Month: January 2026

Now it is a paradise island of China where they are not accountable

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Hainan is a small province of China made up of more than 200 islands dotting the South China Sea. Although historically it has been an agricultural region, it has emerged as a tourist destination and I am not surprised, seeing its tropical beaches and lush forests. Furthermore, the Chinese government has considered the region as “special economic zone“. And the wealthiest citizens of a country are taking advantage of it: Russia. Hainan is the new Crimea Marbella. Although since last year the list of visitors to Hainan does not allow a breakdown by country, the New York Times collects that the number of Russian visitors has multiplied by eleven between 2023 and 2024. Thus, Russians are already the largest foreign nationality. In the peak winter season alone, Hainan Island, the largest in the province, receives eight or more daily flights from cities throughout Russia. The situation clashes head-on with the withdrawal of Russian tourism in Europe. What a change of scenery. Why Hainan? Beyond its paradisiacal places that we mentioned in the intro, that right now they are enjoying maximum temperatures of 24 degrees or that it is a cheap destination, Hainan enjoys special policies such as free trade and more flexibility in general for government affairs. Thus, the Chinese government has favored foreign investment and has raised its hand with visas (from 2024 in Hainan and throughout the country since November). Your exemption policy It allows citizens of 59 countries to enter for a tourist getaway of up to 30 days. Among them, Russia of course. like at home. Leaving aside that restrained and hospitable Chinese personality, the island’s gear is geared toward pleasing tourists. However, it is one of the great bets to revitalize the region. And it shows: translated letters and signs, guides who speak the language, being able to find products of Russian gastronomy and even the loudspeakers on the beach, controlled by the local government, playing Russian hits. The New York Times collects that even the New Year’s celebrations on the beach came to fruition before vigilant but relaxed authorities, beyond warning that fireworks could not be set off. They have even opened a copy of the famous Moscow restaurant chain Chaihona No. 1, which in China has its counterpart at Chaihona No. 9. No need to lower your voice. Talking about Taiwan or Hong Kong may be thorny there, but Russian tourists can calmly express themselves in their language without generating uncomfortable sidelong glances. Foreign geopolitics does not cause discomfort in Hainan, something that does happen in Europe. Hello Hainan, goodbye Europe. It is inevitable to establish a certain parallel with the theory of communicating vessels as long as and although with ups and downs, since 2019 it has shown a downward trend in Europe, reaching 90% less in 2022, according to Schengen Visa Info details. Thus, if in 2019 four million Russians visited the old continent, in 2024 the figure dropped to 1.4 million. Leaving aside the COVID-19 period that affected the entire world, the Russians have their own case, with the war with Ukraine and the consequent tightening when it comes to obtaining visas as the main reasons. Although the sanctions program against Russia applies throughout the continent, there are countries that are more lax than others. Without going any further, Italy, France, Spain and Greece, the favorite destinations of Russian citizens, are among them. As details the Russian Travel Digestdespite a timid recovery in 2025, Russian citizens travel to Europe 40 to 50 times less. New destinations have been sought both within the old continent (Türkiye or Belgrade), but also outside In Xataka | Tourism promised them a happy time exploiting an idyllic island in Yemen. Until 600 tourists were trapped in it In Xataka | There are Spanish cities trying to shield their beaches from bathers’ pee. Marbella illustrates that they do not have it easy Cover | Yubin Zhou

