March 2026 - Page 45 of 110

This is the European plan that Almaraz wants to save

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

The backdrop couldn’t be more tense. In the midst of a climate of urgency marked by the war between the United States, Israel and Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Europe is staring into the energy abyss. As we already analyzed in XatakaEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently broke a historic taboo in Paris by singing the continental mea culpa, admitting that the European Union “made a strategic mistake by walking away from a reliable and affordable source of low-emission energy.” That speech by the German president, who paradoxically was part of the government that promoted atomic dismantling in her country, has not taken long to materialize in political pressure. Today, this European turn lands directly in Cáceres, turning Brussels into the great ally of Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy in their race against time to avoid the closure of the Almaraz nuclear power plant. Brussels supports the electricity companies’ request. In the midst of an energy storm, the European Commission has embraced atomic energy. Von der Leyen has sent a letter to the leaders of the European Union ahead of the summit of presidents in which he emphasizes the need to “avoid the premature withdrawal of assets, such as existing nuclear facilities.” For the president of the Community Executive, these infrastructures are key because “they can continue to supply reliable, low-cost, low-emission electricity.” This positioning suggests that Member States delay the scheduled closures of their plants. In practice, it is a lifeline thrown to Spanish electricity companies. As they point out from RoamsIberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%) and Naturgy (11%) have formally requested to extend the useful life of Almaraz until 2030, with a view to reaching 60 or even 80 years of operation. A train wreck. The defense of nuclear power does not respond to a sudden environmental awakening, but rather to a question of economic and geopolitical survival. As explained The Pluralthe increase in energy prices due to the War in Iran is already having devastating effects: since the end of February, the EU has spent an additional 6 billion euros on fossil fuel imports. Europe believes that atomic energy is the economic salvation to stop this bleeding, but the Government of Spain believes the opposite. However, this recommendation from Brussels has raised blisters in Spain. As detailed eldiario.esVon der Leyen’s position represents interference in the energy policy of the Twenty-seven, unleashing a direct controversy with Teresa Ribera, European vice president for a Clean Transition. Ribera has reminded the president that, just as she could not tell France what to do with its energy when she was minister, Von der Leyen cannot dictate to countries their mix electric. “Each Member State is competent to decide according to its circumstances,” said Ribera. The two-speed crash plan. To prevent the shock energy will devastate the economy in the short term, the European Commission proposes an intervention package: direct tax reductions on the electricity bill, intervention in the CO2 market to curb volatility and a cap on the price of gas. Along these lines, Von der Leyen’s key complaint It’s about energy taxation which is stifling the transition, since in some cases electricity is taxed “up to fifteen times more than gas.” In the long term, the EU is not so much committed to building traditional macro-centrals, but has allocated 200 million euros to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMR) for the 2030s. But at the national level, the European guidelines hit a wall. According to Expansionthe Ministry for the Ecological Transition remains firm in its closure schedule (2027 for the first Almaraz reactor and 2028 for the second) betting on a 100% renewable model. In fact, the Executive recalls that it was the companies themselves that in 2019 opted to close due to the government’s refusal to grant them the tax reductions they demanded. The dreaded “domino effect.” The Almaraz debate has transcended the offices to hit the streets. As pointed out Article 14Von der Leyen’s turn has given wings to the “Women for Almaraz” platform, which brings together more than 2,000 residents of Campo Arañuelo. Its spokesperson, María Jesús Lapeira, warns that the dismantling would destroy 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. But the technical problem for Spain goes far beyond Cáceres. As we detailed in Xatakadelaying Almaraz to 2030 would unleash a logistical and regulatory “domino effect.” If its closure is postponed, it would coincide in time with the closure of Ascó I and Cofrentes. Given that dismantling four reactors at the same time is unfeasible, this would force the closures of Ascó II, Vandellós II and Trillo to also be pushed well beyond 2035, blowing up the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The great paradox of the market. In the end, the resolution of this geopolitical and social conflict could be dictated by the market itself. At the beginning of March the Almaraz II reactor had to be disconnected from the electrical grid; It was not because of a security problem, but because of the harsh financial reality: the full reservoirs and the strong wind sank the price of electricity to zero. This, added to a tax burden that represents 75% of its variable costs, made keeping the plant on economically unsustainable for its owners. We are facing the perfect storm. Europe desperately embraces nuclear energy due to fear of Iran and the loss of competitiveness against China. The electricity companies use this endorsement to pressure for tax cuts in Spain. The Government and environmentalism are reluctant to alter their green roadmap. And meanwhile, the unstoppable and cheap renewable generation from sun and wind threatens to drive out of the market the very nuclear plants that political leaders today are trying to save. Image | Frobles and European Parliament Xataka | The Almaraz “domino effect”: delaying the closure of a single plant forces us to redesign the entire energy map of Spain

