Uptime Institute Partners with the Governorate of Nineveh to Advance Iraq’s Digital Infrastructure at the U.S.-Iraq Business Summit

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 27, 2026--

Uptime Institute today announced a landmark strategic partnership with the Governorate of Nineveh, signed at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S.-Iraq Business Summit to accelerate the region’s digital transformation and advance Iraq’s national digital agenda. The agreement was signed on July 17, 2026, during the official U.S. visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. Uptime Institute participated as part of the official delegation at a historic summit that yielded more than 50 agreements valued at over USD $60 billion, signaling a powerful new era of economic cooperation, investment, and technological innovation between the United States and Iraq.

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Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Uptime Institute and the Governorate of Nineveh will work together to drive the region’s digital transformation and fortify its digital infrastructure, laying resilient, globally aligned foundations for economic growth, investment, and opportunity across the governorate. The partnership positions Nineveh, one of the most significant symbols of Iraq’s renewal, as a rising hub for technology and investment as it charts an ambitious course toward modernization.

“Nineveh is writing a new chapter, one defined not by what we have overcome, but by what we are building,” said Abdul Qader Al-Dakheel, Governor of Nineveh. “By partnering with Uptime Institute, the world’s foremost authority on digital infrastructure, we are laying the resilient foundations that will power our economy, create lasting opportunity for our people, and position Nineveh as a rising hub for technology and investment in Iraq. This is how we turn ambition into enduring progress.”

“This is a defining moment for Iraq, and Uptime Institute is honored to stand at its foundation,” said Mustapha Louni, Chief Business Officer, Uptime Institute. “Alongside Prime Minister Al-Zaidi’s historic delegation, we are helping Iraq build something extraordinary: a digital backbone engineered to the highest global standards, powered by Iraqi talent, and built to endure for generations. Our partnership with the Governorate of Nineveh proves that world-class, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure is not a distant aspiration for Iraq. It is being built today. Where the world once saw a nation rebuilding, we now see a nation leading.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce served as the premier venue for this landmark signing, underscoring its vital role in fostering international economic collaboration and connecting global technology leaders with emerging markets. Driven by the strategic alignment between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, this partnership aims to deploy resilient, sustainable, and globally recognized digital infrastructure. Through targeted knowledge transfer and local talent development, Uptime Institute is helping to establish the foundational pillars necessary to attract international investment and secure Iraq’s digital future.

About Uptime Institute

Uptime Institute is the Global Digital Infrastructure Authority. For over 30 years, the company has established industry-leading benchmarks for data center performance, resilience, sustainability, and efficiency. These benchmarks assure customers that their digital infrastructure will perform consistently with their business needs under any operating conditions. With more than 4,300 awards issued globally and over 1,100 active projects in 120+ countries, Uptime has helped tens of thousands of companies optimize critical IT assets while managing costs, resources, and efficiency. The organization’s Tier Standard is the IT industry’s most trusted and adopted global standard for data center design, construction, and operations. Core offerings include Tier Certifications, Management & Operations reviews, AI Infrastructure Advisory, Data Center Risk Assessments, Energy & Sustainability Assessments, Cybersecurity Assessments & Ratings, and IT Advisory Services. Uptime Education programs have been completed by more than 100,000 data center professionals, establishing Uptime as the Learning & Development partner of choice worldwide. Uptime Institute is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices in London, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Riyadh, Singapore and Madrid, and full-time Uptime professionals based in over thirty-four countries around the world.

About the Governorate of Nineveh

The Governorate of Nineveh is a major administrative and economic region in northern Iraq, focused on regional modernization, economic diversification, and sustainable development. Through its strategic digital initiatives, the Governorate is actively transforming its regional infrastructure to foster civic innovation, attract foreign investment, and cultivate high-tech employment opportunities for local talent.

Signing of landmark strategic partnership with Ali Al-Zaidi, Prime Minister of Iraq (right) and Uptime Institute's Mustapha Louni, Chief Business Officer (left).

SEATTLE (AP) — Police arrested one suspect and were looking for another after gunfire erupted at a crowded food festival beneath Seattle's Space Needle, leaving three people dead and four others injured, including a toddler.

Investigators believe the two suspects were shooting at each other and, although one remained on the loose, Assistant Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis told a news conference Sunday night that there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Police did not have a description of the outstanding suspect, he said.

“We’re still trying to figure this out,” Davis said.

Two people died at the scene and a third died at a hospital. The four wounded, including a 2-year-old boy, were hospitalized and in stable condition, said Grace Nuñez, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department. The rest of the injured were adults. Davis couldn't say if any of the victims were involved in the confrontation.

The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual three-day festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers.

Dozens of officers were providing security at the event and some saw one of the suspects firing, Davis said. One suspect surrendered at the scene, but the other fled. Law enforcement searched the grounds to no avail.

A large number of police and emergency crews responded and began evacuating the area around the sprawling Seattle Center campus.

Faith Adia Hunter said she and her friends had just gotten food from a crepe vendor when gunfire broke out. She realized a shooter was near them. She and others found shelter in the nearby Seattle Children’s Museum.

“We were right next to him when it started so we took off running,” Hunter said. “So we took off running too into the building with the crowd.”

In the chaos, many vendors bolted toward the exits, abandoning their food stands. Hours afterward, some milled outside the police tape, wondering when they would be allowed to return to collect their tents, food and cooking gear.

Roberto Ramirez, a vendor at the event, said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before people began yelling “shooter” and frantically running.

“Suddenly everything was empty,” he said. “People were freaked out.”

After the initial panic, new guests continued to arrive unaware of what had happened and were told by police to leave, he said.

Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were at the festival waiting in line for a photo booth when he was shoved from behind and he turned to see a rush of people fleeing.

“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said, adding that was when he heard gunshots.

“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.

After he escorted his girlfriend to safety, he returned to the scene to make photos and saw multiple victims on the ground, Wakonabo said.

The annual festival started in 1982 and draws 350,000 attendees over “three days of food, drink, and community celebration,” according to its website.

Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes and Lindsey Wasson in Seattle, Annika Wolters in Bangkok and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, center, speaks at a news conference after a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

An unidentified man is led into the scene by police after they responded to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A police officer stands at a closed off area after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Police respond to a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A police officer responds after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Seattle, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)