Extremadura has silently taken over 99% of an unexpected crop: Spanish tobacco

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These are not good times for tobacco cultivation. At least in the European Union, which has seen how in recent decades its weight has been decreasing in the fields. If at the beginning of the 90s I harvested 400,000 tonsat the end of the last decade that figure was already at 140,000. In Spain the situation is not much better: in 2024 The production volume (and hectares) was much lower than just ten years ago. That does not mean that tobacco does not continue to play a relevant role in part of the Spanish agrarian map. In fact there is a region that stands out for its contribution at national and European level: Extremadura. Only there it is concentrated 99% of the crop and the transformation of tobacco in Spain, which leads the sector to boast an economic impact of 126 million. Tobacco “made in” Extremadura. In Spain it is impossible to talk about tobacco without also talking about Extremadura. This was recently claimed by the sector in a report of AFI that leaves an eloquent figure: the cultivation and the first processing of the tobacco leaf generates in the region 69 million euros of added value, more or less 99% of the national total. The percentage is so overwhelming that the industry itself emphasizes that Extremadura is “the main producing center in the country and the first producing region at the European level.” If the focus is expanded, the Tobacco Roundtable estimates that the sector has a total impact of 126 million in the community and generates hundreds of jobs. To be more precise, it speaks of more than a thousand of direct positions, a figure that rises to 2,000 contracts full-time if indirect and induced workers are included. X-raying the sector. The Tobacco Table is not the only one that highlights the overwhelming weight of Extremadura. The Ministry of Agriculture itself recognizes that, according to data from the 2020 Agrarian Census (the latest available), the region brings together 94% of the 1,052 farms that exist in Spain. The activity focuses mainly on the north of the province of Cáceresin the regions of Campo Arañuelo, La Vera, Alagón, Talayuela and Navalmoral de la Mata. Beyond Extremadura. The agricultural map is basically completed with Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha and Navarra, although they dedicate many fewer hectares to tobacco. In 2024 Extremadura allocated 6,121compared to the 19 in Castilla y León, the 18 in Castilla-La Mancha and the three in Navarra. global photography of the sector is, however, much more complex. In the Canary Islands there is an outstanding manufacturing hub, in Cantabria there is the Entrambasaguas factoryfrom Altadis, “the main industrial production center on the peninsula”, and the Community of Madrid also benefits from hosting the headquarters of the Spanish subsidiaries of the large multinationals in the sector. In general, the Tobacco Table estimates that the sector contributes to the national GDP with 1,825 million eurosa figure that would exceed 3,700 if the total impact is included. Tobacco taxes are another source of substantial income for the State. The group speaks of around 6,700 million collected through the Tax on Tobacco Products, although the total fiscal contribution of the sector would be very high and would exceed 10,100 million euros annually. Getting perspective. Extremadura plays a prominent role on the Spanish (even European) tobacco map, but in reality our country accounts for a tiny part of the sector worldwide. Although the Spanish contribution represents about 19% of the total of the European Union, which usually places our country among the main producersrepresents 0.5% of global production. Your footprint It is very far from the big ones manufacturing powers like China, India or Brazil. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Spain would occupy 36th place among tobacco producers by area. Its 8,450 hectares (2021) are in fact nothing when compared to China (1,014,553), India (431,146) or other producers in America and Africa. better times. After years of regulation and awareness campaigns, the European industry is not going through its best moment either. In 2018 the EC calculated that around 140,000 tonnes of tobacco were grown in the Union as a whole, a far cry from the 400,000 at the beginning of the 1990s. The cultivated area has also been reduced. Nothing surprising if we take into account the increasingly complex scenario facing the sector and the collapse of consumption. In fact Extremadura exports about 74% of the tobacco leaf he collects. The MAP data They also note the drop in production (and cultivated area) in recent years in Spain, although performance improves. Images | Rusty Watson (Unsplash), Uitbundig (Unsplash), MAP and Tobacco Table In Xataka | Extremadura promised them very happy with its powerful Spanish tomato industry. Until China arrived

Chinese mobile phones conquered the market by dividing into a thousand different brands. Now they are doing just the opposite.

