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UK Satellite Cities Outpace Larger Neighbours for Entrepreneurial Growth, GoDaddy Research Finds

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LONDON, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Some of the UK’s small satellite cities are experiencing rapid small business growth, as entrepreneurs move outside of their larger neighbours, new research shows.

Salford in the North West of England (population ~130,000) – just two miles from Manchester (population ~550,000) – is officially the UK’s most entrepreneurial city, with its concentration of small businesses increasing by 15.4% in the last twelve months.

The figures come from GoDaddy’s new Most Entrepreneurial City rankings, informed by data from the company’s Small Business Research Lab. Each place with city status in the UK is given a microbusiness density growth count, based on the number of new start-ups for each 100 people. 

The big rise of the small city

Four of the top five Most Entrepreneurial Cities were found to be satellite cities. Ely, located 14 miles north of Cambridge, was the second most entrepreneurial city. Its microbusiness density score increased by 14.9%, more than double that of its larger neighbour Cambridge (+7.1%).

Bangor in Northern Ireland (+12.9%) and Milton Keynes in England (+11.7%) also featured in the top five, and their growth significantly outpaced that of their nearby capital cities of Belfast (+3.2%) and London (+9.8) respectively.

Local investment fuelling the boom

Salford’s emergence as a small business powerhouse has not come around by accident. The city has invested deliberately in becoming a digital and innovation-led enterprise hub, anchored by HOST Salford at MediaCity.

Backed by Salford City Council and public funding, including £846,900 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, it has supported over 300 businesses and upskilled over 5,000 individuals. This is enhanced through programmes including “EnterprisingYou” and “Build a Business” which support aspiring entrepreneurs in building and launching new ventures.

Cheaper property rents, advancing technology and lower start-up costs improve opportunities in satellite cities

Satellite cities are perfect for entrepreneurs in today’s challenging economic climate. They often offer materially-cheaper cost bases for outgoings like property rent – the average rent in Salford is around £2,500 cheaper per year than in Manchester, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Technology has also advanced to a point where being in the thick of the action is no longer a key consideration for entrepreneurs. Over half (52%) utilise generative AI to support their business, gaining the biggest time-saving benefits from using it for content creation (62%), marketing (40%), and business advice (39%).

In parallel, the average amount of capital needed to launch a business has shrunk. In GoDaddy’s latest Small Business Research Lab survey, the majority (53%) of UK entrepreneurs said they’d created a new venture with under £1,000 of initial investment.

Mr. Meisner, 48, has been running the New York Laundrette in Salford for seven years, he commented:

“I’ve lived in Salford for more than 20 years and run New York Laundrette with my brother, serving the local community. When we took over the laundrette, we started with a relatively small customer base, but by investing in the business, improving the customer experience and putting customer service at the heart of everything we do, we’ve been able to grow tremendously.

I’ve seen first-hand what makes this city such a great place to build a business. Salford has a real sense of community. It’s a diverse place where people from different backgrounds support each other and genuinely want to see local businesses succeed. It doesn’t surprise me that so many new businesses are starting up in the area. Finding the right location is everything, and Salford can offer lower premise costs that would be harder to find in Manchester.”

Yvonne Sampson, Director of Enterprise at GM Business Growth Hub that delivers the EnterprisingYou Programme, said: 

“The growth in Salford has been over a decade in the making, leveraging commercial and residential investment to create an environment for thriving entrepreneurship. The City has fantastic strengths – from the University to MediaCity and the longstanding partnerships between Salford Council and support organisations like ours, GM Business Growth Hub.

“Not only does it have a well-established digital, creative and technology sector, but recent investment in the City’s high streets has meant there has been some incredible growth in the everyday business economy. Working with hundreds of new businesses in Salford, through EnterprisingYou and our Scale Up programmes, it’s clear that there is a real desire to succeed at all levels.”

Alexandra Rosen, Economist and Head of the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, said:

“Entrepreneurship is no longer tied to major city centres. Better digital infrastructure, the rise of AI tools and lower start-up costs have changed the economics of building a business, making it possible for founders to launch and scale from places that may previously have been overlooked. What we are seeing is a more distributed model of growth, where smaller cities and towns are becoming increasingly important parts of the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

The top 10 most entrepreneurial cities in the UK

Rank

City

YoY microbusiness density growth

1

Salford

+15.4 %

2

Ely

+14.9 %

3

Bangor (NI)

+12.9 %

4

Stirling (Scotland)

+12.9 %

5

Milton Keynes

+11.7 %

6

Londonderry (NI)

+11.4 %

7

Manchester

+11.3 %

8

Sunderland

+11 %

9

Preston

+10.9 %

10

Lisburn (NI)

+10.8 %

Visual assets: here

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. Airo , the company’s agentic operating system for small businesses, helps entrepreneurs get their idea online, run their business day-to-day, and grow through an integrated identity, presence and commerce experience. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

About GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab
GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab is a multi-year research initiative, which analyses data from over 600,000 UK microbusinesses, conducted by GoDaddy to quantify the impact of these microbusinesses on the UK economy and their local communities.