Psychology says that the best time of year to set resolutions is not January 1: it is now in spring

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

It is a classic among many people: reach January 1 and resolve to go to the gym, eat better, learn a language or quit smoking. But in many cases by mid-February this purpose has already been abandoned and waiting for a new year to start the cycle again. We usually blame our lack of willpowerbut science has a much more compassionate and practical explanation, since, according to experts, winter it’s not the best time to change life. The real mental and biological “reset” happens now, in spring. It has a name. The basis of this phenomenon is known in psychology as the “fresh start effect.” Here our mind does not perceive time as an uninterrupted continuum, but as a book divided into several chapters, so the change of season, birthdays or the beginning of the month act as temporal milestones in which we seek to make this change in a lifestyleFor example. Because? Having a temporal milestone for the brain has an interpretation, and that is that it creates a psychological barrier that allows us to disconnect of our “imperfect self” from the past who, for example, smokes or doesn’t go to the gym. This is something that was demonstrated in 2014 in an investigation where it became clear that these symbolic dates such as birthdays restructure our temporal perception. Precisely in one of their experiments they compared how participants reacted to the same date presented in two different ways. The results. Based on this study, they compared two different dates: The first day of spring, since we are facing a temporary milestone and specifically 25.6% of respondents chose to set reminders to start new goals right here. In comparison, a normal day of any day was used, such as Thursday, where only 7.2% of participants showed motivation to make a habit change. That is why, comparing this data, it was seen that such a simple change of perspective can quadruple the intention to pursue healthy goals, causally validating that emphasizing a milestone as a “new beginning” triggers our motivation. The spring. Here the question we can ask ourselves is if the new year is also a temporal milestone because we begin a new year… Why is spring superior? The answer lies in biology and the environment. And while in January we are coldshort days and the dreaded economic downturn, in spring we have a progressive increase in sunlight. An environmental factor that joins a series of physiological advantages. When we talk about spring ‘altering blood’, we are not telling lies because it has been seen that sunlight raises serotonin and dopamine levels, drastically improving mood, increasing energy and a willingness to make changes. Furthermore, the end of winter eliminates physical and psychological barriers such as external cold and frees energy to begin investing it in creating habits. Motivation is not enough. Logically, we talk about factors that help, and seasonal change gives a boost to people. Psychologists here explain that the new seasons offer us the ideal mental framework to “evaluate” and plan fresh strategies without the weight of guilt from previous failures. However, there is a warning backed by scientific consensus: although symbolic dates are excellent psychological catalysts for starting a habit, the initial motivation always wanes. That is why, for the habit to last beyond the spring fever, it is strictly necessary to accompany this “rush” of energy with a solid structure, realistic routines and repetition systems. Images | Mink Mingle In Xataka | Three morning habits that will help you be happier and more productive at work, according to science

Beyond prices and vacation rentals, housing in Madrid faces a huge problem: irregular houses

