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SCSP National Security Commission on Robotics for Advanced Manufacturing Releases Preliminary Report: America Leads in Robotics Innovation but Is Not on Track to Lead in Physical AI

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today the National Security Commission on Robotics for Advanced Manufacturing, an initiative of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), released its preliminary report. According to preliminary findings, the United States leads in the technologies that form the “brain” of modern robotics, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, autonomy, and software, but it lacks the scale to deploy robots, produce robotic systems, and manufacture critical components domestically.

Co-chaired by Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and SCSP President Ylli Bajraktari, the Commission describes a consequential imbalance. China installed 295,000 industrial robots in 2024, 54% of the global total, compared with 34,200 in the United States. China’s installed base now exceeds two million robots, more than five times America’s. The U.S. ranks eighth in robot density, and only 12.1% of U.S. manufacturing plants reported using robots in 2021.

“Physical AI” is AI embodied in machines that sense and act in the real world. The Commission finds that its gains will arrive only when the technology is installed, integrated, and put to productive use. The report identifies a supply-demand paradox at the center of the problem: manufacturers wait for robots to become cheaper and better proven, while robotics firms cannot lower costs or improve performance without deployment at scale. The Commission calls this a market failure that is unlikely to resolve on its own.

Key findings from the Preliminary Report include:

A fragmented national framework. Federal robotics programs are spread across at least four executive departments with no single accountable authority. Public confidence is uneven, and dependence on foreign components, including China’s roughly 94% share of permanent-magnet production, creates supply-chain and cybersecurity risk.A talent pipeline under strain. U.S. manufacturers could face up to 1.9 million unfilled jobs by 2033. Robotics can help fill dangerous and chronically vacant roles, but employment effects are not predetermined. They depend on the pace of adoption and on whether training and job redesign keep up.Barriers to adoption at scale. Small and medium-sized manufacturers, about 95% of U.S. manufacturing firms, face capital constraints, knowledge gaps, narrow return-on-investment metrics, and cybersecurity and liability uncertainty. New AI-assisted programming, low-code tools, and collaborative robots are expanding what is possible, but safety and performance standards are lagging.An innovation ecosystem that cannot yet scale. Venture capital timelines are poorly matched to hardware, and supply chains are opaque and concentrated. Operational data is scarce and fragmented, and integration costs remain high.

The preliminary report concludes that the United States needs a national mission organized around deployment. It would mobilize private-sector dynamism, research strength, capital markets, regional manufacturing ecosystems, and skilled workers, without copying China’s state-directed model or requiring domestic production of every component.

“The United States invented much of the intelligence behind modern robotics, but intelligence that can’t be built, deployed, and sustained at scale won’t secure American industrial leadership,” said Bajraktari. “This report shows that the challenge is a system problem: adoption, production, workforce, financing, and data all reinforce one another. Fixing it will take coordinated national focus.”

“To unlock the full economic potential of artificial intelligence, we must deploy it at the physical level across our economy. Reindustrializing the United States is essential to strengthening critical supply chains, securing American leadership in emerging technologies, and staying ahead of China. The Commission’s preliminary report is an important step toward identifying how we can harness the full potential of physical AI, automation, and robotics. I look forward to continuing my work with the Commission to advance practical solutions that put U.S. tech leadership and innovation first,” said Senator Budd.

“I will always fight to ensure the United States remains the global leader in manufacturing. We need to bring back and expand critical manufacturing processes here at home and shore up vulnerable supply chains in our most important sectors. And we can do so without harming America’s workers. I thank the Commissioners for their hard work on this Interim Report,” said Senator Slotkin

The report is a diagnosis, not a set of prescriptions. The Commission’s final report, scheduled for March 2027, will propose recommendations for federal, state, and regional leaders; manufacturers and technology companies; educators and workforce-development organizations; workers and labor representatives; investors; and research institutions.

About the Commission
The National Security Commission on Robotics for Advanced Manufacturing is a bipartisan initiative of the Special Competitive Studies Project. It brings together leaders from manufacturing, technology, academia, research, investment, national security, and government to ensure the United States has the industrial capacity, supply chains, and skilled workforce to build, deploy, and sustain physical AI systems at scale.

