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SMB study: Small banks lead in AI – but scale lags

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AI use hits 64% in IT, but infrastructure and governance constrain broader deployment; new tool helps institutions see where they stand

CARY, N.C., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As AI use proliferates in the SMB sector, small banks, credit unions and lenders have put banking on the AI leaderboard – ahead of similarly sized firms in insurance, government, health care and life sciences – according to a recent AI readiness study by SAS, with research and analysis by IDC. Even so, the findings suggest institution-wide AI remains elusive.

IDC: “The right ecosystem and the right collaborators can turn integration complexity into a manageable, even accelerated, path forward.”

The study, AI for SMBs: Closing the Readiness‑Reality Gap, is based on a survey of 1,600 small and midsized business (SMB) leaders across 28 countries in five global regions. SMBs were defined as organizations with 100 to 999 employees in the U.S. and 100 to 499 employees in other markets.

Among five SMB industries examined, financial institutions show the strongest strategic alignment, most established governance practices and greatest integration of AI into day-to-day operations. Yet the study’s banking AI readiness findings* also expose significant growing pains:

AI use is concentrated in IT. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of small financial institutions use AI in IT. That’s compared with 47% in finance and risk, 44% in marketing, 42% in customer service and 39% in product development.Infrastructure is often a bottleneck. About 2 in 5 respondents (39%) say their infrastructure is not ready, or is too costly, for broader AI deployment.Governance concerns loom large. Security, privacy and compliance concerns are the top barrier to scaling AI, cited by 40% of small financial institutions.Fragmentation creates another drag. One-third (33%) cite the lack of a unified data, analytics and AI platform among their AI challenges.

The findings arrive as SAS heads to Sibos, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 in Miami, where its experts will lead discussions on AI readiness, trust, agentic AI, payments and financial crime. Attendees can connect with SAS at Booth I073 throughout the conference.

“For smaller financial institutions, scaling AI does not mean recreating the technology architecture of a global bank,” said Chris Marshall, Vice President of Financial Services at IDC. “The smarter path is to focus internal resources where they create the most value and lean on technology and implementation partners to extend what the institution can accomplish on its own. The right ecosystem and the right collaborators can turn integration complexity into a manageable, even accelerated, path forward.”

Where small-bank AI goes next
Banking respondents’ top-cited near-term AI priorities show greater focus on practical capabilities than novelty:

Automating and streamlining core business processes (30%).Reducing costs through efficiency and automation (30%).Improving data quality and integration (28%).Increasing product and service innovation (26%).

Banking also leads the SMB industries studied in moving beyond isolated AI pilots. The most advanced institutions aren’t just adding more use cases but strengthening the foundations beneath.

“AI pilots often become islands of innovation,” said Alex Kwiatkowski, Director of Global Financial Services at SAS. “One team builds a high-impact fraud use case. Another launches a sharper risk model. A third automates a process. Each initiative delivers tangible benefits, but they don’t add up to an AI strategy.

“Real transformation requires organizations to bridge those islands – connecting siloed functions and decisioning capabilities through shared data, governance and infrastructure – so AI travels farther and faster across the organization.”

AI’s bigger payoff lies beyond IT, where it currently dominates. Expanding adoption across finance and risk, and into more customer-focused areas like marketing, customer service and product development, can compound isolated gains into more consequential, institution-wide returns – strengthening fraud and risk management, customer experience, product innovation and more.

On Oct. 16, SAS will host a webinar to further explore these issues. AI Readiness vs. Reality: Moving Beyond the Hype in Banking and Insurance will focus on practical, responsible strategies for turning AI ambition into business impact.

How AI-ready is your institution?
Small and midsized banks and credit unions can benchmark their own AI maturity with SAS’ AI Readiness Calculator. The 11-question assessment, based on the SAS and IDC AI Readiness Index, evaluates organizations across planning, building, enabling and executing.

Each participant receives a personalized report highlighting strengths, readiness gaps and recommended next steps based on the institution’s maturity stage, priorities and industry.

For more on applying AI across risk, fraud and customer experience, explore SAS’ AI in Banking resources.

*Source: IDC Resource Map Document, sponsored by SAS, SMB AI Readiness, Doc. #EUR154930226 [May 2026].

About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI, helping organizations make confident decisions with AI they can trust. For decades, SAS has set the standard for delivering software that drives meaningful impact, incorporating deep industry expertise, transparency and governance. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2026 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:
Danielle Bates
danielle.bates@sas.com
919-531-1959
sas.com/news

 

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Everlight Solar Resolves Nebraska Attorney General Matter

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September 25, 2026

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OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Everlight Solar has reached an agreement with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office resolving a lawsuit related to collegiate sponsoring and other marketing in the state.

Everlight believes that the claims made in this litigation are without merit and does not admit liability. Everlight continues to stand behind our marketing practices, our employees, and the exceptional customer experience we work to provide every day.

Everlight made the decision to settle this matter in order to avoid the litigation expense, significant time, and distraction associated with prolonged litigation and to allow our team to remain focused on what matters most: serving our customers and communities.

