Saint-Gobain today commenced construction of its seventh float glass line and fifth mineral wool insulation line in Chennai, India. The new float glass facility will have a production capacity of 1,000 metric tons per day, while the mineral wool insulation plant will have a production capacity of 50,000 metric tons.
Two nuclear energy companies signed deals to create technology centers at a former nuclear reactor site. Berkeley nuclear power station in Gloucestershire was shut down in 1989, but a developer now wants to build a “nuclear center of excellence” on the site. Quantum Leap Energy and Astral Systems signed deals to set up plants there.
Illuminate USA, a solar panel manufacturer in Pataskala, Ohio, signed a five-year agreement to purchase recycled solar glass from Solarcyle. The supply deal will support the production of 3 GW of solar panels annually for five years, reaching 15 GW total.
Launched in May 2025, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative for New Manufacturing aims to help create a transformation of manufacturing through new technology and development of talent. Amgen, Autodesk, Flex, GE Vernova, PTC, Sanofi, and Siemens are founding members of the initiative’s industry consortium.
Norwegian nuclear project developer Norsk Kjernekraft and energy developer Ocean-Power are collaborating on the development of concepts of floating nuclear power plants based on small modular reactors.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia sued the U.S. Department of Energy over the agency’s move to limit the use of its grant funding for “indirect costs” such as buildings, equipment, and personnel. DOE announced in May 2025 it would cap indirect costs at 10% for state and local governments, a departure from longstanding practice of negotiating those rates on an organization-by-organization basis.
GMB Union general secretary Gary Smith wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy urging the government to ensure the country’s embassies abroad use U.K. ceramics and tableware. Three ceramics firms—Royal Stafford, Heraldic Pottery and Moorcroft—collapsed earlier this year, though the latter was since purchased by the founder’s grandson.
A new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers drills down on specific innovations that enabled dramatic cost reductions for solar panels, revealing that technical advances across a web of diverse research efforts and industries played a pivotal role.
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening levies on foreign chips as TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix face potential tariffs unless they boost U.S. manufacturing investments. The threat of tariffs is expected to create a great deal of uncertainty for those tech companies that are dependent on a steady supply of semiconductors from Asia.
The world’s first internal curing concrete additive has been launched in the United Arab Emirates. Named CureAssure, Asian Paints’ new generation innovative self-curing liquid additive can eliminate the need for traditional external curing.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will phase out its 6-inch wafer manufacturing business over the next two years and continue consolidating its 8-inch wafer production capacity to improve efficiency.