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A few days ago OPPO made it official: after the merger with OnePlus (although with “independent” operation“), now brings Realme under its umbrella. Thus, both Realme and OnePlus go from going on their own to becoming sub-brands within a differentiated organizational chart. If the beginning of the decade was one of separations, with the division (forced by circumstances) from Honor and Huawei and the “independence” of POCO and Xiaomi following the steps of Redmi and Xiaomithe roaring 20s have taken a turn of the script to do just the opposite: associate even more (with one exception that swims against the current: Nothing and CMF). The quotes are important insofar as these separations, although announced with great fanfare, hid a reality of sharing certain processes and technologies to a greater or lesser extent. Why is it important. OPPO is the fifth best-selling mobile brand in the world, according to CounterPoint data for the third quarter of 2025. And if we go to 2024, Canalys data They show that OPPO (at that time together with OnePlus) had a global market share of 8%. With the merger, the three teams will work together although each continues to develop their own devices to share resources and thus reduce costs. But also, the direct consequence can be sensed in this graph: there is a small piece of Realme’s 4% pie that increases OPPO’s portion. Canalys As confirmed by OPPO and Realme to Xataka Mobilethis decision is a strategic measure to “make better use of resources and amplify synergy (…). This allows OPPO, Realme and OnePlus to present a unified and improved offer, offering more innovative and differential products and more optimized and user-focused customer service worldwide.” In short, to be more competitive. The context. Oppo’s share grows and approaches the top 3 of Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi. In a saturated market with reduced margins, competitiveness low-cost It’s brutal. and with runaway RAM pricessurvival depends on being strong to negotiate in the supply chain and reinforcing an ecosystem to build loyalty. Xiaomi already did it when POCO website loaded to integrate with the matrix in a simplification movement. In fact, OPPO is doing a Xiaomi by differentiating its sub-brands: the main one is the premium one, POCO is the one that offers some groundbreaking features at an eye-catching price and Redmi for tight budgets. The brand has not yet commented, but the history of each one leads us to think of premium devices with the OPPO seal, the good cost-performance ratio of Realme and OnePlus as a kind of flagship killer with differential functions. Inthree lines. In the complex ecosystem of Chinese mobile manufacturersthe huge conglomerate BBK Electronics It makes up a series of brands of different importance: there are the strong ones, led by OPPO and Vivo, and other smaller brands that have been developing their trajectory such as OnePlus and Realme, but also Iqoo. Although each had their own communication, sales and marketing strategies and some development elements, shared production, logistics and R&D&I processes. With this move, OPPO, Realme and OnePlus will share a structure. In Xataka | In the midst of a protectionist retreat, Xiaomi wants to be the new Huawei and knows where to start: with its own chips In Xataka | “The mobile industry was boring and monotonous.” Oppo is willing to change it Cover | Xataka and Wikipedia

ChatGPT is already our first line doctor (although we don’t want to admit it)

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ChatGPT has become one of the biggest attention grabbers in historyand now ChatGPT Health is going to take that further. Not competing with the GP, but yes occupying that space that we have filled with nightly Google searcheswith visits to forums where a stranger tells you that that mole does not have to worry you, or with the brother-in-law who knows a little about those topics. We’ve been delegating our fears to slightly ridiculous spaces for years, and now OpenAI is going to offer one that’s a little less ridiculous. The interesting thing is not that AI knows medicine. The LLMs They have been passing clinical exams for years and have resolved, better or worse, several doubts. The interesting thing is that we trust it more than real institutions or people. Two hundred and thirty million people asking ChatGPT about their health every week is a fact that says a lot about our psychology. We’d rather ask a chatbot than wait three weeks for an appointment or bother a friend at eleven at night. Everything before admitting out loud that that pain scares us. ChatGPT Health presents itself as a kind of “pocket doctor”, but it functions as a confessor. Because “should I worry about this?” It is never just a medical question. It’s existential. And the app never judges you, never gets tired, never makes you feel like you’re overreacting. He responds instantly, in a reassuring tone, citing studies that you will never read but that make you feel informed. Deep down, we know he can skate and invent things, but that doesn’t matter as much to us as gaining peace of mind for a while.and that feeling does manage to convey it. Even though There have been shady cases that have ended badly. OpenAI says this is not a replacement for the doctor. Of course not. But functionally it is already doing it. Not in a serious diagnosis, which is where we still go to the hospital, but in who decides when something is worth worrying about. Who immediately interprets those blood test numbers, or who tells us if we should change our diet or exercise routine. In the daily practice of managing a body, the doctor has become the second option, ChatGPT is now the first line. It may be uncomfortable, it may displease, but it is what is already happening. That is, in fact, the awkward twist: ChatGPT’s competition is not so much with doctors as with the emotional support network we used to have. We asked our mother, our partner, our friend who studied nursing. Now directly to ChatGPT. And with Health, this will go even further. Because it’s immediate, it’s fast, it doesn’t make you feel vulnerable and you can delete the conversation if the response starts to scare you. ChatGPT Health is the consolidation of the symptom of structural loneliness that we have not even consciously chosen. It’s just that annoying someone has become emotionally costly, while asking a machine that simulates empathy (sometimes Claude calls me ‘brother’) is fluid and simple. OpenAI did not invent this dynamic, it just came naturally when people made ChatGPT a habit and now he has optimized it to better monetize it. In Xataka | ChatGPT has been a tool. If you start remembering all our conversations, it’s going to be something else: a relationship. Featured image | Xataka