For more information, visit EverlightSolar.com.

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SOURCE Everlight Solar

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Infrasense Completes 3D Ground Penetrating Radar Investigation Along State Route 133 in Lowell, Massachusetts

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September 25, 2026

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LOWELL, Mass., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Infrasense team recently completed a comprehensive 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (3D-GPR) investigation along approximately 1.37 miles of pavement along Route 133 in historic Lowell. The study area included the westbound and eastbound travel lanes, both shoulders, and the center turning lane. The team was tasked with 3D-GPR data collection and detailed subsurface data analysis in order to evaluate pavement conditions and structural components throughout the corridor.

The primary objectives of the project were to:

Perform dowel and tie bar analysis to identify locations where these components are present, missing, shallow, and/or misaligned;Determine the typical dowel layout, including standard spacing and depth at transverse joints;Conduct a depth analysis to identify the depth to the bottom of the pavement layer across the project site; andPerform an activity analysis at the bottom of the pavement layer to detect any indications of underlying voids.

3D-GPR data collection was conducted using a Kontur DXG1820 sensor. Unlike traditional single-channel GPR systems, the DXG1820 utilizes 20 independent channels to capture data in three dimensions, enabling the collection of a continuous five-foot-wide swath of subsurface information.

Once 3D-GPR data was collected, analysis of dowels, tie bars, depth and activity was completed across the entire project site. These analyses were used to generate project deliverables designed to support pavement evaluation, maintenance planning, and future rehabilitation efforts. The final results of the investigation provided stakeholders with critical subsurface condition data which will be used3D to better understand pavement performance and identify areas requiring additional assessment or remediation.

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SOURCE Infrasense, Inc.

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Overlord Labs Closes Oversubscribed Seed Financing, Bringing Total Funding to $10 Million to Advance Battery Intelligence for Edge AI Devices

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September 25, 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Overlord Labs, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company building battery intelligence infrastructure for compute-intensive, battery-powered devices, today announced the close of its oversubscribed Seed financing, bringing total funding raised to-date to $10 million. The total comprises $7.25 million in Seed financing and the remainder in non-dilutive strategic development funding.

The financing comes as Overlord Labs transitions from tape-out to product validation, following the successful bring-up of its flagship GENESIS™ Battery Intelligence IC, built on the company’s proprietary Silicon × Algorithm Architecture. With silicon operating, the company is advancing validation and preparing to begin customer sampling.

The $4.35 million Seed extension was led by Band of Angels and drew participation from Foothill Ventures, Unlock Pacific Ventures, NuFund Venture Group, Sand Hill Angels and Castle Fund. The round also included returning strategic angel investors, who backed Overlord Labs in its earlier financings and invested additional capital in the extension alongside the new institutional investors.

As compute continues moving to the edge, battery-powered devices are placing unprecedented demands on power efficiency, thermal management, safety and runtime. Traditional fixed-function battery management ICs were not designed for this new generation of intelligent products. Overlord Labs’ Silicon × Algorithm Architecture solves this by building battery intelligence directly into silicon, giving OEMs a more adaptable foundation for these systems.

The first GENESIS™ device targets single-cell systems and is designed to support both established and emerging battery chemistries, including silicon-anode cells. Initial applications include smart glasses, wearables, hearables and other edge AI devices, where rising compute demands must be met within tight battery and form-factor limits.

Overlord Labs will use the capital to complete validation and qualification, support customer sampling and Tier-1 OEM engagements, expand its firmware and battery-algorithm capabilities, and build the production infrastructure needed for commercial scale. The company is targeting volume production in the first half of 2027.

“We started Overlord Labs because battery management architectures were no longer keeping pace with the devices they power,” said Richard Nicholson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Overlord Labs. “We now have working silicon, active customer engagement and an investor syndicate, including angels who came back to invest again, that understands the scale of the opportunity. This capital gives us the resources to move GENESIS™ through customer validation and toward production.”

“Hardware OEMs have historically faced a rigid trifecta of trade-offs: performance, form factor, and battery life,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Overlord Labs. “We engineered GENESIS™ to break those constraints, giving product teams the software-defined silicon they need to scale all three without compromise. With the Seed financing complete, our focus is getting GENESIS™ into customers’ hands and building the foundation to scale.”

About Overlord Labs
Overlord Labs is a fabless semiconductor company building battery intelligence infrastructure for the next generation of compute-intensive, battery-powered devices. Powered by its proprietary Silicon × Algorithm Architecture, the company’s GENESIS™ Battery Intelligence Platform integrates advanced battery intelligence directly into silicon, enabling OEMs to improve runtime, safety, performance, and design flexibility. Initially focused on wearables, smart glasses, and edge AI devices, the platform is designed to scale across a broad range of battery-powered systems. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Overlord Labs is engineering battery intelligence from the silicon up.

Media Contact
Dianna Rodriguez
Marketing Manager
hello@overlord-labs.com

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SOURCE Overlord Labs

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