China’s UBTECH Lands $13.9M for Breakthrough Robot Development

Chinese robotics firm UBTECH has raised $13.9 million in September 2026 to accelerate development of humanoid and quadruped robots. This complements its larger $139M round earlier this month, signaling a dual-track strategy to scale production while innovating new robot types.

Key Funding Details

• Amount raised: $13.9M (September 2026)
• Purpose:
  • Develop high-power-density integrated joint modules
  • Build industrial-operation humanoid robots
  • Create consumer-grade humanoid robots
  • Design heavy-load and explosion-proof quadruped robots
• Cumulative financing: Several hundred million yuan to date

UBTECH Robotics, founded in 2012 by James Zhou (Zhou Jian) in Shenzhen, China, is a publicly listed humanoid and service robotics company that has raised approximately $1.34 billion across six funding rounds from investors including Tencent, Qiming Venture Partners, CDH Investments, and others. It is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and became the first humanoid robotics company to list on a major stock exchange (HKEX: 9880) in December 2023. 

UBTECH’s Robotics Portfolio

• Walker series: Full-size humanoid robots for industrial automation, logistics, and inspection
• Walker C1: Targeted at services, education, and research
• U1 series: Consumer and companion robots
• Quadruped robots: Heavy-load, explosion-proof designs for hazardous environments

Industry Context

• China’s humanoid robotics boom: VC investment hit $8.7B in 2026 YTD, double 2025’s record
• UBTECH’s growth:
  • Revenue H1 2026: RMB 1.27B ($188M), more than double YoY
  • Sold 921 full-size humanoid robots in H1 2026
  • Revenue from humanoid robots rose 1,445% YoY

Challenges & Risks

• Reliability: Robots must adapt beyond structured factory settings
• Profitability: Despite revenue growth, UBTECH posted a net loss of RMB 339M in H1 2026
• Scaling hurdles: Moving from pilot deployments to large-scale commercial use remains critical

Global & Local Impact

• Industrial automation: Robots could accelerate manufacturing efficiency
• Education robotics: May enter classrooms at lower cost
• Hazardous environment quadrupeds: Could support mining, defence, and disaster response

AWS Launches 5 New AI Certifications to Boost Careers and Salaries Worldwide

AWS has launched five new AI certifications—including the flagship AWS Certified AI Business Strategist—that can boost salaries by up to 47% across IT, sales, marketing, and finance roles. These credentials validate skills from foundational AI literacy to advanced generative AI development, positioning professionals to lead in the rapidly evolving cloud and AI job market.

AWS’s latest credential, the Certified AI Business Strategist, equips organizations to identify leaders who can assess AI investments, enforce governance, and drive adoption from pilot projects to enterprise scale. Registration for the beta exam opens September 1, 2026.

Why These Certifications Matter

• Salary Impact: Certified professionals earn 42–47% higher pay across multiple industries.
  
  
• Industry Demand: Organizations struggle with AI deployment, governance, and scaling—skills these certifications directly address.
  
  
• Accessibility: Free and low-cost training via AWS Skill Builder makes entry possible for students, business leaders, and technical specialists.
  
  

Overview of AWS AI Certifications

Certification	Focus Area	Target Audience
AWS Certified AI Business Strategist	AI adoption, governance, scaling	Business leaders, consultants, program managers
AWS Certified AI Practitioner	AI/ML concepts, generative AI literacy	Non-IT professionals, entry-level IT
AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate	Deploying, scaling, monitoring AI models	ML engineers, IT specialists
AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate	Data pipelines, modeling, infrastructure	Data engineers, technical leaders
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional	Enterprise-grade generative AI apps	Advanced developers, AI architects

Key Benefits

• Career Growth: Certifications validate expertise across business strategy, technical engineering, and generative AI innovation.
  
  
• Cross-Functional Relevance: Useful for sales, marketing, HR, finance, not just IT.
  
  
• Enterprise Readiness: Helps organizations identify professionals capable of moving AI from pilot to production.
  

Training Resources

• AWS Skill Builder: Over 330 free and subscription-based courses on AI, ML, and generative AI.
  
