Nine in 10 finance leaders say they are under pressure to prove AI ROI, while only 12% say their organisations prioritise governance over deployment speed

SYDNEY, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Avalara, Inc., the agentic AI leader for global tax and compliance, today released new research revealing that while Australian finance teams feel pressure to deploy AI agents as quickly as possible, governance, accountability, and internal controls are struggling to keep pace. 

The report, “Agents of Change: How the Race to Deploy AI Agents is Outrunning Financial Governance,” surveyed CFOs and senior finance leaders across Australia who have deployed, piloted, or actively evaluated AI agents in financial processes during the past year.

Key findings
Pressure to show value is mounting.

• 88%¹ of respondents feel moderate or significant career pressure to demonstrate that AI agent investments are delivering ROI, with half calling that pressure significant.
• 90% say their AI agent initiatives are delivering at least some measurable ROI to date.
• 59%² say the pressure to deploy agents is focused primarily on deployment speed.

Governance is falling behind the agentic AI rush.

• Only 12%³ say their organisation prioritises governance over speed.
• 23% say the top proof they expect from vendors when evaluating AI-powered solutions is ROI, vs. 17% for governance and control documentation and 18% for auditability and explainability evidence.
• 59% are only somewhat confident they could explain an AI agent’s actions to an auditor or regulator.

The findings reveal a finance function caught between executive pressure to accelerate AI agent adoption and the operational reality that those AI agents need to be managed with care, particularly in tax and compliance, where decisions must withstand regulatory scrutiny.

“Australian finance leaders are right to move quickly to capitalize on agentic AI opportunities, but speed without accountability creates new forms of risk, and speed without rethinking workflows limits ROI,” said Hugo Sarrazin, Chief Executive Officer at Avalara. “The organizations that realize the greatest value from AI won’t simply deploy more agents. They’ll leverage agents with trusted data, governed workflows, and clear controls that enable automation with confidence.”

Pinpointing Accountability

The research highlights questions about who is responsible for significant AI agent errors. For example, nearly one in five (18%⁴) say accountability for a significant AI agent error would be unclear or sit with no one, while 18% believe the executive who approved the AI investment would ultimately be held personally accountable. 

One of the challenges is a lack of available knowledge: 75%⁵ lack dedicated in-house expertise to understand how their AI agents work, relying on IT or vendors.

“Finance leaders are being asked to move quickly with AI, but governing agents requires a new combination of domain, AI, IT, and data governance expertise,” said Frank Cirone, VP Commercial Strategy at Snowflake, a cloud data platform company. “As AI agents gain access to financial and compliance workflows, organisations need to know what those agents can see, what they can do, and when human approval is required. That kind of control has to be built into the architecture, not added after the fact.” 

Finance Leaders Prioritize Trust Alongside Speed

The survey makes clear that finance leaders aren’t looking to slow AI adoption. They’re looking to scale it responsibly. When asked what would most increase their confidence in expanding AI agents, respondents consistently prioritised capabilities that reinforce trust and accountability:

• AI agents operating within existing systems of record (32%)
• Outputs grounded in verified tax, compliance, and financial data (30%)
• Validation against known compliance requirements (25%)
• Vendor commitments around accuracy and accountability (20%)
• Audit trails documenting every AI action (31%)

The capability respondents identified as most valuable for financial operations was “audit-ready documentation for every AI-driven action,” selected by 37% of respondents.

“AI agents are now moving into business processes that require trust, transparency, and governance by design,” said Jim Lundy, Founder, CEO, and Lead Analyst at Aragon Research. “As enterprises scale agentic AI, the question becomes less about whether the technology can act and more about whether organizations can understand, control, and explain those actions. In finance, where workflows are auditable and outcomes carry real business consequences, governance and explainability will become essential requirements for adoption.”

The full report, Agents of Change: How the Race to Deploy AI Agents is Outrunning Financial Governance, is available at: newsroom.avalara.com/image/Agents_of_Change.pdf 

Methodology:

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 250 CFO or Senior Finance leaders (aged 30+) in Australia in companies with a revenue of approximately $14 million+ (US$10 million+). Respondents must have deployed, piloted, or actively evaluated AI agents in their organisation in the last 12 months and work in the following industries: Financial Services and Insurance / Healthcare /Manufacturing & Distribution / Professional Services (i.e., accounting firms legal, consulting) / Retail & E-commerce / Tech and SaaS. The data was collected between 15.06.2026 – 22.06.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. Censuswide adheres to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

About Avalara

Avalara is the agentic AI platform for global tax and compliance. For more than two decades, Avalara has built one of the most expansive libraries of tax content and integrations in the industry, processing more than 54 billion transactions annually and supporting millions of businesses worldwide. The company’s purpose-built AI agents automate end-to-end compliance with greater precision, from tax calculations and return filings to exemption certificate management and beyond. For more information, visit Avalara.com.