IKEA has had to close seven large stores in China. It is the symptom of a much more important trend

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The real estate market was the great economic engine in China, but currently it is plunged into a deep crisis from which it does not seem that it will come out soon. Houses are not sold and, consequently, not as much furniture is sold either. If we add to this an increasingly strong online market and competitors with very aggressive prices, it is not surprising that IKEA is not doing very well. Seven fewer stores. IKEA China has announced which will close seven of its stores on February 2. These are seven large stores, known as ‘blue box’, located in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Nantong, Xuzhou, Ningbo and Zhejiang. After the closure, there will be 34 more operational stores in the country. Change of strategy. IKEA emphasizes that “we will move from large-scale expansion to focused development.” Its strategy is to move away from large stores and focus on local commerce. They plan to open ten small stores in the next two years, starting with the Dongguan store scheduled for next February. This strategy contrasts with the one they are following in other countries like the United Kingdom either USAwhere what they are closing are some small stores opened after the pandemic. Competence. As we said, the Chinese real estate crisis is one of the reasons why sales have fallen, but not the only one. The Swedish giant faces other difficulties, such as the emergence of new local competitors that offer Much lower prices and much faster deliveries. In this context, it makes sense that IKEA wants to focus on small stores and strengthen its online channel. In fact, recently They opened a store on JD.com. Online presence. In statements to South China Morning Posteconomist Fan Xinyu, attributes the closure to “a highly developed online sales market in China, a trend that has reduced the survival margin of physical points of sale.” It is estimated that in 2024 in China They delivered 5,400 packets per secondmaking it the largest online marketplace in the world. In this sense, we can say that in China it is more common to place an order online than to go to a large store such as IKEA. IKEA China. The Swedish company opened its doors in China in 1998 and went on to open 41 large stores. The company has not published financial data, but China continues to be among the ten markets where they sell the most. According to ReutersChina accounts for 3.5% of all IKEA global sales. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The founder of Ikea was one of the richest men on the planet, but his most famous trick is available to everyone

the Ukrainian drone that stopped Russia for six weeks with a machine gun and not a single human soldier