About SCSP
The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit project focused on strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness as artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape national security, the economy, and society.

For more information about the report and the Commission, please contact Tara Rigler at tmr@scsp.ai.

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SOURCE Special Competitive Studies Project

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Best Cigar Prices Announces John Greeby as Vice President of Merchandising

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October 13, 2026

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Industry veteran brings 15 years of premium cigar merchandising experience to support the company’s continued growth and customer experience.

DRUMS, Pa., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Best Cigar Prices (BCP), one of the nation’s leading online retailers of premium cigars, is pleased to announce that John Greeby will join the company as Vice President of Merchandising in October 2026.

Greeby brings 15 years of experience in merchandising, promotions, and business leadership at the nation’s largest business-to-consumer (B2C) cigar company. Over nearly 11 years in leadership roles, he managed teams and business units and developed deep expertise in merchandising strategy, vendor negotiations, inventory management, sales growth, and margin optimization.

Throughout his career, Greeby has played a key role in a broad range of business initiatives, including website user experience improvements, product assortment and placement, brand development, change management, new project development, and ERP and CMS system integrations. His experience building and developing teams, strengthening vendor relationships, and driving profitable growth will prove vital as Best Cigar Prices expands its merchandising capabilities and delivers value to customers.

“John brings an incredible depth of industry knowledge and merchandising experience to Best Cigar Prices,” said Greg Fox, President and CEO of Best Cigar Prices. “We’re excited to welcome him to the team. His expertise in vendor relationships, merchandising strategy, and driving profitable growth will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build our business, strengthen our partnerships, and deliver an exceptional experience for our customers.”

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Best Cigar Prices team,” said Greeby. “BCP has a strong reputation in the industry and a tremendous opportunity for continued growth. I’m looking forward to working with the team, building strong vendor partnerships, developing our merchandising strategy, and finding new ways to bring value to our customers while helping drive the company’s success.”

As Vice President of Merchandising, Greeby will lead BCP’s merchandising strategy, focusing on product assortment, vendor partnerships, promotional planning, inventory management, and margin growth. He will work closely with the company’s leadership, marketing, sales, and purchasing teams to align merchandising initiatives with broader business objectives.

Greeby’s appointment demonstrates Best Cigar Prices’ continued investment in its leadership team and its commitment to reinforcing its position in the premium cigar marketplace.

About Best Cigar Prices

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Drums, Pennsylvania, Best Cigar Prices (BestCigarPrices.com) is one of the leading online cigar retailers in the United States. It offers a wide selection of premium cigars, cigar accessories, humidors, lighters and cutters at low prices. Customers can shop top premium cigar brands such as Drew Estate, Rocky Patel, Arturo Fuente, Padrón, Oliva, My Father, Perdomo, Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo. Best Cigar Prices also carries exclusive cigars you can’t buy anywhere else, including the popular Barn Cured and Octane lines. The company is 100% American-owned and operated. It has built strong relationships with the world’s top cigar makers, which lets it offer daily cigar deals, discounted cigar boxes and samplers, and fast shipping to cigar smokers across the country. Shop online anytime at www.bestcigarprices.com.

Media Contact:

Best Cigar Prices
Contact-Shane Wirta-Vice President of Marketing
swirta@bestcigarprices.com   
www.bestcigarprices.com 

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SOURCE Best Cigar Prices

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New SIG SAUER XRAY9-CUAS Electro-Optic Provides Counter Drone Targeting and Engagement

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October 13, 2026

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Advanced disturbed reticle technology utilizes remote weapon station platform applied to a mounted electro-optic

NEWINGTON, N.H., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SIG SAUER, an industry-leading manufacturer of cutting-edge firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, and advanced concepts, unveiled at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) trade show the SIG SAUER XRAY9-CUAS. The all-new counter unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) electro-optic from SIG SAUER combines several technologies to deliver a new capability to combat drone attacks.

