Ever to Conquer – Week of October 20, 2025

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Strohman explores how technology is shaping the lives of K-12 students and why understanding human impact is critical to driving thoughtful policy and operational decisions in education.

Listen on: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

📰 Top Stories This Week

1) Senate Passes Bill to Require AI Chipmakers to Prioritize U.S. Sales
Summary: The Senate has advanced a bill requiring AI chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD to prioritize domestic buyers, reinforcing AI hardware as a national-security priority.
Why it matters: This may shape procurement strategies, pricing, and timelines for agencies and integrators.
Actionable: Assess supply-chain dependencies and prepare sourcing strategies aligned with “Made-in-America” priorities.

3) States Advance AI Policy Frameworks
Summary: Several states—including Vermont, New Jersey, and North Dakota—are launching their own AI governance strategies as federal legislation stalls.
Why it matters: States are becoming laboratories of AI policy and practice; their approaches may set early precedents.
Actionable: Monitor state-level pilots and tailor engagement to regional regulatory variation.

4) GSA & xAI Expand Grok Access
Summary: The General Services Administration and xAI (Elon Musk’s AI company) formalized a “OneGov” agreement allowing federal agencies access to Grok frontier models at nominal cost through March 2027.
Why it matters: This solidifies Grok as a government-available option and raises competitive pressure on incumbent AI vendors.
Actionable: Agencies should pilot Grok in defined workflows; vendors should benchmark model performance, cost, and security guarantees.

5) Federal Shutdown Continues: Impacts on Modernization
Summary: The ongoing U.S. federal shutdown has paused or delayed multiple modernization and AI initiatives.
Why it matters: Timeline shifts will ripple across FY26 procurement, staffing, and deployment plans.
Actionable: Reassess project timelines, maintain communication with agency partners, and develop contingency scenarios for resumed funding.

🚀 Innovative Company on Our Radar

AvePoint -  Modernizing public-sector data management and compliance so that teams can collaborate confidently in cloud environments.

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