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On the Ukrainian front, where every meter conquered or defended is paid for with a human cost that is increasingly difficult to assume, ingenuity is has become a resource as valuable as ammunition. In this context of extreme wear and constant adaptation, some units are experimenting with little visible solutions that, without attracting attention, are beginning to change the way a battle line is held. When there are no soldiers left. In a war marked by a shortage of infantry and the extreme lethality of maintaining forward positions, Ukraine has begun to test a solution that until recently belonged to military science fiction: leaving the front in machine hands. During 45 consecutive daysa Ukrainian unit maintained front-line sectors without direct human presence, entrusting the defense to a single land vehicle unmanned, a bet that summarizes the crude logic of the current conflict: if something can receive enemy fire, it better not bleed. The doctrine. The experience was reported by the NC-13 Strike Company, integrated into the Third Corps of the Ukrainian Army, a unit created specifically to operate unmanned ground vehicles. Its commander, Mykola “Makar” Zinkevych, explained that the idea was radically simple: “robots don’t bleed,” and the ground drone was the only element present in the position, carrying out constant suppressive fire missions to deter Russian advances and force the enemy to confront a defense that could not be psychologically worn down or eliminated with human casualties. The droid TW 12.7. The system used was the Droid TW 12.7developed by the Ukrainian company DevDroida small tracked vehicle armed with a heavy machine gun M2 Browning .50 caliber. Far from being an isolated prototype, the drone was displaced between different positions at the request of local command posts, acting as a mobile punishment platform that turned each attempted Russian advance into a costly and risky operation. The Droid TW 12.7 Wear and tear… also for machines. Although the robot could remain in place for days, it needed withdraw every 48 hours for maintenance, resupply of ammunition and recharging of batteries, tasks carried out by a team located several kilometers from the front. The process, initially four hours, is reduced by half thanks to the purchase of additional batteries paid for by the soldiers themselves, a detail that illustrates the extent to which the Ukrainian war continues to depend on local initiatives and improvised financing even when talking about advanced technology. Limited autonomy. DevDroid affirms that the Droid TW 12.7 can operate at distances of up to 15 miles and has artificial intelligence-assisted navigation functions, although it is unclear to what extent it can act autonomously in combat. Even so, the simple fact that a single UGV has held positions for six weeks demonstrates that the value of these systems lies not only in their sophistication, but in their ability to replace human bodies in tasks where survival is minimal. From experiment to military doctrine. After this experience, the Zinkevych unit plans to expand the use of UGVs in both defensive and offensive missions, relying on new variants equipped with grenade launchers already approved for official use. The demand, recognizeis very high, but so are the costs, to the point that development continues to be partially financed through crowdfunding campaigns. The future of the front. If you like, the case Droid TW 12.7 It is not just a technological anecdote, but a sign of where to go war is headed modern in Ukraine: a battlefield where every meter can be defended with sensors, steel and algorithms instead of flesh and blood, and where the strategic value of a soldier begins to also be measured by his ability not to be physically there. Image | Tank Bureau In Xataka | Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up

almost no one wants a computer with AI no matter how hard the industry tries

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Dell is clear that its products in 2026 will no longer be “AI-first.” That absolute focus on promising the gold and the moro in the new generation of PCs thanks to the virtues of artificial intelligence is disappearing and the reason is obvious: almost no one cares if their PC has AI functions or not. what has happened. Kevin Terwilliger, chief product officer at Dell, said in a recent interview with PC Gamer that the AI ​​fever on PCs has ended up causing a lot of disappointment among users. “In fact,” he explains, “I think the AI ​​probably confuses them more than it helps them achieve a specific result.” Dell no longer believes (as much) in PCs with AI. This manager showed surprising honesty when talking about how this absolute commitment to AI has not convinced either users or companies. The company has taken a step back, and although they will continue to pay attention to these AI options, they will no longer be the priority because they have discovered that people don’t care too much about those options: “We’re very focused on leveraging the AI ​​capabilities of a device – in fact, every product we announce has an NPU – but what we’ve learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is that they don’t buy based on AI.” Although the monkey dresses in silk, the monkey stays. Our dear PC knows it well, that in the last two years wanted go from being a Personal Computer to a Personal Companion with the help, of course, of AI. All manufacturers started to brag about TOPS on powerful NPUs and how instead of using our computer with a mouse and keyboard we were going to use the voice. The promise has dissipated and what has happened to the PC is that everyone keep using it the same way you used it. At least, for now. Dell lowers the bet. Dell was one of Microsoft’s initial partners in the launch of Copilot+ PCs in 2024, and even added variants of its popular Dell XPS 13 and Inspiron with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. They even added Cloud AI chips of this manufacturer in its high-end chips last year to try to reinforce the execution of local AI models, but that has not convinced users. That manufacturers like Dell change the discourse is significant and dangerous for Microsoft’s ambitious plans. Microsoft is left alone. The company led by Satya Nadella has been flooding us with new AI features in Windows for a long time, but the problem is that most of these features are being received with indifference… or with total rejection. The Windows Recall example is the clearest: the feature seemed promisingbut its launch was involved in a great privacy controversy and its availability was delayed and currently it is an option that is barely talked about. Thank you for your sincerity, Dell. Dell’s speech is surprising and appreciated. Especially after that continuous trickle of releases in which AI seemed to be the salvation of the PC and the key to a new golden age. These functions can end up being valuable, without a doubt, but what users continue to look for in their laptops, for example, is reliability and great autonomy, for example. That’s what still matters. The PC faces a complicated future. Jeff Clarke, COO of Dell, participated in a media meeting at CES 2026 and also mentioned how in this industry “We have this unfulfilled promise of AI and the expectation that AI will drive demand from end users.” It is clear that Dell now has a different vision, but both it and other manufacturers face a very difficult few months because as Clarke said, “we are about to enter 2026 with a quite significant memory shortage“. In Xataka | Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) believes that ‘Her’ is inevitable: “there will be people who fall in love with an AI and we should prepare ourselves”

