The content team at Channel Partners tracks stories of interest to the technology advisor and wider channel communities. Anyone selling communication and connectivity solutions will want to stay abreast of these developing stories or catch up on ones they have missed. All links are valid as of Aug. 26.

AI Assistants Replace Third-Party Advisors in B2B Purchases

Enterprise purchasers are turning to LLMs to scrutinize vendors and the partners who refer them, according to a study from the AI Revenue Institute published earlier this month. The survey of 521 decision-makers found that chatbots pervade buying committees. Purchasers frequently use AI to weigh vendor sales claims against public information — more than half of B2B buyers said they removed a vendor from their shortlist after AI pointed out a shortcoming, according to the report. Read the Channel Dive story.

Data Centers’ ‘Oh Shoot’ Moment

The late-summer backlash against data centers is inspiring panic among some corners of the tech sector — amid fears that the industry is mishandling a political crisis that will stretch into 2028 and beyond. Politicians across the political spectrum have embraced curbs on data center construction, with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, potential Democratic White House hopeful Josh Shapiro and Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers being among the latest to sign on. Read the POLITICO story.

Charter CEO Mixed on Post-Cox Job Plans, Capex

Charter Communications CEO Chris Winfrey indicated that the cable communications giant’s $34.5 billion purchase of Cox Communications would result in mixed employment fortunes depending on department, plans to tamp down capex, and potentially an enterprise-focused market boost. Winfrey explained during a conference call that the combined entity would bolster its frontline headcount at the potential expense of mid-level management. Read the SDxCentral story.

With Nvidia on Board, SpaceX Orbital Data Centers to Hit 'Significant Scale' in 2028

Using a design powered by Nvidia chips, SpaceX's deployment of orbital AI data centers will start in Q4 2027 and reach 'significant scale' in 2028, predicts Elon Musk. Musk plans to deploy "up to" 1 million orbital data centers optimized to handle AI workloads. Read the Light Reading story.

Verizon Confirms Gemini Handles Most Inbound Calls: Google Cloud Full-Stack AI at Carrier Scale

Google Cloud and Verizon announced a sweeping strategic partnership deploying Gemini Enterprise across every major business function of the largest U.S. wireless carrier — customer experience, network operations, marketing, security, and employee productivity. Verizon confirmed what had quietly been true for some time: Gemini is already routing the majority of Verizon's inbound consumer calls and chats every month. For enterprise technology leaders watching the hyperscaler race from the sidelines, this is the clearest operating proof point yet of what full-stack AI transformation requires in practice — and what it produces when it works. Read the Tech Times story.

AT&T Moves Video up the Stack with EdgeVis Cloud

AT&T Business has launched a cloud-managed version of its video monitoring service, AT&T Video Intelligence with EdgeVis Cloud. The move is as much about the carrier's enterprise ambitions as it is about cameras. Read the Fierce Network story.

Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung Clash Over 6G's Need for Nvidia

The technical strategies of the main RAN vendors are diverging radically, with Nokia championing GPUs as a 6G essential and its rivals arguing otherwise. See the Light Reading story.

Circular Financing Explained

Circular financing has become a widely used phrase in AI infrastructure. Chip makers, hyperscalers and neoclouds are all wrapped up in it, and regulators are starting to ask hard questions about what it actually means. Read the Capacity Global story.

Thomson Reuters’ New Model Could Inspire Other SaaS Vendors

Information services vendor Thomson Reuters launched its own proprietary model that it claimed cost half as much to train as other frontier AI models. The release shows what is possible for SaaS vendors like Thomson Reuters that are looking to capitalize on the AI market. Developed in-house, Thomson was built on the vendor’s proprietary content, technology and domain expertise. The model starts with a base model called Snowdon, developed by the FAIR Lab at Imperial College London. Read the AI Business story.

TD Synnex Strengthens PartnerFirst to Deliver More Data-Driven Partner Experiences

TD Synnex expanded its PartnerFirst digital customer experience platform with new data-driven commerce capabilities available in North America that give partners greater visibility, automation and insight across the customer lifecycle. Lifecycle stage analysis with reporting by quantity and value is now live for select vendors including Microsoft and Cisco, alongside personalized views tailored to internal data and PartnerFirst reseller profiles. Read the TD Synnex press release.