  
• Exam Prep Plans: Practice exams and scenario-based questions tailored to each certification.
  
  
• AWS Cloud Institute: Structured virtual program to become a cloud developer in 9 months.
  
  

Risks & Considerations

• Certification ≠ Guaranteed Job: While salaries rise, success depends on real-world application of skills.
  
  
• Rapid Tech Evolution: AI tools evolve quickly; certifications must be paired with continuous learning.
  
  
• Global Competition: With AWS offering worldwide access, professionals face intense competition for top roles.
  

Takeaway

For professionals in India and globally, AWS’s AI certifications are a strategic investment. Whether you’re a business strategist, data engineer, or developer, these credentials can accelerate career growth, increase earning potential, and position you at the forefront of AI adoption.

Manipal Payment and Identity Solutions Limited’s IPO to Open on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026

• Not for distribution outside India
• Manipal Payment and Identity Solutions Limited’s IPO to Open on Wednesday, September 9, 2026
• Price Band fixed at ₹322 to ₹339 per equity share of face value of ₹10 each. 
• Anchor Investor Bidding - Tuesday, September 8, 2026
• Bid /Issue opening - Wednesday, September 9, 2026, closing - Friday, September 11, 2026
• Bids can be made for a minimum of 44 Equity Shares and in multiples of 44 Equity Shares thereafter. 
• Red Herring Prospectus link: https://mpimanipal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Red-Herring-Prospectus_compressed.pdf

Manipal Payment and Identity Solutions Limited (MPISL) announced its initial public offering (IPO) details: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the bids will open and, Friday, September 11, 2026, the bids will close. The Anchor Investor Bidding date is set for Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The Price Band of the Issue has been fixed from ₹322 - ₹339 per Equity Share. Bids can be made for a minimum of 44 Equity Shares and multiples of 44 Equity Shares thereafter. The Offer comprises Fresh Issue of equity shares aggregating up to ₹320 crore and an Offer for sale of up to 14,306,785 Equity Shares by the promoter selling shareholder, Manipal Technologies Limited.

MPISL provides payments solutions, identifications solutions, secure solutions, and smart tagging and internet of things (IOT) solutions to banks, fintechs, NBFCs, and governments worldwide. In Fiscal 2026, the company held approximately 36.4% of India's credit card and 30.9% of its debit card issuance market, positioning it among the largest manufacturers of payment cards, both globally and in India. Additionally, it is one of India's largest national identity card producers, having billed over 1 billion cards in 12 regional languages. MPISL serves customers through 10 facilities across India, catering to a diverse set of over 300 customers in Fiscal 2026 across domestic and international jurisdictions.

MPISL has been certified by payment networks Mastercard (for over 16 years), RuPay (for over nine years) and by other payment networks for over 15 years and nine years, respectively, for manufacturing and personalization of payment cards. Further, the facilities are certified for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (Level 1) Version 4.0.1 for secure data management and the Manipal Facility is certified for ‘INTERGRAF’ (Central Bank Level) and Card Quality Management for secure card manufacturing and personalization.

The Equity Shares are proposed to be listed on BSE Limited (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE). For the purpose of the Issue, BSE Limited shall be the Designated Stock Exchange.

The issue:

The Offer is being in terms of Rule 19(2)(b) of the SCRR, read with Regulation 31 of the SEBI ICDR Regulations. The Offer is being made through the Book Building Process and is in compliance with Regulation 6(2) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, wherein in terms of Regulation 32(2) of the SEBI ICDR Regulations, not less than 75% of the Offer shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to Qualified Institutional Buyers (“QIBs”, and such portion, the “QIB Portion”), provided that our Company may, in consultation with the BRLMs, allocate up to 60% of the QIB Portion to Anchor Investors on a discretionary basis, in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations, of which 40% shall be reserved in the following manner (i) 33.33% of the Anchor Investor Portion shall be reserved for domestic Mutual Funds; and (ii) 6.67% of the Anchor Investor Portion shall be reserved for Life Insurance Companies and Pension Funds, subject to valid Bids being received from domestic Mutual Funds, Life Insurance Companies and Pension Funds, as applicable, at or above the Anchor Investor Allocation Price.

