Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh visited the Siemens Energy plant in Byker on Thursday to announce the deal to manufacture steam turbines for Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactors planned for Anglesey

Critical components for a new UK nuclear power station will be manufactured in Newcastle. The Siemens Energy facility in Byker will produce steam turbines for Rolls-Royce’s flagship small modular reactors (SMRs) under construction on Anglesey in North Wales.

It marks the first occasion that such equipment will be built for a small modular reactor anywhere across Europe. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh toured Siemens Energy’s Shields Road site last Thursday morning and stated that the agreement demonstrated “what our golden age of nuclear looks like in practice”.

The Labour minister told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This part of the world has a huge history in engineering. We have good, high-skilled workers, and a history of training people up. The opportunity, for me, with reindustrialisation is this – it is using clean energy, which we know we need more of, building out a supply chain here in Newcastle. We want to see this and we need to see far more of it.”

Siemens Energy occupies the site of the historic works established by engineer Charles Parsons in the 1800s and currently employs approximately 600 people on Tyneside, with dozens of new apprentices set to join next week. The works was also where the steam turbine was constructed for the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant, Calder Hall in West Cumbria, which commenced generating in 1956.

Ms Fahnbulleh said the SMR station, scheduled to become operational in the mid-2030s, would contribute to delivering sustained energy bill reductions for households. She added: “My number one job is getting bills down. That is the thing the Prime Minister has asked me to do and every time we see the price cap increase it is tough for families and hugely frustrating for me. Part of the way we are going to bring bills down for good is, firstly, we need to diversify the energy mix.”, reports Chronicle Live.

“When we talk about clean power it is because one of the things that is driving up bills is our reliance on global fossil fuel markets. The more we have nuclear, the more we have wind, the more we are relying on homegrown energy, the more we can break that link. But at the same time, we also have to do things to make sure the market is working for consumers. A big part of what we need to do is look across the piece and say ‘how are we doing everything we can to push coats down so it impacts on people’s pockets and the cost of business’.”

Rolls-Royce SMR appointed Siemens Energy as its international turbine supplier in 2025 and has also secured deals for comparable nuclear power facilities in Sweden and Czechia. Darren Davidson, UK Vice President for Siemens Energy, said he was optimistic the partnership would trigger further investment into the firm’s Newcastle facility.

He added: “We have 600 jobs here and we have seen significant growth over the last two years. We have seen the creation of more than 100 jobs in the last two years on this site and the collaboration with Rolls-Royce will allow us to grow further and provide further investment.”

Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive Chris Cholerton described Siemens Energy as a “world class” supplier, stating: “This is a perfect example of reindustrialisation and the golden age of nuclear bringing that to life.”

Labour’s Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “When the Prime Minister promised growth in every postcode, this is what he meant. This investment will support more than 550 good jobs for people in Newcastle and delivers on our pledge to reindustrialise Britain. Building small modular reactors here in the UK presents huge benefits for us, from more export opportunities to more jobs on the ground at home.

“Through our Modern Industrial Strategy, we are creating the conditions for businesses to invest in high-skilled jobs, strengthen supply chains and back the industries that can put more money in people’s pockets.”

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Shares of Nvidia Corp. climbed $5.91, or 2.59%, to $234.36 as of 9:55 a.m. ET Friday, extending a week of strong gains for the chipmaker following its confirmed acquisition of AI platform Hugging Face and continued momentum from a blowout quarterly earnings report last week.

Nvidia officially confirmed Thursday that it has agreed to acquire Hugging Face, one of the world’s most widely used platforms for sharing and deploying open-source artificial intelligence models, in a deal valued at $12.93 billion. CEO Jensen Huang and Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss the transaction, emphasizing the strategic importance of keeping AI development open rather than centralized around a small number of proprietary providers.

Huang told CNBC that open models “matter greatly to our company,” reinforcing comments he made in the deal’s official announcement, in which he pledged that Hugging Face would remain a neutral platform available to developers regardless of which computing hardware or cloud provider they choose to use.

Patrick Moorhead, an industry analyst who covers the semiconductor sector, offered his own assessment of the strategic logic behind the acquisition in remarks to CNBC.

“It’s about accelerating open source growth,” Moorhead said of Nvidia’s rationale for acquiring Hugging Face.

