SAN FRANCISCO, CA — June 17, 2026 — Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) today announced a $26 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund in support of the FireSat program — a satellite constellation that will generate an unprecedented, near real-time global dataset on wildfire and its effects on the planet and our communities. The grant, the largest single philanthropic commitment to wildfire detection to date, will fund the launch and operations of the first three operational FireSat satellites set to go into orbit in Q3 2026, and includes dedicated support for on-the-ground adoption and use of FireSat data by fire agencies, land managers, and communities in the Amazon Basin, one of the most fire-vulnerable regions on Earth.

The Bezos Earth Fund commitment brings EFA’s total funding to $69.2M to date, reflecting a growing coalition of mission-aligned supporters that also includes $15.5M in funding from Google.org, $12.5M from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, and $15.2M from additional, anonymous, and individual supporters.

The FireSat protoflight, which launched in March 2025, is already collecting sample data and demonstrating the powerful impact FireSat will have on communities worldwide. By the end of 2026, FireSat’s first operational satellites will provide wildfire monitoring at least twice daily over the world’s more fire-prone geographies, including a near-term focus on the Amazon Basin.

By 2029, the growing FireSat constellation will detect fires as small as 5×5 meters—roughly the size of a standard shipping container—anywhere on the planet within 1 hour, enabling earlier intervention when necessary to prevent large, catastrophic fires. Once fully operational in the early 2030s with approximately 50 satellites, FireSat will monitor every point on Earth every 20 minutes or less. With this unprecedented capability to detect small fires in near real-time, there is vast potential to protect homes, communities, and biodiversity while also reducing carbon emissions from wildfires by an estimated 5–10% annually.

Early wildfire detection is among the highest-leverage interventions available. Developed for EFA by space systems company Muon Space, FireSat represents a fundamental leap in how the world detects, responds to, and understands wildfires. These advanced infrared satellites can detect small, cool fires within minutes of ignition and deliver high-resolution data to fire agencies and scientists in near real time.

“At the Bezos Earth Fund, we’re focused on supporting innovation that helps solve some of the hardest challenges in climate and nature, and breakthrough technology that addresses the challenges with uncontrolled wildfires is an important area that our funding can help move forward, faster,” said Tom Taylor, Bezos Earth Fund President and CEO. “Advancing detection and prevention technologies such as FireSat have incredible potential to better protect homes and communities, preserve forests and biodiversity, and reduce emissions, and we’re excited to be working together on these areas.”

EFA operates on a public-private-philanthropic partnership, or “P4” model, uniting commercial innovation, end-user co-development, and philanthropic and government investment around a shared goal: collecting and delivering critical wildfire data to every corner of the globe. Radical collaboration across sectors is one of the nonprofit’s core operating principles and was fundamental to the development of FireSat.

“The Bezos Earth Fund’s commitment to Earth Fire Alliance and the FireSat program sends an unmistakable signal,” said EFA Executive Director Brian Collins. “With the support of global, high-impact organizations like Bezos Earth Fund—alongside Google.org, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, other funders, and the wildfire community that helped shape this technology—Earth Fire Alliance and FireSat will bring critical new tools to firefighters, scientists, and policymakers in their efforts to strengthen wildfire resilience. The combined expertise, resources, and credibility of EFA’s growing, global coalition helps us not only build and launch innovative technology but also ensures our mission doesn’t end in orbit, and that this unprecedented data will reach the firefighters, land managers, and communities who need it most.”

Fire agencies and scientific organizations worldwide helped shape FireSat’s design and have already committed to use its data, partnering with EFA through its Early Adopter program. Their participation reflects the urgent, practical demand for faster, more reliable fire data on the ground. In addition to agencies and organizations in the Amazon region, FireSat Early Adopters include leading fire organizations in California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Africa, Australia, and Portugal.

As the FireSat constellation grows, EFA is building additional programs to ensure its data is globally accessible and actionable. FireConnect will work with communities, firefighters, land managers, and researchers globally to connect wildfire data to on-the-ground decision-making. FireImpact will translate FireSat’s global dataset and EFA’s growing partner network into actionable scientific knowledge, informing fire management strategies that minimize devastating impacts while preserving fire’s essential role in healthy ecosystems.

About Earth Fire Alliance

Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) is a global nonprofit coalition building the technological infrastructure the world needs to detect, monitor, and understand fire — and delivering critical data to the firefighters, scientists, and communities who need it most. EFA’s flagship program, FireSat, is the first satellite constellation designed specifically to address the wildfire challenge: generating an unprecedented dataset on fire and its effects on people and the planet. EFA partners with operational agencies, scientists, and technologists across continents to make fire data globally accessible, actionable, and available for the public good. 