Any under-subscription in the Life Insurance Companies and Pension Funds category specified in (ii) above may be allocated to domestic Mutual Funds, in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations. In the event of under-subscription or non-allocation in the Anchor Investor Portion, the balance Equity Shares shall be added to the QIB Portion (other than the Anchor Investor Portion) (the “Net QIB Portion”).

Further, 5% of the net QIB Portion shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis only to Mutual Funds and the remainder of the net QIB Portion shall be available for allocation on a proportionate basis to all QIB Bidders (other than Anchor Investors) including Mutual Funds, subject to valid Bids being received at or above the Offer Price. However, if the aggregate demand from Mutual Funds is less than 5% of the net QIB Portion, the balance Equity Shares available for allocation in the Mutual Fund Portion will be added to the remaining QIB Portion for proportionate allocation to QIBs. Further, not more than 15% of the Offer shall be available for allocation to Non-Institutional Bidders out of which (a) one-third of such portion shall be reserved for applicants with application size of more than ₹ 0.2 million and up to ₹ 1.00 million; and (b) two-third of such portion shall be reserved for applicants with application size of more than ₹ 1.00 million, provided that the unsubscribed portion in either of such sub-categories may be allocated to applicants in the other sub-category of Non-Institutional Bidders and not more than 10% of the Offer shall be available for allocation to Retail Individual Bidders in accordance with the SEBI ICDR Regulations, subject to valid Bids being received from them at or above the Offer Price.

All potential Bidders (except Anchor Investors) are required to mandatorily utilise the Application Supported by Blocked Amount (“ASBA”) process by providing details of their respective bank accounts (including UPI ID for UPI Bidders using UPI Mechanism) in which the Bid Amount will be blocked by the SCSBs or the Sponsor Banks, as applicable, to participate in the Offer. Anchor Investors are not permitted to participate in the Anchor Investor Portion of the Offer through the ASBA process.

Disclaimer:

MANIPAL PAYMENT AND IDENTITY SOLUTIONS LIMITED (formerly known as MCT Cards & Technology Limited) is proposing, subject to receipt of requisite approvals, market conditions and other considerations, to make an initial public offering of its Equity Shares ( “Offer”) and has filed the RHP with RoC and subsequently with the SEBI and the Stock Exchanges. The RHP shall be available on the website of the SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in, the websites of the Stock Exchanges at www.bseindia.com and www.nseindia.com, respectively, the website of the Company at https://mpimanipal.com and on the website of the Book Running Lead Managers (“BRLMs”), i.e. Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors Limited, Axis Capital Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, IIFL Capital Services Limited (formerly known as IIFL Securities Limited) and Nuvama Wealth Management Limited at www.motilaloswal.com, www.axiscapital.co.in, www.icicisecurities.com, www.iiflcapital.com and www.nuvama.com, respectively. Any potential investors should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk and for details relating to such risk, see ‘‘Risk Factors’’ beginning on page 20 of the RHP. Potential investors should not rely on the UDRHP-I filed with SEBI and the Stock Exchanges, and should rely on their own examination of our Company and the Offer, including the risks involved, for making any investment decision.

The Equity Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws in the United States, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold within the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. Accordingly, the Equity Shares are being offered and sold only outside the United States, in "offshore transactions", as defined in and in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act and the applicable laws of the jurisdictions in which such offers and sales are made. There will be no public offering in the United States.

Tata Power Strengthens NCR Grid with 162 KM Jalpura‑Khurja Transmission Corridor

Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power companies has successfully commissioned the second element of its Jalpura-Khurja Transmission Project in Uttar Pradesh, further strengthening the state’s power transmission infrastructure and enhancing connectivity to the growing electricity demand centres across NCR and Western Uttar Pradesh.