“We fast-tracked the XRAY9-CUAS because the capability is needed for today’s battlefield,” said Andy York, President, SIG SAUER Electro-Optics. “Our heritage began and continues in firearms. We’re also driving innovation in remote weapon stations and electro-optics because at our core our focus is to protect and support our men and women in uniform. With the XRAY9-CUAS, a soldier can point and shoot to combat drones with the new electro-optic compensating for a range of factors to eliminate the threat.”

Mounted to a counter-UAS weapon system, the XRAY9-CUAS uses advanced electro-optical technologies to quickly engage drones, similar to the targeting system in the SIG SAUER remote-controlled weapon station.

The XRAY9-CUAS uses a proprietary SWIR laser rangefinder system and onboard slew-rate sensors to instantly calculate drone distance, speed, and vector and create a custom disturbed reticle with dynamic targeting solutions. The XRAY9-CUAS can be integrated with CMOS and thermal sensors to provide a day, night, and fused capable fire control system.

The XRAY9-CUAS tracks and engages up to 300 yards with exact capabilities varying depending on drone size. The small and lightweight optic is 5.25”x2.5”x3.3” (LxWxH) and 24 ounces. Battery life is up to 50 hours with continuous use, and the display is 640×480 with a window size of 48mm clear aperture.

About SIG SAUER Inc.
SIG SAUER Inc. is a leading manufacturer of premium firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, remote-controlled weapon stations, and drones. Building off its 250-year track record, the company’s products are synonymous with industry-leading engineering, quality, and innovation which has made it the brand of choice across the defense industry, law enforcement, and shooting community. SIG SAUER serves all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and with a presence in more than 90 countries is the preferred partner to top militaries around the world. The company is certified a Great Place to Work™. For more information, visit sigsauer.com .

Media Contact
Tory Mazzola
Vice President, Global Communications
media@sigsauer.com

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SOURCE SIG SAUER, Inc.

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UfiSpace Demonstrates 1.6T AI Fabric Thermal Feasibility with Live Liquid Cooling Platform at OCP Global Summit 2026

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October 13, 2026

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Highlights Validation-Ready 102.4T Tomahawk 6 Liquid and Air-Cooled Platforms, and Deep-Buffered Routers, Delivering the Thermal and Connectivity Foundation to Empower Scale-Up, Scale-Out, and Scale-Across AI Clusters.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UfiSpace, a global leader in open disaggregated networking solutions, today announced its technology showcase for the OCP Global Summit 2026 (Booth D19). As next-generation AI workloads push hyperscale data centers toward extreme power densities and strict thermal constraints, UfiSpace is featuring a live engineering demonstration of its 1.6T liquid-cooled AI networking platform, proving thermal feasibility and system-level readiness for future high-density AI fabrics.

Solving the 1.6T Thermal Challenge: Dual-Track Tomahawk 6 Innovations

At the center of UfiSpace’s booth showcase is a live demonstration featuring the S9331-64HO3L, a 102.4Tbps 2OU ORv3 liquid-cooled platform powered by the Broadcom Tomahawk 6 ASIC. Equipped with 64 x 1.6T OSFP ports, the platform operates with a Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU) to deliver real-time cooling and validate system-level thermal feasibility for next-generation AI fabrics. Positioned as a validation-ready early access architecture, the S9331-64HO3L provides hyperscalers and system integrators with a live, operational proof-of-concept for the thermal and mechanical architectures required to build 2027/2028 AI clusters.

Recognizing the transitional realities of data center infrastructure, UfiSpace is also exhibiting the S9331-64HO, a 3RU air-cooled 102.4Tbps platform. Designed for hyperscalers with advanced, highly optimized air-cooled infrastructures, it offers a high-performance alternative to scale bandwidth in targeted zones. By adopting this open, disaggregated architecture, operators can maximize bandwidth density and optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while establishing a unified operational blueprint for broader liquid-cooled rollouts.