they are running out of copper

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This beginning of the year has shaken the foundations of the global economy. Between the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States and unprecedented geopolitical volatility, copper—one of the key minerals for the energy future—has climbed to an all-time high, exceeding $13,000 per ton. This escalation is not a passing fluctuation. As Bloomberg detailswe are facing a “perfect storm” where a severe adjustment in supply combined with an unbridled risk appetite. The market has entered a phase of backwardation (where the immediate price is higher than the future), a technical signal that, according to analysts, points to a real and desperate physical shortage. Data centers: the black hole of metal. While construction and energy have always been the pillars of copper consumption, artificial intelligence has changed the scale of the problem. According to an analysis by businessman Frank Holmesa conventional data center consumes between 5,000 and 15,000 tons of metal. However, a “hyperscale” center—necessary to train AI models—can require up to 50,000 tons per facility. In addition, it highlights an uncomfortable reality for 2030, a year in which data centers could devour more than half a million tons of copper annually. Here lies the big problem, since the demand for technology is absolutely inelastic. As Holmes explainsthe silicon giants don’t care if copper costs $10,000 or $20,000 because the metal represents less than 0.5% of the total cost of an AI project. They will pay whatever it takes, emptying warehouses and leaving the rest of the industries (construction, appliances, motor) without supply. An offer that falls apart. While demand flies, production is in crisis. According to a Financial Times reportthe price has risen almost a third since October driven by disruptions at key mines such as the Grasberg complex in Indonesia. Added to this is the Mantoverde strike in Chile, which has been the final trigger. Although it only contributes 0.5% of world production, its gradual closure has reminded the market that there are no longer safety “mattresses.” The situation is structural. As Reuters has pointed outhe breakeven to develop new mines already exceeds 13,000 dollars per ton. Without record prices, there is no incentive to dig. Citi analysts estimate a deficit of 308,000 tons for this year, while ING Group projects that by 2026 the gap will reach 600,000 tons. The geopolitics of the “bottleneck”. The world board shows a dangerous fracture. China has played a master card because it only has 4% of the world’s reserves, but controls 49% of global refining. Beijing is buying concentrates from Chile and scrap from the US to process them and return them to the market as finished products. Whoever controls refining will control the technological transition. On the other side, Donald Trump’s administration has introduced chaos with tariffs. According to Bloombergfear of imminent liens has led to a “disjointed inventory.” US warehouses are at record levels with 450,000 tons, while stocks on the London and Shanghai stock exchanges have plummeted by more than 55%. copper is in the wrong place for the rest of the world. The “Venezuela Effect”. The recent capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces added a layer of geopolitical uncertainty. Although Trump’s attention has focused on oilthe CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) wonders if Venezuela it’s a goal of critical minerals. The country has potential reserves of gold, coltan and bauxite. However, as the expert Luisa Palacios explainsthe Venezuelan mining sector is devastated by illegality and lack of investment. CSIS warns thatDespite current US control, the “legal overload” of past expropriations and the state of the infrastructure will prevent Western capital from rebuilding the industry immediately. However, for the copper market, the seizure of Venezuela is the definitive message: Washington has moved on to direct action and is willing to ensure by force the supply of strategic resources. A decades-old problem. The industry faces to an insurmountable physical reality. The average time to start up a new copper mine is 17 to 19 years, so there is no quick fix that can respond to the exponential growth of AI in the next two years. Given this, companies are looking for alternatives. Glencore and Schneider Electric are driving the “circularity of copper” through recycling. For its part, the International Energy Agency suggests using aluminum for less critical applications, although its efficiency is lower. Other attempts are more exotic, such as data centers under the sea that tests China or the facilities in underground caves to save cooling, although the need for copper cables remains the same. The return to matter The paradox of our era is total. In the century of quantum computing, the fate of the global economy depends on the ability of miners in Chile or Indonesia to extract metal from increasingly poorer rocks. The “cloud”, however ethereal it may seem, is tethered to the earth by a copper wire. As the Benchmark analyst points outAlbert Mackenzie, it is possible that speculation has inflated prices, but the underlying trend is unquestionable. Without copper, the green transition stops and artificial intelligence is left without a “body”. The digital future, ultimately, remains analog and reddish. Image | Unsplash and Unsplash Xataka | The price of copper reached highs due to a tariff that was not. The result: the biggest drop in almost 40 years