1. Combining answers “significant pressure” (32%) and “moderate pressure” (56%)
2. Combining answers “entirely on speed” (26%) and “mostly on speed” (33%)
3. Combining answers “mostly on governance” (12%) and “entirely on governance” (0%)
4. Combining answers “Accountability would be unclear” (12%) and “No one individual or team” (6%)
5. Combining answers “this is something we are actively trying to hire or develop for” (21%), “we rely on our IT or technology team for this” (16%), “we rely on the vendor who built or provides the agent” (24%) and “we have no one currently responsible for this” (14%)

SINGAPORE, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SuperX AI Technology Limited (NASDAQ: SUPX, hereinafter referred to as “SuperX”) and Mercuria Asia (hereinafter referred to as “Mercuria”), the Asia Pacific platform of Mercuria Energy Group today announced the establishment of a strategic partnership. As part of this partnership, Mercuria Asia has made a strategic investment in SuperX through a convertible note and warrant subscription agreement. The two parties will draw on their respective strengths in global energy, power optimization, capital deployment, and AI data center technology to pursue in-depth cooperation in global AI infrastructure development, jointly advancing the integration of energy solutions and AI infrastructure.

The parties will focus on global AI data center development, optimized allocation of power resources, and innovation in energy management, exploring new models of synergistic development among energy, technology, and capital to deliver efficient, reliable, and sustainable global AI computing infrastructure solutions, providing long-term support for the continued growth of the global AI industry.

Dr. Huang Chenhong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SuperX, commented: “This long-term strategic partnership with Mercuria represents a significant milestone in SuperX’s global expansion. The core long-term challenge for the AI computing power industry lies in electricity costs and low-carbon compliance pressures. Mercuria’s global energy network, asset management expertise, and structured energy solutions precisely address our key gaps. Our collaboration will accelerate the implementation of overseas projects in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and other regions, while establishing differentiated advantages in green computing power and continuously enhancing the company’s long-term profitability and investment value. Building on this partnership, we will deliver more cost-competitive and sustainable AI factory solutions to customers worldwide.”

Mr. Jin Han, Board Member of Mercuria Group and Chief Executive Officer of Mercuria Asia, stated: “AI infrastructure is becoming a vital conduit for the integrated development of the global energy system and the digital economy. As AI advances rapidly, global computing power demand continues to surge, placing higher demands on stable, low-cost, and sustainable energy supplies while creating new opportunities in energy management, power trading, and infrastructure investment. 

Mercuria has long focused on infrastructure investments that enhance global energy efficiency and resource allocation. Investing in AI infrastructure is both an important practice in advancing Mercuria’s energy strategy and a key direction in positioning for the future energy ecosystem. Our focus extends beyond computing power itself to the long-term industrial value created by the deep integration of energy and AI.”

SuperX holds leading advantages in full-stack AI data center technology, global deployment, and operations. Mercuria possesses a worldwide energy network, capabilities in power optimization and price risk management, structured financing expertise, and extensive experience in energy asset investment and operations. The complementary strengths of both parties establish a solid foundation for long-term cooperation.

Looking ahead, the two parties will deepen cooperation in energy security, AI data center development, and global computing infrastructure, driving the integration of energy and computing power to build an efficient, reliable, and sustainable global AI infrastructure platform that supports the long-term growth of the global AI industry.

Mercuria is committed to creating value across the global energy and commodities value chain. The company continuously invests in innovative companies and technologies, strengthens long-term energy security, and optimizes resource allocation through its global network to meet growing energy demand. This partnership with SuperX marks an important step in extending Mercuria’s global energy capabilities into the AI era, and reflects its continued commitment to future infrastructure and long-term growth industries.

About SuperX AI Technology Limited (NASDAQ: SUPX)

SuperX AI Technology Limited is a provider of AI infrastructure solutions, offering AI data centers a comprehensive portfolio that includes proprietary hardware, advanced software, and end-to-end services. The company’s offerings encompass advanced solution design and planning, cost-effective infrastructure product integration, and end-to-end operations and maintenance. Its core products include high-performance AI servers, 800-volt direct current (800VDC) solutions, high-density liquid cooling solutions, as well as AI cloud services and AI agents. Headquartered in Singapore, SuperX serves institutional clients globally, including enterprises, research institutions, and cloud and edge computing deployments. For more information, please visit www.superx.sg.