Rosenblatt analysts weighed in on the deal as well, framing it within the broader context of Nvidia’s expanding role across the AI industry’s financial ecosystem. According to Rosenblatt, Nvidia is increasingly using its balance sheet to help maintain the overall health of the broader AI ecosystem, extending its influence beyond simply selling computing hardware to actively investing in and acquiring key pieces of AI infrastructure and software.

Friday’s gains build on Nvidia’s continued momentum following its fiscal second-quarter earnings report released in late August, which significantly exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. The company reported revenue of $96.2 billion, up 106% year over year, with its data center segment alone contributing $89 billion of that total. Non-GAAP earnings per share rose 120% to $2.22, comfortably beating analyst estimates of $2.09 on revenue of $92.3 billion. Diluted earnings per share on a GAAP basis soared 128% to $2.46.

For the current quarter, Nvidia guided for revenue of $108 billion, plus or minus 2%, implying year-over-year growth of roughly 89%, with non-GAAP gross margin expected to hold around 75%. Huang described the company’s outlook in terms of continued supply constraints rather than any weakening in underlying demand.

“A supply-constrained outlook,” Huang said of the company’s near-term production capacity, adding that Nvidia expects “supply to remain a bottleneck at least through the end of fiscal year 28.”

Supporting that assessment, industry data cited by analysts shows the cloud computing industry’s backlog of orders now exceeds $2 trillion, with capital expenditures among the top five hyperscale cloud providers tracking toward nearly $800 billion in 2026 and an estimated $1.3 trillion in 2027. Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin computing platform is expected to generate approximately $40 billion in revenue per gigawatt of deployed capacity, a significant step up from the $25 billion figure associated with the company’s current Blackwell architecture.

Wall Street analyst sentiment toward Nvidia has remained overwhelmingly positive following the earnings report and the Hugging Face deal. According to compiled analyst ratings, Nvidia currently holds 48 “buy” ratings and 10 “strong buy” ratings, with a consensus price target of $305.79, implying meaningful upside from current trading levels. The stock’s forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24 remains below the average multiple of the broader Nasdaq-100 index, which some analysts argue makes the stock reasonably valued given its projected growth trajectory and 65.6% operating margins.

Despite the bullish near-term outlook, some risks remain on the horizon. Analysts have noted that Nvidia’s third-quarter guidance does not include any revenue contribution from China data center compute sales, a market that has faced ongoing export restrictions and regulatory uncertainty. Gross margins are also expected to bottom out in the fourth quarter, in a range of 71% to 72%, as the company ramps up production of its newer Vera Rubin platform, a transition that historically introduces temporary cost pressures before yields improve.

Insider trading activity at Nvidia has also drawn some investor attention this week. Nvidia board member Mark Stevens filed a Form 144 notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Sept. 2, signaling intent to sell shares totaling approximately $1.5 billion, according to data compiled by financial trackers. Such filings are a routine disclosure requirement for insider stock sales and do not necessarily indicate any change in a company’s underlying business outlook, though large insider sales are often closely watched by investors regardless of the specific circumstances.

Nvidia’s stock has now climbed 901% over the trailing five years, according to Motley Fool analysis, transforming the company into a $5.4 trillion market capitalization giant and one of the most closely watched stocks in global markets. Sell-side analysts project the company’s revenue will continue expanding at a roughly 58% annual rate between fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2029, supported by sustained pricing power tied to persistent supply constraints across the broader AI computing hardware market.

Some market commentators have flagged September’s historically weak seasonal performance for equities broadly, noting that the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite have both typically posted negative average returns during the month. Despite that historical pattern, several analysts have argued that Nvidia’s current fundamental momentum, bolstered by the Hugging Face acquisition and continued strong demand signals from hyperscale cloud customers, could allow the stock to buck the broader seasonal trend this year.

With Nvidia’s next major earnings report not expected until November, investors are likely to continue focusing in the near term on integration details surrounding the Hugging Face acquisition, along with broader industry data points from other major semiconductor companies reporting quarterly results this month, including Broadcom, which reported its fiscal third-quarter results Sept. 2, and Micron Technology, which is scheduled to report on Sept. 30. Both companies’ results are expected to offer additional insight into the broader health of the AI hardware supply chain heading into the final months of 2026.