EFA Media Contact: Kristin Q. Cody, press@earthfirealliance.org

About the Bezos Earth Fund

The Bezos Earth Fund, guided by the belief that Earth is the best planet in this solar system, works to protect and restore the natural world. Working with partners around the globe, we are developing innovative solutions to ensure the planet remains a place we can — and want to — live on. Based in the United States, the organization is led by CEO Tom Taylor, under the direction of Chairman Jeff Bezos and Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez Bezos. To learn more, visit: bezosearthfund.org

Source: Earth Fire Alliance

Company Contributes to 300mm Wafer-Scale Superconducting Qubit Manufacturing and Workforce Development

ELMSFORD, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SEEQC, Inc. (“SEEQC” or the “Company”), a developer and manufacturer of scalable, energy efficient digital chips for quantum computing systems, today announced its participation in a four-year Microelectronics Commons Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH) program. As one of eight U.S. Microelectronics Commons hubs, NORDTECH collaborates with regional partners across New York State and the United States to enable innovative R&D projects and advance critical lab-to-fab innovations in direct support of Department of War objectives, while also supporting workforce development goals.

The NORDTECH project is aimed at advancing scalable fabrication of superconducting qubits using next-generation materials on 300mm industrial-grade silicon wafers. SEEQC is a subcontractor to NY CREATES (Albany, NY) and collaborates with academic, industry, and government partners including Cornell University, NYU, Princeton University, Syracuse University, Quantum Circuits / D-Wave, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The program focuses on improving materials such as tantalum (Ta) and tantalum nitride (TaN) for high-coherence qubit fabrication and establishing scalable manufacturing processes within a U.S.-based 300mm wafer fabrication environment.

SEEQC’s role includes:

• Developing a high-throughput, high-fidelity cryogenic qubit evaluation platform
• Providing performance feedback to fabrication teams
• Development of one of the world’s first quantum Process Design Kits (PDK) within the Cadence EDA ecosystem
• Supporting integration of qubit designs compatible with SEEQC’s digital SFQ-based control architecture

Scaled, standardized quantum chip processing is expected to accelerate research, improve fabrication repeatability, and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities.

“Industrial-scale quantum fabrication requires both materials innovation and reliable evaluation infrastructure,” said Dr. Oleg Mukhanov, Chief Scientific Officer of SEEQC. “Our work supports the transition from laboratory-scale experimentation to repeatable, scalable quantum chip production.”

“The U.S. Microelectronics Commons hubs, like NORDTECH, are foundational to building resilient U.S. semiconductor and quantum supply chains,” said John Levy, CEO of SEEQC. “SEEQC is proud to contribute our expertise in digital superconducting technology to a national effort aimed at accelerating quantum innovation.”

The program also includes workforce development initiatives, including educational content and experiential internship opportunities across participating institutions.

About SEEQC
SEEQC is building quantum computers on a chip. SEEQC’s digital chip technology is designed to make quantum systems scalable, energy efficient, and commercially viable. The company operates advanced chip development and fabrication facilities in the United States and Europe. More than three-quarters of SEEQC’s workforce hold Ph.D. degrees across physics, electrical engineering, materials science, computer science, and related disciplines.

Contacts

Media & Investor Contact: SEEQC@icrinc.com

Source: Businesswire

CHINO HILLS, CALIFORNIA — May 2026 — King Energy, the nationwide leader in multi-tenant commercial solar, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Shoppes at Chino Hills, marking a milestone for the property, its tenants, and the broader Chino Hills community. The event, hosted in partnership with Dunhill Partners, was attended by property management, King Energy leadership, and City Council Member Peter Rogers.

The Shoppes at Chino Hills represents a significant milestone project for King Energy, combining technical sophistication with meaningful impact for tenants, ownership, and the broader community.

Behind the project is a highly coordinated multi-array solar system designed to maximize onsite clean energy generation across the property.

“This is a five-point interconnection system with five different solar arrays tied into the local power grid, so there is a lot of complexity here,” said Rob Porter, Chief Commercial Officer at King Energy. “The cumulative impact is close to two million kilowatt hours of emissions-free clean energy being generated and consumed on site by local businesses. Tenants here are saving money and using clean energy. The property owner has a new rent-paying tenant in King Energy. And the community benefits from distributed solar generated right here at the city center. That is the King Energy model working as designed.”

The Shoppes at Chino Hills has become a central gathering place and city center of Chino Hills, drawing residents daily for coffee, lunch, errands, and local retail. For Dunhill Partners, the investment reflects a long-term commitment to the property and the businesses that depend on it.