43% of European funds for batteries

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Spain is trying to create more energy batteries to store surplus renewable energy, something key for the future to achieve energy independence and also to avoid episodes like the April blackout. Although several communities were competing for aid, there is a clear winner: Andalusia. The ERDF are EU funds to encourage energy transformation and in Spain there were several communities in dispute. After the modifications, for state energy storage there was 818 million in aid to be distributed according to the final resolution. Although Andalusia has suffered a cut of 20 million compared to the previous plan, it is still a good pinch considering that almost half of the funds go there. Why is it important. The primary objective of the ERDF program is to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union, reducing disparities between regions through investments that boost growth, employment, innovation, the green and digital transition, and territorial cooperation, supporting less developed regions and transforming industries in decline. And this is demonstrated with this definitive roadmap. Why Andalusia. Taking into account economic reasons, it is worth remembering that the IDAE designed the call from the beginning, distributing the budget into regional pools and from the beginning Andalusia received the highest allocation, even after the downward adjustment of the final resolution. Under EU criteria, Andalusia is classified as a “less developed region”a designation intended for those whose GDP per capita is less than 7% of the EU average. In short: it has absolute priority for the distribution of funds. The co-financing rate is higher precisely because of the previous classification taking into account the regulatory bases, which allows us to reach 85% compared to other areas such as Madrid or Catalonia. When faced with similar projects, those present in a less developed region receive more subsidies. But there are also strategic reasons derived from the state’s renewable energy infrastructure and its operation. Andalusia is going to become Spain’s battery: with this aid it will not only lead the generation of clean energy, but will also have the technologies to manage it. Andalusia concentrates some of the projects with the greatest storage capacity of the entire call, such as those from Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure or the Rolwind battery system (ST Palmosilla) one of the largest in the state. Andalusia is the state leader in installed power in photovoltaic solar energy and as points out the PNIECregions with very high variable renewable generation urgently need storage to avoid spills and thus guarantee electrical stability. In figures. The final resolution of the plan is lower than the initial proposal, with a total budget of 818 million in non-refundable public aid allocated to 126 projects (previously there were 133), 2.2 GW of power and a total capacity of 9.4 GWh. All this with September 30, 2029 as the deadline. Three operators concentrate more than 50% of the awarded capacity: Iberdrola with 2,333.7 MWh and 12 projects, Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure with more than 1,500 MWh and eight projects and Rolwind Renovables with 1,225 MWh and 2 large-scale projects. Behind, other relevant actors such as Naturgy, BenBros or Ecoener. Andalusia accounts for 43% of the aid, with 354.5 million euros. It is the area with the most projects and accumulated volume. Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha follow, with 97.2 and 98 million euros respectively. The only Autonomous Community whose budget increases is Extremadura, going from 73 to 91 million euros. In detail. In the list of awarded projects, those hybridized with renewables (the majority, photovoltaic) prevail, followed by independent batteries, thermal storage and pumped hydroelectricity. Spain has achieved very competitive prices compared to other European tenders. Without going any further, according to Strategic Energy The average price for independent storage systems (stand-alone) was €64,933/MWh/year, below markets such as Italy. In Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage In Xataka | The perfect storm for electricity companies occurs in Spain: daytime solar surpluses, nighttime peaks… and increasingly cheaper batteries Cover | Sungrow EMEA