 

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Trinasolar Vertex N Modules Selected for 562MWdc Dầu Tiếng 5 Floating Solar Project in Vietnam

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HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trinasolar, a global leader in smart PV and energy storage solutions, has been selected to supply its Vertex N 730–735W n-type i-TOPCon modules for the 450MWac and 562MWdc Dầu Tiếng 5 Floating Solar and Storage Project in Tây Ninh Province, Vietnam.

Developed by DT5.1 Energy JSC, a member of Xuan Cau Holdings, Dầu Tiếng 5 broke ground on 4 August 2026 and is scheduled to begin commercial operation in December 2027. The project is expected to generate approximately 808GWh of clean electricity annually for Vietnam’s national power system.

Dầu Tiếng 5 also builds on Trinasolar’s experience in floating solar in Vietnam. In 2020, Trinasolar supplied 210 Vertex bifacial modules for the 50.6MW Dầm Trà Ổ floating solar project in Bình Định Province. The latest Dầu Tiếng 5 project extends that experience to a significantly larger utility-scale development using Trinasolar’s n-type i-TOPCon Vertex N technology.

Located in a semi-submerged area of Dầu Tiếng Lake, Dầu Tiếng 5 combines a 562MWdc floating solar array with a humid, water-based operating environment. For this application, Trinasolar’s Vertex N (NEG21C.20) modules provide high power output of 730–735W and a low-voltage design that supports higher string power, helping reduce module count and optimise balance-of-system requirements across the floating solar array. Its bifacial dual-glass design, with bifaciality of 80±5%, enables additional rear-side generation where irradiance reaches the back of the module, supporting higher energy yield from the available project area. The dual-glass construction and independently verified resistance to potential-induced degradation further support long-term reliability under the project’s operating conditions.

“This is one of the first projects to implement the Direct Power Purchase Agreement (DPPA) mechanism. This project brings to life a long-awaited regulatory framework. The mechanism fosters sustainable growth for both power generators and large-scale electricity consumers, while contributing significantly to the development of a competitive electricity market” said the owner representative of DT5.1 Energy JSC.

“Dầu Tiếng 5 reflects the growing scale and ambition of Vietnam’s solar market,” said Elva Wang, Group Director of South, Southeast and Central Asia, Trinasolar Asia Pacific. “Trinasolar has supported floating solar in Vietnam since the Dầm Trà Ổ project in 2020 and has since built further experience across major floating solar projects in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Dầu Tiếng 5 brings that experience to a much larger utility-scale development and reflects the level of supply and project support we can bring to Vietnam as the market continues to grow.”

Dầu Tiếng 5 also highlights the potential for floating solar to support Vietnam’s renewable energy expansion by making use of suitable water and semi-submerged areas for large-scale clean energy generation. Through projects such as Dầu Tiếng 5, Trinasolar is bringing its utility-scale floating solar experience to support the development of this emerging application in Vietnam.

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SOURCE Trina Solar Energy Development Pte. Ltd.

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Smartling Deepens Investment in Europe, Names Anna Schlegel GM, EMEA

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Appointment of 30-year globalization leader marks the next phase of Smartling’s European growth, with increased regional investment and senior leadership closer to customers as enterprise adoption of AI-powered translation accelerates.

DUBLIN, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Smartling, the AI translation company, today named Anna Schlegel General Manager, EMEA, strengthening its regional leadership as the company continues to invest in growth across Europe. Schlegel will lead Smartling’s EMEA go-to-market strategy, working closely with the company’s established teams across the region to deepen customer relationships, accelerate growth, and help European enterprises scale their global businesses through modern, enterprise-grade localization.

Schlegel brings more than 30 years of experience in international growth and product strategy, most recently as General Manager of Global at Procore Technologies, with earlier senior leadership roles at Cisco, VMware, and NetApp. She has also served in the Parliament of Catalonia, Spain, as Vice President of the Legislative Committee for EU Affairs and External Action. She is the author of Truly Global and co-founder and president of Women in Localization.

“Europe is already an important market for Smartling, and we’re continuing to invest in the people, presence, and capabilities that bring us closer to our customers,” said Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling. “Anna understands both what it takes for global enterprises to grow across markets and the unique expectations European companies have as they adopt AI. Her leadership will help us deepen those relationships, accelerate our growth, and deliver even more value to customers across the region.”

Schlegel will also help customers across Europe navigate rapidly evolving expectations around AI, data privacy, governance, and global content, while strengthening Smartling’s regional partnerships.

