Automotive & Tech Expansion: General Motors will open a 43,000-square-foot Seattle office in early 2027, aiming to hire more AI/ML talent for digital products, autonomous vehicles, IT and software services. Digital Manufacturing Push: TCS launched India’s first lights-out factory lab in Pune, pairing robotics with digital twins and AI to help manufacturers prototype and scale automation faster. Semiconductor Supply Chain: Samsung and Mistral AI partnered to bring on-prem AI models into semiconductor design and manufacturing, targeting faster defect detection and yield stabilization. Energy & Industrial Capacity: R3 Lithium started producing lithium carbonate from recycled batteries at a new 154,000-square-foot Georgia plant, targeting scale output in 2027. Food & Pharma Manufacturing: Milky Mist commissioned a ₹40 crore skyr and Greek yogurt plant in Tamil Nadu, while Boston Scientific said a cybersecurity incident that disrupted manufacturing and shipping is now fully restored (backlog may delay some orders). Industrial Policy & Jobs: Nigeria’s Manufacturers Association and federal government mobilized $380m to move industrial policy into production, including financing, skills training and company/product certification. Market Signals: New Zealand’s manufacturing PMI eased to 53.1 in August but stayed in expansion, with growth spreading across more sectors and regions. Plant Disruptions: K I C Metaliks temporarily shut its Durgapur blast furnace for rectification, and Regaal Resources flagged a turbine rotor/fan damage issue in Bihar that will keep an 825 TPD unit offline for about 35 days.