Firmus Energy has announced an 8.98% price increase for customers in the Ten Towns area and 12.5% for Greater Belfast.

The Ten Towns new tariff will be effective from 1 October and equates to an extra £7 per month on the average bill for customers.

In greater Belfast, around 54,000 customers’ new tariffs will be effective from 8 October and equates to an extra £12 per month.

They said the increase was “due to the increased cost of gas on the global energy markets caused by the prolonged conflict in the Middle East”.

About 77,000 households and small businesses are in the Ten Towns area which includes Antrim, Armagh, Banbridge, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Newry, Londonderry and more than 25 other towns and villages in the surrounding area,

Announcing the tariff change, Sharleen Winning, head of regulation at Firmus Energy, said they “cannot ignore the impact the situation in the Middle East is having on the cost of energy”.

“Unfortunately this has left us with no option other than to increase our tariffs.”

Winning said Firmus Energy have “held off for as long as we could in the hope of a resolution that would lead to a reduction in the global wholesale prices”.

“We have demonstrated that when we are in a position to reduce tariffs, we do so without delay, and we hope to be able to do so again, once the global markets allow this.”

It comes after last week, Northern Ireland’s largest provider of natural gas, SSE Airtricity, announced it is increasing prices by almost 19% from 1 October for its 200,000 customers.

Leigh Greer from the the Utility Regulator said if customers are worried about paying for gas or electricity they should contact their supplier as soon as possible.

“Suppliers will work with customers to discuss payment options and the support available.

“We recognise that another increase in energy bills will be deeply concerning for households and small businesses, particularly for those already under pressure from the wider cost of living.”

Raymond Gormley, from the Consumer Council, said the increase hadn’t come as a shock to him, but acknowledged it “could be a really tough winter for consumers”.

“We consume about two-thirds of our energy in the winter months, so this is the time we’re going to be using the energy and paying that bit more for it.

“Think about ways of saving money, think about the way you pay for your energy and the supplier you’re with. Every little bit will help at this stage.”

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Integrated contact centre platforms offer the potential for more streamlined service, faster resolutions, and fewer handoffs for customers. Many companies are evaluating these technologies to improve both satisfaction and business outcomes.

Delivering an effective customer journey relies not just on brand promises but on responsive, coherent operational design. As expectations increase for quick, consistent support across multiple channels, businesses are assessing how modern platforms can meet these requirements. Contact centre as a service solutions, frequently chosen for their flexibility, play a significant role in supporting integrated approaches that help minimise friction and support organisational priorities. Understanding what genuine integration means, and how it can impact outcomes, remains important for decision makers seeking operational improvements.

Customer experience as a driver of operations

Customer experience is closely linked to tangible operational metrics such as retention, revenue, and cost-to-serve. When customers receive prompt responses and achieve first-time resolution, they are more likely to remain loyal and recommend the business.

Consistency in handling queries, regardless of communication channel, further increases satisfaction. High rates of unresolved contacts or repeated requests can drive up service costs and affect trust in the organisation.

Responsive service is not simply a branding concern; it affects operational figures, such as repeat contact rates and average handle times. Operational inefficiency can result in longer queue times and increased frustration, directly influencing customers’ perception of an organisation.

Cyber security reseller services are now often included within contact centre systems to help improve data protection and support consistent service delivery. Balancing information security with smooth customer interactions has become an essential operational consideration.

Defining integration in modern contact centres

Integration involves more than connecting channels at a basic level. In a modern contact centre, it includes bringing together voice, email, chat, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), ticketing, and workforce management tools into a unified system.

This lessens the chances of customers having to repeat themselves or experience multiple handoffs between agents. When an agent can see interaction history, preferences, and recent tickets in one place, each contact is more efficient and relevant.

Integrated workflows remove data silos, allowing processes to operate across departments and platforms smoothly. This supports root-cause analysis of recurring issues, so teams can proactively address underlying service challenges.

Technological integration also provides adaptability, as platforms designed for interoperability can accommodate new business needs without the need for ongoing replacement or extensive staff retraining.

Customer experience gains and measurable outcomes

One advantage of integration is improved first-contact resolution, where customer issues can be resolved during the first interaction, reducing the need for follow-up. This minimises customer effort and can lead to higher satisfaction scores.

