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“We are thrilled to bring these facilities into the SFC family and continue our momentum as a leader in ice rink management,” said Kelly Kryukov, senior vice president of ice venue operations at The Sports Facilities Companies. “Ice rinks serve as vital community hubs—whether it’s for youth hockey, figure skating, or public skating sessions. Our focus is on elevating these venues by enhancing programming, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring they remain accessible and welcoming spaces for all athletes and families.”

With this expansion, SFC now manages 20 ice rinks nationwide including two large multi-sport venues featuring ice surfaces and two rinks in New York City. For more information about ice rink operations at The Sports Facilities Companies, visit icerinks.com.

About The Sports Facilities Companies

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) is the nation’s leading resource for the management and development of sports, recreation, wellness, and events facilities. As a turn-key solution for community leaders and developers alike, SFC services span the gamut of sports and recreation needs from sports tourism & recreation master planning, program planning, and feasibility through professional facility management services. With over 90 managed venues and approximately 4,000 team members, represented by the SF Network, SFC welcomes nearly 30 million guest visits and produces almost $1 billion in economic impact each year. To learn more, please visit SportsFacilities.com and theSFnetwork.com.

Press Contact:

Ashley Whittaker
7274743845
http://sportsfacilities.com

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SOURCE The Sports Facilities Companies

(CNN) — OpenAI and Nvidia will join other companies to build Stargate UAE, an artificial intelligence infrastructure cluster, in a sister project to the recently unveiled push to expand AI infrastructure in the United States.

Appearing alongside President Donald Trump in January, the CEOs of OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle said they would create a new company, called Stargate, to build out AI infrastructure in the US. The companies said they plan to invest up to $500 billion into the project in the coming years.

On Thursday, those three companies, as well as Nvidia, Cisco and local champion G42, announced in a statement their partnership to build Stargate UAE in Abu Dhabi. The project’s first part, a 200-megawatt AI “cluster,” is expected to go live in 2026, they said.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said in the statement that the project in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates is “a step toward ensuring some of this era’s most important breakthroughs – safer medicines, personalized learning and modernized energy – can emerge from more places and benefit the world.”

In a separate statement on its website, OpenAI said Stargate UAE has the potential to provide AI infrastructure and computing capacity within a 2,000-mile radius, reaching up to half the world’s population.

The project, agreed in close coordination with the US government, is the first international deployment of Stargate⁠, OpenAI’s AI infrastructure platform, the company also noted.

For his part, Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, said the project in the UAE would “power the country’s bold vision – to empower its people, grow its economy and shape its future.”

G42 will build the facility, with OpenAI and Oracle operating it, while Nvidia will provide some of the most advanced chips available.

Stargate UAE will run in the recently announced data center complex in Abu Dhabi, which will have 5 gigawatts of capacity – enough to power a major city.

The complex will be built by the US and the UAE, Trump announced last week during his visit to the country, and will eventually span 10 square miles.

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• Moto Watch Fit has a sleek Apple Watch-like design but is significantly lighter at 25g.

• Offers decent health and fitness tracking features, including 100+ sports modes.

• Surprisingly high price of $199 in the US and $249 in Canada for a smartwatch that doesn’t run Wear OS.

Last month, Motorola announced a new fitness-focused smartwatch called the Moto Watch Fit. It’s officially available starting today, and there are some interesting features, but the price may be the most surprising thing about it—not in a good way.

We’ll start with the design. The Moto Watch Fit goes for a sleek, square aesthetic with rounded corners, giving it a decidedly Apple Watch-inspired look. The 1.9-inch OLED screen and overall size are extremely similar to the Apple Watch as well. However, coming in at 25g, it’s significantly lighter, which is good for a device you’ll be wearing while exercising. The case is made of matte black aluminium, and it launches with a green fabric band. There’s also a lug adapter included in the box, which is a nice touch.

Under the hood, you’re getting a decent set of health and fitness tracking features. We’re talking heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, GPS, and a PPG sensor. If you’re into working out, it comes with over 100 sports modes to accurately track your activities, whether you’re running, swimming, or lifting weights at the gym.

One of the more interesting things about the Moto Watch Fit is the battery life. Motorola is promising up to 16 days of battery life on a single charge, which is always a welcome relief in the world of daily charging. However, it should be noted that this watch does not run Wear OS. It only supports a handful of Motorola’s own apps, similar to a device like the Amazfit Active 2.

Now, let’s get to the price. This is where the Moto Watch Fit stumbles. As mentioned, the Moto Watch Fit does not run Wear OS. It’s essentially a fitness tracker that looks like an Apple Watch, but Motorola has priced it as if it is an Apple Watch. It’s available today starting at $199 in the US and $249 in Canada. That US price is only $50 less than the Apple Watch SE.

Granted, the Moto Watch Fit looks like a very nice fitness tracker, but it’s priced considerably higher than other devices in its category. The aforementioned Amazfit Active 2, for example, is half the price. Fitbit trackers are also all cheaper than the Watch Fit. It’s a steep price for a smartwatch that isn’t a smartwatch, and a company’s first fitness tracker.

SBAs: Cosm wins Sports Breakthrough of the Year

A true technological innovation, Cosm burst into the scene in 2024 with venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, with upcoming locations in Atlanta and Detroit, SBJ’s Mollie Cahillane reports. The group is now valued at more than $1B after raising a recent $250M.

The sports and entertainment technology company operates across extended reality with wraparound LED domes, live feeds and 155-foot programmable displays. On Wednesday, Cosm was honored as Sports Breakthrough of the Year at the 18th annual Sports Business Awards.

“This award is for breakthrough, but the reality is, this vision started all the way back in 2019 and a lot of people in this room today were the first people that I got on Zoom with and pitch this crazy idea,” Jeb Terry, the company CEO and president, said in accepting the award.

SAP becomes Ryder Cup technology sponsor

Global technology provider SAP has signed an agreement with Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America to become a new worldwide sponsor of the Ryder Cup for the 2025 and 2027 tournaments, SBJ’s Joe Lemire reports.

The 2025 Ryder Cup is at N.Y.’s Bethpage this September, and the 2027 edition is at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland. The news was first announced at the SAP Sapphire conference in Orlando. The Ryder Cup will use SAP’s software platforms to organize fan data from different sources, personalize marketing content, analyze business insights data and explore AI-driven innovation opportunities.

Nielsen’s Gracenote launches new sports content aggregation service for automakers

Gracenote, the Nielsen subsidiary dedicated to entertainment data aggregation, is launching a new sports service called Nexus Auto that will allow drivers to curate custom sports audio, video and statistical dashboards on their vehicle displays, SBJ’s Rob Schafer reports.

Nexus Auto will be built directly into original equipment manufacturer’s systems, according to Gracenote’s Head of Innovation Trent Wheeler, and link users out to broadcast/radio streams, scores and podcast feeds based on self-submitted preferences.

By Rachel Metz and Katie Roof, Bloomberg

Chatbot Arena started as an academic project, where researchers and students at the University of California at Berkeley worked to evaluate the capacity of artificial intelligence tools. Now, the group has spun out into a new company, called LMArena, that’s raised $100 million in seed funding from a slate of A-list investors.

Andreessen Horowitz and UC Investments — which manages an investment portfolio for the University of California — led the fundraising, which the company plans to announce Wednesday. The deal includes backing from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, among others, the company said.

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft has fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the company’s work supplying the Israeli military with technology used for the war in Gaza.