About Mercuria

Mercuria Asia is the Asia Pacific platform of Mercuria Energy Group, one of the world’s largest independent energy and commodities groups. Headquartered in Singapore, Mercuria Asia leads the Group’s regional energy trading, investment, and infrastructure activities across Asia Pacific. The Group, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, operates globally across the energy value chain, including crude oil and refined products, natural gas and LNG, power, renewable energy, metals, and carbon markets, and is recognized for its strong focus on risk management, compliance, and operational excellence, and for its investment in energy solutions that support global energy security and the energy transition.

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New facility strengthens global manufacturing capabilities through the strategic joint venture between OptiMIM and Vasantha Tool Crafts Pvt. Ltd.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OptiMIM, a Form Technologies company, announces the official opening of the OptiMIM Global manufacturing facility in India, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued global expansion and regional manufacturing strategy.

The facility, established through the strategic joint venture between OptiMIM and Vasantha Tool Crafts Pvt. Ltd. is designed to support customers across the world with advanced metal injection molding (MIM) solutions, localized engineering collaboration, and integrated tooling expertise.

The launch strengthens OptiMIM’s global manufacturing footprint while enhancing regional customer support capabilities through the combination of OptiMIM’s precision MIM expertise and Vasantha’s established tooling and manufacturing capabilities.

“Our vision for OptiMIM Global was to create a strong regional manufacturing and engineering presence that allows us to better support customers across Asia and Europe while complementing our existing global operations,” said Marc Riquelme, President of OptiMIM and Signicast. “The official opening of this facility represents an important step in expanding our ability to deliver global advanced MIM solutions to customers in key growth markets.”

Dayanand Reddy, Managing Director, Vasantha Tool Crafts added, “We are excited to join forces with OptiMIM to push the boundaries of MIM technology. Our complementary strengths in high-precision manufacturing and innovative design will drive new possibilities for our customers across various industries.”

The India facility will support a range of industries including medical, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, and aerospace applications. By combining advanced MIM manufacturing capabilities with integrated tooling support, OptiMIM Global is positioned to provide customers with enhanced collaboration, regional responsiveness, and scalable production support throughout the product lifecycle.

The opening of OptiMIM Global reflects the company’s continued investment in innovation and advanced precision metal injection molding. With its expanded manufacturing capabilities, OptiMIM Global is well positioned to help customers accelerate the development and production of complex, high-performance components.

About OptiMIM

OptiMIM, a Form Technologies company, is a leading provider of advanced metal injection molding (MIM) solutions, delivering high-performance precision components for demanding applications across the medical, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, and aerospace industries. Combining advanced materials expertise with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, OptiMIM supports customers globally with scalable, high-quality production solutions. Learn more at OptiMIM.com.

About Vasantha Tool Crafts Pvt.Ltd.

Vasantha Tool Crafts Pvt. Ltd., established in 1989 in Hyderabad, India, is a leader in high-precision plastic injection molds and metal injection molding (MIM) solutions. Serving industries such as FMCG, healthcare, and consumer durables, the company has delivered over 4,000 Class 101 molds worldwide. Vasantha’s advanced manufacturing capabilities include robotic automation, 3D metal printing, and in-house vacuum heat treatment. The company operates five state-of-the-art facilities across three continents. For more information, visit vasantha.com.

About Form Technologies

Form Technologies is a global manufacturing group focused on advanced precision component solutions through its portfolio of leading brands, including Dynacast, Signicast, and OptiMIM. For more information, visit formtechnologies.com.

MarketingFormTechnologies@formtechnologies.com

New docking station transforms everyday connectivity into a personalized productivity hub for creators, remote professionals, and modern workspaces

SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TobenONE, a professional docking station brand specializing in office connectivity solutions, has launched the UDS060, an innovative docking station featuring fully programmable shortcut keys and a customizable volume knob. Designed to give users greater control over their workflows, the UDS060 combines high-performance connectivity with personalized hardware controls, enabling frequently used commands to be executed with a single touch.

Unlike conventional docking stations that focus solely on expanding connectivity, the UDS060 introduces a new approach to productivity by allowing users to assign virtually any function to physical controls. Everyday actions such as locking the screen, taking screenshots, muting audio, launching applications, or triggering custom keyboard shortcuts can all be mapped to dedicated buttons, helping content creators, remote workers, and office professionals streamline repetitive tasks and maintain focus throughout the workday.

“The UDS060 represents a new approach to docking station design by combining customizable shortcut keys with powerful multi-display connectivity”, said Jacky, General Manager of TobenONE. “Feedback from users of our first-generation shortcut docking station showed that expanding connectivity alone was no longer enough. Professionals increasingly wanted greater control over their workflows. With seven customizable controls and dedicated software, the UDS060 transforms a traditional docking station into a personalized productivity command center.”

