipeline Design & Engineering Guest Blog Post: Scanning and Reverse Engineering in Product Development: Why It’s Not Just “Scan and Done”

Pipeline Design & Engineering, LLC In the world of modern product development, 3D scanning and reverse engineering have become indispensable tools. Whether you’re replicating a legacy part, developing compatible components, or digitizing a physical prototype, the promise of scanning is appealing: just scan the part and instantly get a CAD model ready ...

Delta Development Team Selected for $1.57M TACFI Opportunity to Advance Total Blood System (TBS)

Delta Development Team (DDT) is proud to announce that it has been selected for a $1.57 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) opportunity by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory. The phase IIB award represents a partnership between DDT, AFWERX, the 59th Medical Wing’s Office of t...

Lucid Grand Touring car breaks Guinness world record

Participants in Lucid Motors’ record-breaking run on one charge meet with a representative from Guinness World Records to receive the official certification. Dominic Fraser/Lucid Motors Casa Grande Dispatch Lucid Motors broke a Guinness world record last weekend in Europe when a Grand Touring car achieved the longest recorded journe...

FPT Guest Blog: Transforming Arizona’s Tech Landscape: Private Equity Solutions for Digital Evolution

FPT Introduction: Powering Arizona’s Digital Future with Private Equity The vibrant business landscape of Arizona is experiencing unprecedented growth, with technology at its heart. A significant driver of this expansion is the increasing influence of private equity (PE) firms, investing strategically in companies pois...

AZTC Advocacy Update: Full R&D Expensing Restored, a Boost for Arizona Tech Companies

The Arizona Technology Council is celebrating a major legislative win for innovation and tech-driven businesses across our state and the nation. Last week, Congress passed legislation that includes critical reforms to Section 174 of the U.S. tax code, restoring full and permanent expensing for research and development (R&D) investments, a long...

9 months in: How Amazon’s drone delivery service is doing in Phoenix

Amazon recently expanded its presence in the West Valley, signing multiple leases for buildings amounting to millions of square feet. Hailey Mensik Phoenix Business Journal Story Highlights Amazon launched drone delivery in Phoenix, serving 7-mile radius FAA approved Amazon’s drones to fly beyond visual line Amazon plans t...

Lucid shares gain on record-breaking vehicle deliveries in Q2

Lucid recently hosted a grand opening celebration for its Phoenix Hub (pictured), which is the former Nikola headquarters building. Cedric Owens Phoenix Business Journal Story Highlights Lucid Group’s shares rose 5.3% after record Q2 deliveries Lucid delivered 3,309 vehicles, up 38% from las...

Comcast Business Guest Blog: How AI is Reshaping Unified Communications

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 a...

Chandler manufacturer VB Cosmetic’s quick-dry nail system sparks multimillion-dollar beauty empire

Founder Vivian Valenty at her Chandler manufacturing facility for VB Cosmetics, the producer of Dazzle Dry, a nail polish brand. Jim Poulin | Phoenix Business Journal Phoenix Business Journal Story Highlights VB Cosmetics developed Dazzle Dry, a quick-drying, nontoxic manicure system The company g...

Avnet empowers future STEM leaders through 2024-2025 Mini Grant Program

As part of Avnet’s ongoing commitment to advancing STEM education and community engagement, the company launched the Avnet Mini Grant initiative in partnership with the SciTech Institute in 2024. Initially launched with a $10,000 investment, the program is designed to support the implementation of Chief Science Officer (CSO) Action Plans. These are...

Crating Technology Guest Blog: Engineering Precision in Motion: How an Arizona Company Helped Preserve a Record-Breaking Aircraft

In the heart of Arizona’s innovation corridor, where aerospace engineering meets advanced manufacturing, a remarkable collaboration unfolded—one that didn’t involve designing a new aircraft, but rather protecting a historic one. When Laminar Magic, a record-breaking experimental aircraft designed by physicist and aerodynamicist Alex Strojnik, needed to be shipped across the globe to ...

ASU moves up among top-ranked universities in the world for 2026

Professor Kelly Knudson points to locations where specimens have been collected for the Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at ASU. The university has been ranked highly for its international research network in the latest QS World University Rankings. Deanna Dent/ASU ...

Energy Developer Secures $600M in Funding for Expansion

inBusiness PHX Arevon Energy, Inc., a leading American energy developer, owner, and operator, announced the successful closing of a $600 million credit facility, with the option to increase up to $850 million, to support its expanding portfolio of diverse, high-quality renewable energy projects across the United States. The facility includes a $350 mill...