Autonomous Freight in Arkansas: PepsiCo and Gatik announced a multi-year expansion of driverless Class 8 trucks across Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas, aiming to add capacity on hard-to-staff routes and keep deliveries consistent. Clean Energy Financing: Cypress Creek Energy secured $3.5B in financing for the Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County, Arkansas—1.63 GW of solar and 1.9 GWh of battery storage in early phases, with the full project targeting 2.45 GW and 2.9 GWh by 2029. AI + National Security: Sen. Tom Cotton said China is running a covert influence effort to shape U.S. policy on data centers and AI, seeking a federal probe. STEM Education in Bentonville: The Walton family selected BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group to design a Walton STEM Institute on the former Walmart Home Office site, with a 422,000-square-foot campus planned to open for students in 2029. Architecture Leadership: Clemson professor James C. Stevens was named dean of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, starting Aug. 15. Local Tech Policy: Arkansas-based Trinity Consultants’ emails were cited in an updated lawsuit alleging xAI’s Southaven, Mississippi plant added turbines without proper air permits. Reading Teacher Training: Southern Arkansas University earned an A+ from the National Council on Teacher Quality for its elementary reading instruction program.