“The ownership team at Dunhill Partners has always been committed to making smart, long-term investments in the property,” said Darryll Goodman, General Manager of The Shoppes at Chino Hills. “From local small businesses to national retailers, tenants across the property now have access to discounted clean energy generated right here on site. That supports the businesses, invests in the long-term future of the property, and reflects the kind of thoughtful growth this community values.”

City Council Member Peter Rogers attended the ceremony and spoke to the significance of the project for Chino Hills and its potential to serve as a model for commercial properties across the region.

“This project is more than just panels on a roof,” said Council Member Rogers. “It represents a serious commitment to sustainability and forward-thinking investment in our community. The Shoppes at Chino Hills is essentially our city center, and when our retail partners take the lead on initiatives like this, they make our community stronger and more attractive to residents and visitors alike. I hope this serves as a fantastic example for other commercial properties to follow.”

The Chino Hills installation is part of King Energy’s broader mission to deliver financial and environmental value to commercial properties and the communities surrounding them. By generating clean energy directly where it is consumed, projects like this help support local businesses, reduce strain on the grid, and create long-term value for property owners and tenants alike.

King Energy manages all aspects of the system, from installation and permitting through long-term operations and tenant billing. Its enterprise-grade software platform, OneBill™, consolidates utility and solar charges into a single transaction, simplifying participation for tenants and eliminating operational burden for property owners.

King Energy thanks Dunhill Partners, the City of Chino Hills, Southern California Edison, and the entire project team for their collaboration and partnership in bringing this system to life.

Source: King Energy

• Collaboration to combine radiography, computed tomography and ultrasound capabilities to develop a full-lifecycle inspection solution for battery manufacturing, development and field service ​
• Joint inspection solution to be first in the market that can detect failure modes across the production lifecycle, providing battery manufacturers with cost efficiencies and higher yield productivity

Huerth, Germany and Emeryville, CA – March 31, 2026 – Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business and global leader in non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial and energy infrastructure inspection, and Liminal Insights, a pioneer in AI-driven ultrasound inspection for batteries, today announced a strategic technology and channel collaboration to deliver the industry’s first integrated multi-modal inspection solution for battery manufacturing.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate across battery manufacturing, technology development, and services inspection, including the development of next-generation probes and integrated service offerings. In addition, Waygate Technologies will be Liminal’s preferred channel and integration partner to battery gigafactory and other battery field customers, utilizing Liminal’s EchoStat inspection system across in-line inspections for high-volume battery production operations.

The goal of the joint effort is to deepen collaboration across manufacturing, technology development, and services. Both companies will explore joint product development, co-engineering of next-generation probes, and integrated service offerings for a fundamental inspection challenge that battery factories worldwide are facing: up to 90% of EV battery cells contain some form of anomaly, yet no single inspection technology can detect all failure modes across the production lifecycle.  
 

Collaboration to drive higher yield and cost efficiencies across the battery lifecycle

By bringing together the industrial computed tomography (CT) and radiography leadership of Waygate Technologies with Liminal’s real-time ultrasound AI analytics, the two companies will be able to offer a full-lifecycle inspection capability spanning cell production through to module assembly and field service.

For radiography and CT, the collaboration leverages CT systems from Waygate Technologies for quality assurance and failure analysis in laboratory environments, R&D-grade nano CT for cell development and materials characterization, and high energy CT for battery pack and module level inspection. The Waygate Technologies Krautkrämer product line adds ultrasound solutions from phased array electronics to advanced beam-forming algorithms and probes designed and purpose-built in house for industrial environments. Co-development with Liminal will combine the company’s proprietary array probe technology and signal processing electronics with Liminal’s EchoStat hardware platforms and AI analytics layer, creating a next-generation inline ultrasonic testing (UT) platform with superior sensitivity and production-line robustness.

Through the combination of multiple NDT modalities – X-ray CT as ground truth, ultrasound for inline screening, and machine learning to close the feedback loop with process data – manufacturers will gain earlier defect intervention, reduced end-of-line scrap, and data-driven process optimization.

“Even a fraction of a percent yield improvement at gigafactory scale translates to tens of millions in annual savings,” says Paul Perera, Director of Strategy, Technology & Partnerships at Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business. “The goal of combining the unique strengths of both companies is to significantly increase productivity for our customers.”

“Multi-modality is the future of battery inspection. Waygate Technologies’ global installed base and deep NDT heritage make them the ideal partner to scale our EchoStat in-line inspection systems,” adds Shaurjo Biswas, CEO, Liminal Insights. “Together, we offer battery manufacturers a single-source inspection solution from R&D through volume production that no competitor can match today.”
 

