Virtual Grid Announces Strategic Investment from Aether Holdings and Commercial Partnership to Launch AetherPod™ AI Factories

VANCOUVER, B itish Columbia, July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vi tual G id I c. (“Vi tual G id”), a develope of modula , batte y-backed AI compute a d e e gy i f ast uctu e, today a ou ced that it has completed a st ategic i vestme t a d comme cial t a sactio with Aethe Holdi gs I c. (NASDAQ: ATHR) (“Aethe ”) establishi g the comme cial f amewo k fo the lau ch a d comme cializatio of Aethe Pod, a Aethe -b a ded modula AI i f ast uctu e platfo m based o Vi tual G id’s NovaPod 2.1 tech ology.

U de the a a geme ts, Aethe has eceived exclusive ights to ma ket, dist ibute, deploy a d suppo t Aethe Pod th oughout Southeast Asia, togethe with o -exclusive ights withi the U ited States fo app oved oppo tu ities. The a a geme ts i clude a sig ifica t st ategic i vestme t f om Aethe i Vi tual G id.

Aethe Pod is bei g lau ched as Aethe ’s custome -faci g, white-labelled AI i f ast uctu e offe i g. Vi tual G id will etai ow e ship a d co t ol of the u de lyi g NovaPod 2.1 tech ology, deployme t a chitectu e, FOMA fleet-o chest atio platfo m, p oduct oadmap, quality co t ols a d elated i tellectual p ope ty. Aethe will lead custome acquisitio , comme cializatio st ategy, deployme t coo di atio a d fi st-li e egio al suppo t i its desig ated te ito ies, subject to Vi tual G id’s tech ical, complia ce, b a di g a d custome app oval equi eme ts.

“This t a sactio with Aethe is a impo ta t milesto e fo Vi tual G id,” said Joh Hawes, Co-Fou de a d Chief Ope ati g Office of Vi tual G id. “Aethe ’s i vestme t a d the lau ch of Aethe Pod p ovide validatio fo the dist ibuted AI i f ast uctu e model we a e buildi g a d c eate a focused comme cializatio cha el fo NovaPod 2.1 i Southeast Asia a d selected U.S. oppo tu ities.”

“NovaPod 2.1 was desig ed to tu AI i f ast uctu e i to a epeatable deployme t model: GPU-powe ed capacity, batte y-backed e e gy systems, cooli g, mo ito i g a d fleet o chest atio i a modula platfo m that ca scale site by site,” M . Hawes added. “Th ough Aethe Pod, Aethe ca take that platfo m to ma ket u de its ow b a d while Vi tual G id emai s focused o tech ology, deployme t a chitectu e, p oduct quality a d platfo m ope atio s.”

ABOUT VIRTUAL GRID INC.Vi tual G id I c. (www.vi tualg id.ai) is buildi g a dist ibuted etwo k of GPU-powe ed, batte y-backed compute odes ac oss Weste Ca ada. Desig ed as both a Vi tual Data Ce te a d a Vi tual Powe Pla t, Vi tual G id’s modula i f ast uctu e platfo m is i te ded to suppo t AI, a alytics, e de i g, a d othe high-pe fo ma ce wo kloads th ough a dece t alized, scalable, a d e e gy-awa e a chitectu e.

ABOUT AETHER HOLDINGS, INC.Aethe Holdi gs, I c. (www.helloaethe .com) is a fi a cial tech ology holdi g compa y committed to adva ci g the ma e i which i vesto s access, a alyze, a d act upo ma ket i fo matio . By combi i g adva ced a alytics, data scie ce, a d use -ce t ic desig , Aethe p ovides solutio s that e able both i dividual a d i stitutio al i vesto s to make i fo med a d co fide t decisio s. Th ough its ma ket i tellige ce platfo ms a d cu ated fi a cial ewslette s, Aethe delive s eal-time i sights a d comp ehe sive t e d a alysis, co ve ti g complex fi a cial data i to clea , p actical guida ce. These tools suppo t i vesto s i ide tifyi g oppo tu ities, ma agi g isk, a d mai tai i g a st ategic adva tage i evolvi g ma kets. With a focus o i ovatio , t a spa e cy, a d thought leade ship, Aethe Holdi gs, I c. is dedicated to e ha ci g i vesti g expe ie ce a d delive i g sophisticated, actio able i sights ac oss the global fi a cial ecosystem.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS; DISCLAIMERThis p ess elease co tai s fo wa d-looki g stateme ts a d fo wa d-looki g i fo matio withi the mea i g of applicable secu ities laws. Fo wa d-looki g stateme ts i clude, without limitatio , stateme ts ega di g the a ticipated be efits of the t a sactio , Aethe ’s st ategic i vestme t, the lau ch a d comme cializatio of Aethe Pod, the developme t a d comme cializatio of NovaPod™ 2.1, Vi tual G id’s tech ology platfo m, Aethe ’s comme cializatio ights a d activities, a ticipated deployme t timeli es, ma ket oppo tu ity, custome dema d, p oduct capabilities, deployme t adva tages, geog aphic expa sio , futu e deployme ts, fi a ci g, site developme t, a d Vi tual G id’s a d Aethe ’s espective busi ess st ategies.

Fo wa d-looki g stateme ts a e based o cu e t expectatio s, estimates, p ojectio s a d assumptio s as of the date of this elease a d a e subject to isks a d u ce tai ties, ma y of which a e beyo d the co t ol of Vi tual G id a d Aethe . These isks a d u ce tai ties i clude, amo g othe s, the possibility that the t a sactio may ot be pe fo med, i teg ated o comme cialized as co templated; that Aethe may ot successfully comme cialize Aethe Pod™; that NovaPod™ 2.1 o Aethe Pod™ may ot achieve expected pe fo ma ce, cost, deployme t o eliability objectives; that custome dema d may ot develop as a ticipated; that Vi tual G id o Aethe may ot obtai equi ed fi a ci g; that deployme ts may be delayed by ha dwa e availability, ma ufactu i g, supply-chai , site acquisitio , pe mitti g, i te co ectio , utility, egulato y, cybe secu ity, ve do , ope atio al o othe matte s; that the ma ket fo AI i f ast uctu e may develop diffe e tly tha expected; a d that competito s, tech ology cha ges, capital co st ai ts o egulato y developme ts may adve sely affect the pa ties’ pla s.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT —Ch is Dalli , Ma keti g Di ecto Vi tual G idE. media@vi tualg id.ai T. +1 (604) 362-3654

A photo accompa yi g this a ou ceme t is available at https://www.globe ewswi e.com/NewsRoom/Attachme tNg/dde5080b-9794-4b1f-a6a8-035b1408ab55