Enabling Scale-Across AI Interconnects with Deep-Buffer Routers

To address lossless packet delivery across distributed AI data centers (Scale-Across / DCI), UfiSpace is highlighting its next-generation router portfolio powered by Broadcom Qumran ASICs:

S9630-32HO (Qumran 4D): Powered by next-generation routing silicon, this 3RU router delivers 51.2Tbps switching capacity with 32GB of embedded deep packet buffering and 32 x 1.6T OSFP ports. Designed to eliminate buffer bloat and packet drops in long-distance AI cluster communications, it serves as an ultra-high-capacity gateway for disaggregated AI fabrics.S9620-32E (Qumran 3D): A 2RU 25.6Tbps deep-buffered platform featuring 32 x 800G QSFP-DD interfaces with OpenZR+ coherent optics support, providing versatile edge and spine routing for multi-site AI infrastructures.

Dedicated AI Fabric 800G AI Foundation

Rounding out the showcase is UfiSpace’s S9322-64EO, a high-density 800G switching platform engineered specifically for demanding AI workloads. Powered by the Broadcom Tomahawk Ultra ASIC, the S9322-64EO (64 x 800G OSFP) delivers enhanced cognitive routing and ultra-low latency performance tailored for AI backend fabric interconnects. By adhering strictly to open networking specifications, the S9322-64EO streamlines the deployment of high-radix GPU clusters, ensuring uncompromised throughput for intensive AI training workloads.

Integrated Ethernet–Optical Switching Solution for AI Scale-Out and Scale-Across Infrastructure

UfiSpace and GeNopsys Technologies are joining forces to advance AI scale-out and scale-across infrastructure. The solution integrates UfiSpace’s high-performance S9321-64E, an 800G Tomahawk 5 Ethernet switch featuring 64 × 800G QSFP-DD ports, with GeNopsys’ dynamic OCS technology, creating a complete vertical networking platform for next-generation AI infrastructure. UfiSpace’s hardware-driven lossless engine, leveraging SmartBuffer and Dynamic Load Balancing, provides Ethernet interoperability and zero-packet-drop performance. By eliminating O-E-O conversion, GeNopsys’ all-optical switching enables high throughput, shorter AI training time, and lower total AI data center energy consumption. By combining Ethernet switching with the fundamental benefits of optical switching, the integrated solution delivers ultra-low latency, significant power savings, massive bandwidth, and seamless scalability for AI scale-out and scale-across networks, including long-distance DCI.

Maria Yuang, Founder and CEO of GeNopsys, said: “Our collaboration with UfiSpace brings together the flexibility of Ethernet and the transformative impact of optical switching for AI scale-out and scale-across. Together, we can accelerate AI training and significantly reduce total data center energy consumption—two critical challenges facing today’s AI data centers.”

Driving Open Ecosystem Interoperability

Vincent Ho, CEO of UfiSpace said, “The transition to 1.6T AI networking requires more than just raw bandwidth; it demands complete ecosystem alignment across silicon, optics, thermal management, and NOS partners. At OCP Global Summit 2026, we are demonstrating that our open, disaggregated platforms are engineered to solve the real-world thermal and architectural bottlenecks of next-generation AI infrastructure. By validating liquid cooling feasibility today, we enable our ecosystem partners and customers to design their future AI data centers with absolute confidence.”

Event Details & Live Demonstration

UfiSpace invites industry analysts, partners, and customers to experience the TH6 Liquid Cooling Live Demo and explore the full AI networking portfolio at Booth D19, Expo Hall 3, during the OCP Global Summit, October 12–15, 2026, in San Jose, California.

For more information about UfiSpace AI networking solutions or to schedule an on-site meeting, please visit www.ufispace.com.

About GeNopsys

GeNopsys Technologies, Inc. unveiled DOVINSY, a globally leading, SDN-intelligent-controlled, DWDM all-optical switching data center network system. For more information, visit the official website.

About UfiSpace

UfiSpace is a leading provider of open networking solutions, dedicated to driving cost efficiency, flexibility, and technological innovation across telecom carriers, cloud service providers, and hyperscale data centers. Through a comprehensive portfolio of disaggregated white-box switches, routers, and transport platforms, UfiSpace empowers global network operators to build open, scalable, and future-proof infrastructures. For more information, visit the official website.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ufispace-demonstrates-1-6t-ai-fabric-thermal-feasibility-with-live-liquid-cooling-platform-at-ocp-global-summit-2026–302907418.html

SOURCE UfiSpace

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