Proven Results at Battery R&D Center in the UK

Waygate Technologies maintains a presence at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry, UK – one of Europe’s leading battery process development facilities. A joint proof-of-concept program has tested over 400 battery cells through the combined UT and CT workflow, building a comprehensive battery data science dataset. The program has demonstrated that the multi-modal approach delivers over 10% cost savings versus single-modality inspection, with a further 12% improvement in defect capture rate.

The announcement of this strategic collaboration coincides with the commissioning of UKBIC’s new FIL line, providing an ideal environment to validate the integrated Waygate Technologies and Liminal inspection workflow at production-representative scale – from electrolyte filling through formation and aging – before deployment to commercial gigafactories.

Learn more and about the industrial inspection portfolio from Waygate Technologies and the partnership with Liminal:

• Waygate Technologies NDT for Batteries
• Waygate Technologies NDT for Battery and Automotive Manufacturers
• Waygate Technologies LinkedIn Channel
• Waygate Technologies YouTube Channel

The joint inspection solution is set to be the first on the market capable of detecting failure modes across the production lifecycle

Waygate Technologies’ Phoenix V|tome|x M Neo: The world‘s most flexible industrial dual-tube micro/nano CT scanner

Liminal’s EchoStat ARRAY: Ultrasonic inspection system for inline testing

Source: Baker Hughes

DENVER — Hatch, a global leader in engineering, project delivery, and professional services, and Hydrostor, a leading global long‑duration energy storage (LDES) developer and operator, have announced a new strategic project execution partnership and equity investment. Through this agreement, Hatch will lead the design and execution for the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center.

“Advancing a reliable and resilient energy system is more important than ever. Through our alignment with Hydrostor, we’re bringing forward what we view is the best-in-class long‑duration storage technology needed to reinforce global grid reliability for decades to come,” said Jim Sarvinis, global managing director, Energy, Hatch. “With a track record in complex, energy innovation projects, we’re driving momentum as committed stakeholders enabling a modern grid.”

“We’re pleased to announce this partnership with Hatch, which pairs Hydrostor’s leading long-duration energy storage technology with Hatch’s highly successful track record in delivering complex infrastructure projects,” said Tom Duckett, Hydrostor’s Chief Development Officer. “Willow Rock is going to be a key reliability asset in California as electricity demand grows, and we look forward to working towards groundbreaking this year.”

Beth Summers, Chief Financial Officer at Hydrostor, said “The equity agreement signals not only Hatch’s confidence in A-CAES technology, but also in Hydrostor as a business. Hatch joins an impressive list of leading equity investors in Hydrostor and we’re excited to work hand-in-hand with Hatch as we continue to grow our pipeline of projects globally.”

Willow Rock is a 500-MW Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) facility that is currently in late-stage development in California and which has received final permitting approvals from the California Energy Commission. It is designed to deliver 4,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy; it will be capable of delivering eight hours of clean, reliable energy on a full charge, providing vital long-duration storage for a modernized grid. As the largest A-CAES project in the world, Willow Rock showcases Hydrostor’s scalable technology.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to delivering transformative energy solutions. Hydrostor’s proven A-CAES technology enables a strong technical foundation, while Hatch’s investment in Hydrostor, alongside its deep experience in project execution, regulatory insight, and delivery agility, will help meet the rising demand for bankable long-duration energy storage.

The Willow Rock Energy Storage Center is slated to be the largest A-CAES project in the world, marking a major step forward in building the long-duration storage required for a resilient power grid.

About Hatch

Hatch is a global engineering, project delivery, and professional services firm. Whatever our clients envision, our teams can design and build. With seven decades of business and technical experience in the energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient, and innovative. We draw upon our 11,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve. Find out more on www.hatch.com/About-Us

About Hydrostor Inc. 

Hydrostor is a leading developer and operator of long duration energy storage systems, leveraging a proven, patented technology solution for delivering long duration energy storage to power grids around the world, using compressed air and water to store energy.

Founded in 2010 and with offices in Toronto, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; and Denver, USA; Hydrostor is backed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, CPP Investments, Canada Growth Fund, and other forward-thinking institutional investors, providing financial security to commit to top-tier energy projects. Hydrostor has an extensive pipeline of A-CAES projects in North America, Australia, and Europe, poised to meet their evolving grid and reliability needs.

To learn more, visit https://www.hydrostor.ca/ or follow us on LinkedIn.

Source: Hydrostor