Programmable Shortcut Keys and Volume Knob: At the core of the UDS060 are seven programmable shortcut keys and a multifunctional volume knob, which supports intuitive volume adjustment through rotation while also serving as a customizable control. Together, these programmable inputs can be tailored to suit individual work habits, reducing reliance on complex keyboard combinations and improving efficiency across creative, business, and multitasking environments.

11-Port Connectivity and Dual 4K Display: The docking station also delivers comprehensive connectivity for modern desktop setups. It supports dual HDMI outputs capable of driving two 4K displays at 60Hz while integrating 11 ports into a single compact device. These include 100W Power Delivery pass-through charging, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 ports with data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps, SD and TF card readers, and an audio interface. Plug-and-play functionality enables users to connect peripherals and external displays without additional configuration.

Customization is powered by the TobenONE App, available for both Windows and macOS. Through the application, every programmable control can be configured using more than 170 preset command combinations or fully customized to execute user-defined functions and keyboard shortcuts. This flexibility enables the docking station to adapt to a wide variety of professional workflows, from creative production and software development to office administration and hybrid work.

The TobenONE UDS060 is available now on the TobenONE Official Brand Store.

Visit the official website for the current pricing and promotions. The product is backed by a two-year warranty and lifetime technical support.

About TobenONE

Founded in 2016, TobenONE is a professional docking station brand dedicated to providing office connectivity solutions for professionals worldwide. The company focuses on the research, development, and manufacturing of multifunction docking stations, multi-display expansion products, and advanced connectivity solutions. By designing products around real-world workplace scenarios, TobenONE aims to create cleaner, more efficient professional workspaces for users across global markets. Known for its reliable docking stations and workspace solutions, TobenONE helps professionals build more efficient, organized workspaces.

For more information, visit https://tobenone.com/

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Pepper and Lucky 7 solar projects reinforce GameChange Energy’s position as a trusted technology partner for the rapidly expanding data center market

NORWALK, Conn., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GameChange Energy, a global energy infrastructure company, announced that its Genius Tracker™ solar tracker systems have been selected for the Pepper and Lucky 7 utility-scale solar projects in Texas, developed by Sabanci Renewables.

Together, the two projects represent approximately 286 MWdc of new solar generation and are expected to begin commercial operation in the second half of 2027. The projects will supply renewable energy under a long-term agreement with Meta, supporting the growing electricity demand created by hyperscale data center operations.

As AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure continue to accelerate, data centers have become one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity demand in the United States. Across Texas and other key markets, developers are increasingly pairing new utility-scale solar generation with long-term power purchase agreements to help meet this demand with reliable, cost-effective renewable energy.

GameChange Energy’s Genius Tracker platform was selected to support both Pepper and Lucky 7, continuing the company’s growing role in delivering high-performance solar infrastructure for mission-critical energy applications.

“The rapid expansion of data centers is fundamentally changing how new power generation is being developed,” said Phillip Vyhanek, Chief Executive Officer of GameChange Energy. “We’re proud that Genius Tracker was selected for the Pepper and Lucky 7 projects, which demonstrate how utility-scale solar can help support the enormous energy requirements of modern digital infrastructure. We believe this represents just the beginning of a significant growth opportunity as developers and hyperscale customers continue investing in new renewable energy projects.”

Texas has become one of the nation’s leading markets for both data center development and utility-scale solar deployment, making it a strategic location for projects that connect renewable energy generation with rapidly expanding digital infrastructure. Similar projects are expected to accelerate across the United States as technology companies continue investing in AI and cloud computing facilities.

GameChange Energy’s Genius Tracker systems are designed to maximize energy production while reducing installation time and long-term operating costs. With more than 68 GW of solar tracker and fixed-tilt systems deployed worldwide, the company continues to support some of the world’s largest renewable energy projects across diverse climates and site conditions.

About GameChange Energy

GameChange Energy is a global energy infrastructure company delivering integrated, highly engineered solutions for utility-scale renewable energy and critical power applications. Through our portfolio of operating companies, we provide solar trackers, fixed-tilt mounting systems, eBOS solutions, transformers, drone-based asset inspection, and customized infrastructure solutions for renewable energy plants, data centers, and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Our technologies are designed to reduce risk, improve performance, and deliver reliable operation worldwide. GameChange Energy is engineering the future of clean energy infrastructure.

For more information about GameChange Energy, visit www.gamechangeenergy.com.

Media Contact

Lisa Andrews

Director of Marketing, GameChange Energy

lisa.andrews@gamechangeenergy.com