“Europe is at a pivotal moment for enterprise AI. Some organizations are already deploying AI at scale, while others are determining where it can create the greatest business value. What unites them is the need to adopt AI responsibly, with the quality, governance, transparency, and trust European enterprises and their customers expect, and in alignment with the EU AI Act,” said Schlegel. “Smartling already has strong customers, teams, and momentum across Europe. I’m excited to build on that foundation, get even closer to our customers in-market, and help organizations turn AI-powered localization into a trusted driver of global growth.”

This fall, Schlegel will join customers and industry leaders across Europe as part of Smartling’s seven-stop Global Ready Europe roadshow, from September 29 through October 9. The events will bring together senior localization, product, and marketing leaders to discuss AI translation strategy, executive buy-in, and the future of global content.

For more details, visit Smartling’s Global Ready Europe event series.

About Smartling

Smartling is transforming how global enterprises create, manage, and scale multilingual content in the AI era. Its LanguageAI™ platform combines AI translation, workflow automation, and quality assurance infrastructure to help organizations automate multilingual content operations at enterprise scale. Trusted by leading global brands, Smartling enables companies to move faster globally while maintaining the quality, trust, and oversight required for enterprise AI translation.

For more information, visit Smartling.

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New ABB and BCG report highlights growing role of direct current technologies in future power systems

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Rapid expansion of AI computing, increasing electrification and rise of renewable energy are driving renewed interest in DC technology as part of future electrical systemsBoth AC and DC systems have strategically important roles in meeting future electricity demandEstablishing common standards and developing DC-specific skills can help accelerate deployment

ZURICH, Sept. 9, 2026 /CNW/ — ABB today published a new report, The Strategic Case for Hybrid AC/DC Power: Shaping the Transition to the Next Electrical Architecture, developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The report makes the case that direct current (DC) technology is moving from the periphery to the center of industrial, commercial, and digital infrastructure – and that the decisions made by business leaders and policymakers in the next two to three years will determine who shapes that transition and who inherits it.

The future of power distribution is not an either-or choice between alternating current (AC) and direct current, but a hybrid system that combines the strengths of both technologies. While AC will remain the backbone of most transmission and regional distribution networks, DC is expected to play an increasingly important role within facilities where many major energy sources and loads already operate natively on direct current. The fastest-growing technologies, including solar photovoltaic systems, batteries, electric vehicles, AI data centers and many industrial automation systems, are inherently DC-based. As these technologies scale, reducing the number of power conversion steps between generation, storage and consumption can improve efficiency, increase the usable capacity of an existing grid connection and simplify integration.

The report identifies AI data centers as one of the most immediate drivers of DC adoption. As AI workloads continue to increase power density requirements, conventional electrical architectures are reaching practical limits. The report finds that 800 VDC distribution is emerging as the defining architecture for next-generation AI infrastructure, enabling operators to maximize compute capacity within constrained grid connections while improving energy efficiency.

At the same time, the shift is also relevant for a range of other key industries with the research highlighting several opportunities beyond data centers. Automation-intensive manufacturing facilities, commercial buildings and, over the longer term, buildings can also benefit from DC systems or subsystems through lower conversion losses, more effective integration of onsite renewables and storage, and enhanced operational flexibility.

“In a world that will require more power while operating within the constraints of existing infrastructure, enabling broader adoption of DC systems will require stronger collaboration among business leaders, policymakers and technology stakeholders, as well as greater attention to the role DC can play,” said Morten Wierod, Chief Executive Officer of ABB. “For more than 25 years, ABB’s DC solutions have helped customers reduce conversion losses, improve power transfer efficiency and lower electricity demand. To enable broader adoption where the business case is strongest, we need common technologies, harmonized standards, and the workforce capabilities to support implementation at scale. AC and DC each have important roles to play, and together they can help build a more efficient, resilient and future-ready electrical system.”

As part of the report, ABB and BCG address several long-standing misconceptions that have slowed DC adoption concluding that concerns around scale, safety and economics increasingly reflect outdated assumptions rather than the capabilities of today’s technologies. Instead, fragmented standards and a shortage of DC-specific skills are seen as the primary challenges that need to be addressed urgently to accelerate deployment.

ABB was the first company to demonstrate the energy-saving potential of DC in vessels with a DC-based onboard power system that achieved fuel savings of up to 27 percent and launched the industry’s first solid state circuit breaker in 2022. With more than 700 DC-related patents, ABB is now bringing DC distribution to a much broader range of applications, including electric transport, microgrids and data centers. It is also working with industry partners to explore how DC distribution can support low-carbon aluminum production and the production of green hydrogen.

The full report is available at: 
https://www.abb.com/global/en/company/innovation/hybrid-ac-dc-power 

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com

For more information please contact:
Media Relations
Phone: +41 43 317 71 11
Email: media.relations@ch.abb.com

Investor Relations
Phone: +41 43 317 71 11
Email: investor.relations@ch.abb.com

ABB Ltd
Affolternstrasse 44
8050 Zurich
Switzerland

 

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SOURCE ABB Ltd

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