Faster call routing and user-friendly self-service tools may lead to shorter waiting times. When agents have immediate access to customer details and prior interactions, conversations are more relevant and tailored to individual requirements.

Providing consistent service across channels ensures customers receive comparable support whether they reach out by phone, email, or chat. Reducing handoffs between teams prevents confusion and helps move queries towards resolution efficiently.

Integrated performance reporting enables organisations to identify and address recurring customer challenges, adding clear value to their platform investments.

Operational changes, risks, and best practices

For managers and team leaders, integration creates new visibility into live performance metrics. Real-time dashboards can display queue lengths, abandonment rates, and agent availability, making resource planning and workload management more straightforward.

Clearer reporting enables targeted coaching, helping teams lower average handle time and improve quality scores. However, without careful planning, integration initiatives can lead to fragmented data or difficulty with user adoption.

Managing data quality and compliance is essential as platforms gather more personal information. Implementing robust access controls and keeping customer records accurate across interconnected systems are key for reliable operations.

Successfully deploying integrated contact centre solutions involves reviewing current customer journeys and finding friction points. Organisations benefit from phased integrations, comprehensive training, and adjusting processes using insights from metrics such as first-contact resolution, average handle time, and customer effort. Avoiding excessive tool complexity and maintaining clear reporting responsibilities are also important for long-term results.

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As technology continues evolving in 2026, seamless payments play a bigger role in growth for companies of all sizes, especially those seeking guidance on how to start selling online and how to build online store 2026.

Payment friction remains a significant obstacle for digital sellers, particularly smaller enterprises balancing growth with finite resources. Even if you master how to start selling online, a cumbersome or unreliable payment process can cause abandonment at the very last step. Integrating payments directly into your online store website, combined with effective online store software, allows transactions, inventory, and customer data to flow automatically without manual re-entry or confusion. For those planning how to build online store 2026, ensuring seamless integration from the start is essential.

Reducing friction by connecting payments and operations

Proper integration involves more than just adding a checkout button. It connects payment functionality with your storefront, links directly to order management and inventory, and ensures customer communications and accounting records are all updated in real time, making online store software more effective for day-to-day control.

When deciding how to build online store 2026 and developing workflows, integrated setups save time on daily tasks. Instead of switching between systems to reconcile sales or issue refunds, everything from payment authorisation to receipt generation happens in one place, minimising administrative effort and the risk of error. Using online store software to automate these processes supports smoother operations and business growth.

Enhancing customer confidence and increasing conversion

Fast, reliable checkouts improve success when you are learning how to start selling online by letting customers choose from preferred payment methods and quickly save their details for future purchases. Storing encrypted data securely also reduces payment failures and supports smoother refund or exchange processes, which builds trust in your platform.

Businesses benefit from online store software that can automate failed payment follow-ups and streamline communication. If chargebacks or disputes arise, clear integration helps keep documentation consistent. Merging customer and sales history across touchpoints strengthens relationships and reinforces confidence in your platform, especially as you plan how to build online store 2026 with advanced features.

Simpler reconciliation, cash flow, and omnichannel growth

With unified transaction reporting, you spend less time matching card payments to individual orders. Clear visibility over fees and settlement speeds helps you forecast available funds and plan for restocking or promotional activity. Integrated data also allows for smarter inventory management decisions, based on real sales instead of estimates, supporting your efforts with accurate reporting.

For those looking into how to build online store 2026 capability that supports growth, choosing integrated payments prepares a business for expansion across new channels. Whether you sell through social platforms or accept in-person payments, keeping all payment flows and customer data in sync means fewer errors and more adaptable business operations.

Minimising risk and avoiding common payment pitfalls

Integrated systems can increase security by employing tokenisation and industry-standard fraud checks, without burdening staff with complex manual reviews. This approach also supports smoother resolution of chargebacks and consistent compliance across both online and offline sales.

Avoiding fragmented payment tools, monitoring hidden processing costs, and ensuring your mobile checkout is optimised can improve performance. Neglecting to track payments as a core part of commercial infrastructure, rather than a secondary concern, can leave growth potential untapped, even for those who have learned how to start selling online.