Tesla wanted to make 20 million cars in 2030. The reality in 2025 is that Tesla has crashed and BYD is already leading

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Tesla has had another setback in 2025. And it has accumulated two years in a row of decline. The company had experienced a meteoric rise until 2023 but has accumulated two years of clear decline. And the most worrying thing is that their promises were to multiply their sales but, above all, to take advantage of the pull of an electric car that is gaining followers. When it is easier to sell electric cars, Tesla falls. 1,636,129. These have been the cars delivered by Tesla in 2025. Of them, 1,585,279 correspond to the sum of the Model Y and Model 3, which leaves the S, X and Cybertruck slightly above 50,000 units in an entire year. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? For the second year in a row, Tesla falls. If we review the figures for 2024, the company put about 150,000 more electric cars on the market than this year. to get it pressed the accelerator to the floor in the last quarter of the year but this time it has not worked for him. two years. Although Elon Musk’s team tried by all means to stop the fall in 2024, this time it has been impossible. The drop in deliveries is significant but it is much more so if we look at 2023. That continues to be a record year for the company. So they put 1.81 million cars on the market. If we look back, Tesla has stopped selling around 10% of electric cars compared to two years ago. That year, Tesla positioned the Tesla Model Y as the best selling car in the world. With his final push, Tesla managed to stop BYD from overtaking him. But it was a victory with an expiration date because the Chinese company has far surpassed it in 2025. According to data collected by ElectrekBYD has sold 2.25 million electric cars in 2025 (exceeding 4.5 million cars in total). 20 million. Tesla’s data is especially concerning for the company because its promises were enormous. In 2022, Elon Musk aimed to In 2030 they would sell 20 million cars. To give us an idea, it is the sum of all the sales of Toyota and the Volkswagen Group together. The problem for Elon Musk’s company is not just that its growth has stagnated. The real problem is that it does so just when the electric car market is broader than ever. In the absence of knowing the definitive data for 2025, the truth is that Every year the electric car market is broader and the possibilities of placing a car in it are broader. In the European Union (with data from November) The electric car has grown by 27.6%. And the share of electric cars has grown by three points, standing above 16%. According to ACEA data, only in Croatia, Estonia, Luxembourg and Romania have fewer electric cars been sold than in 2024. And sales of electric cars in China continue to grow. Because? There are several factors that explain Tesla’s sharp sales decline. Elon Musk’s company has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in 2025. The first stages of the year They didn’t anticipate a good workout. and it has ended up being confirmed: And he has made efforts. And the company has tried to turn the tables. The most obvious efforts are the redesign of the Tesla Model 3 (September 2023) and Tesla Model Y. The latter has undoubtedly had to impact its production in 2025 but it is clear that it has not managed to gain traction as expected in the market. But, in addition, the company has put on the market two shortened versions called Standard. The objective is clear: to make the product more attractive while raising the price of the previous options so that anyone interested in them would have to spend some extra money. At the same time, it looks like a great car to sell to large fleets. No gap. The other big problem for Tesla is that rivals seem to have entered territory that seemed limited for the company. In China, the market has long turn towards local products and in Europe more attractive sized versions are arriving. And the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are large for the size they are usually purchased in Europe. Before, with less competition, they seemed like the ideal product. and for price They are still one of the best options of the market but unaffordable for those looking for cars of about four and a half meters. Tesla is also not managing to carry out options that are clearly cut from the Model 3 or Model Y. The company had the objective of launching an electric car smaller than these two models but if it has not launched them on the market it is because can’t make them profitable. Photo | Bram Van Oost In Xataka | The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Standard confirms a story. The story of what I want and I can’t of Tesla’s 25,000 euro car

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