Executed through TP Jalpura Khurja Power Transmission Limited (TPJKPTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, the second element comprises a 400 kV double-circuit transmission line from Khurja to Jalpura spanning 162 circuit kilometres (CKM) and a 400/220 kV GIS substation at Jalpura with 1,000 MVA transformation capacity.

The 162 CKM transmission corridor comprises two circuits of approximately 81 km each and establishes a critical high-voltage link between Khurja and Jalpura. Khurja is an important power node in Western Uttar Pradesh, playing a strategic role in enabling efficient transmission of power towards NCR and Noida.

The newly commissioned 400/220 kV GIS substation at Jalpura, with 1,000 MVA transformation capacity, will serve as a major power gateway, enabling the transfer of power from the 400 kV high-voltage grid to the 220 kV network. This will support the region’s increasing power requirements while enhancing the reliability, resilience and efficiency of the transmission network.

With the commissioning of this transmission corridor and substation, Tata Power further strengthens the infrastructure required to support the next phase of growth in NCR and Western Uttar Pradesh, while contributing to the broader objective of building a robust and future-ready electricity grid for India. The project reinforces Tata Power’s capabilities in developing large-scale, critical power infrastructure and its commitment to supporting India’s transition towards a reliable, resilient and future-ready power transmission network.

Tata Power’s transmission portfolio now stands at 7900 circuit kilometres of lines operational and under execution across India, further reinforcing the company’s role in strengthening the nation’s electricity transmission network

L&T Technology Services Launches FARM to Fast‑Track Deep‑Tech Startup Commercialization

Program will provide startups with access to LTTS engineering expertise, global customer ecosystems, mentorship and commercialization pathways

L&T Technology Services (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), a global leader in Engineering Intelligence Solutions & ER&D Consulting Services, announced the launch of LTTS FARM, a startup engagement platform designed to accelerate the commercialization journey of deep-tech startups through Engineering Intelligence-led collaboration, co-innovation and market access.

Built on the philosophy of “Collaboration First, Commercialization Next”, LTTS FARM is targeted at startups with TRL 4+ technologies that have validated their technical feasibility and are ready to explore industry adoption. The program is focused on startups aligned with LTTS’ Technology Big Bets – Software Defined Mobility (SDM), Plant Buildout & Modernization, Energy & Industrial Automation, Digital Manufacturing, Next Gen Compute & Data Centers, Software Platforms & EI and MedTech - with the potential to further advance these strategic priorities through new technologies and solutions. By leveraging LTTS’ global presence, domain expertise and customer relationships, LTTS FARM seeks to create a structured launch pad for startups to progress from validated innovation to customer adoption and long-term growth.

The initiative reflects LTTS’ commitment to fostering a thriving innovation ecosystem by bringing together startups, engineering talent and industry stakeholders to address real-world business and technology challenges. The journey will span across evaluation, onboarding, co-innovation, pilot development and commercialization opportunities for eligible startups. Suitable solutions will be considered for broader industry deployments aided by pilot projects, proof-of-concepts, customer demonstrations and diverse commercial engagements.

Amit Chadha, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services and Member of NASSCOM Executive Council, said, “Many promising technologies struggle because of limited access to customers, industry expertise and commercialization opportunities. Through LTTS FARM, we are creating a platform where startups can collaborate with our experts, gain exposure to global markets and customer requirements, validate real-world applications and accelerate their journey from solution readiness to market adoption. By nurturing innovations that align with and further our technology big bets, LTTS FARM will also expand our Engineering Intelligence ecosystem and help transform breakthrough ideas into industry-ready solutions that deliver measurable business impact”.

About L&T Technology Services Ltd

L&T Technology Services (LTTS) is a global leader in Engineering Intelligence Solutions & ER&D Consulting Services. A listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), we offer design, development, testing, and sustenance services across products and processes. Purposeful. Agile. Innovation. is how we drive growth across the Mobility, Sustainability and Tech segments. Our customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 top ER&D companies across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and process industries. Headquartered in India, we have over 23,840 employees across 21 global design centers, 30 global sales offices, and 103 innovation labs, as of June 30­, 2026.

For additional information about L&T Technology Services log on to https://www.ltts.com/.