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Beyond price escalation, the pressure of the vacation rental or the decoupling Between the speed at which homes are created and new buildings built, in Madrid the real estate market faces a tricky challenge: irregular developments. The latest data of the Community of Madrid reveal that in the region there are dozens of settlements of illegal origin that bring together thousands of homes that start from an irregular situation. all one hot potato for administration. What has happened? The data has revealed it The Newspaper. The Community of Madrid has registered almost 200 developments built without the necessary permits, settlements of illegal origin that add up to thousands of homes. The calculation is based on an update of the inventory from the 1980s, when 136 irregular settlements were identified. The figure has changed since then for two reasons. The first, because there were nuclei that have managed to regularize themselves. The second, because the technicians have added to the list others that (for one reason or another) did not appear in the catalog that accompanied the 1985 regulations. What do the figures say? If you walk around Madrid you can find dozens of housing units built without respecting the regulations. Some very populous. Specifically, The Newspaper talks about 184 urbanizations or settlements of illegal origin and some 10,500 homes. The figure is partly explained because the 1980s census incorporated almost a hundred new consolidated residential areas. The Ministry of the Environment clarifies that in most cases they are the result of “urbanization processes outside the law” and “lacking planning”, which explains why they often do not offer “minimum conditions for urbanization.” Are all cases the same? Not at all. Not all urbanizations identified by the Community of Madrid are the same nor do they have the same dimensions. Particularly noteworthy is the settlement of La Vega del Tajuñawhich brings together a large part of the residences in an irregular situation detected by regional technicians. Specifically, there are 5,513 distributed over more than 2,700 hectares. With those dimensions it would be the largest settlement of its kind in the community, although not the only one where hundreds of people live. In Camino Viejo de Madrid and Vega Baja del Guadarrama there are also more than 1,400 buildings and there are others, such as El Rondelo, Pico Valsarón or Dehesa Nueva, with hundreds of homes. The Community has also noted constructions located in locations very close to the capital, such as Improved Field. How is that possible? The circumstances and context are not always the same, but a few days ago EPE visited a nucleus of Mejorada del Campo that helps to understand how settlements like this can be formed in the heart of Madrid. Specifically, the newspaper visited a nucleus that began to form in the 1980s, driven by developers who parceled out rural land and sold the land at affordable prices, offering it as an ideal space for “urban gardens” with access to water. Time, use and the increasing pressure that affect housing prices in Madrid did the rest. What were initially huts designed for tools gave way to more ambitious installations. Is it something new? Not at all. And not only because the history of these settlements can go back a long time. At the end of 2025, the Community of Madrid has already issued a statement in which he recalled that in just four years he had inspected 1,906 “irregular constructions” on protected land. To be precise, the regional government spoke of 5,334.3 hectares “affected by this type of settlements”, also identified in 56 municipalities. “Of them, about 80% are concentrated in the plains of the main Madrid rivers, the majority in the areas of the Tajuña River (2,712.5 hectares), followed by the Jarama (1,019.5), Guadarrama (363.2) and Tajo (150.2)”, explains the Madrid Executive, which warns of the “risk” it represents “both for people and the environment.” Hence, this type of construction appears among the objectives of the Urban Inspection and Discipline Plan. Does it only happen in Madrid? No. Settlements of this type are also common in other parts of Spain, such as Catalonia. “There are many urbanizations that were built in the 60s, 70s and early 80s of the 20th century, which were marketed without the necessary planning, urban management or basic public services,” recognize from the Catalan Generalitat. “Of the 1,433 identified in the 2015 catalogue, there are 730 with urban deficits. Many are concentrated in small municipalities and the tendency to convert housing estates into primary residences aggravates their situation,” acknowledges the regional government. The topic is complex because, as remember EPE When talking about the Madrid case, the legal framework varies over time: if a home built on non-developable land remains long enough outside the ‘radar’ of the authorities, the crime expires and can no longer be demolished. Images | Community of Madrid Via | The Newspaper In Xataka | Madrid believed itself immune to the TukTuk plague in the most tourist cities in the world. Now someone wants to ban them

the Transport plan so that the most used Cercanías line in Spain stops being chaos

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

The Ministry of Transport has finally decided to transform line C-5 of Cercanías de Madrid, which is, with some 72 million annual travelersthe most used in Spain. Won’t do it until they finish the underground works of the A-5but we already know all the details. It is the largest renovation of the line in decades and the heart of the change are 35 giant trains that are already being manufactured in Valencia. ORa line to the limit. As we said, the C-5 moves about 72 million passengers a year and absorbs 29% of all Cercanías Madrid trips. It is the public transport line with the most users in the entire country, and today it operates with trains that do not exceed 150 meters in length, platforms that do not allow larger vehicles and an outdated signaling system. With a demand that has grown by 10% between 2022 and 2024the margin has narrowed so much that it is time for a change. The protagonist of change: the Stadler Series 453. On March 4, the Ministry of Transportation presented the modernization plan of the C-5, endowed with 1,350 million euros, and confirmed that Renfe will allocate 600 million to the purchase of the 35 Series 453 trains manufactured by Stadler at its plant in Albuixech, Valencia. The service promises, since we are talking about trains that will measure almost 200 meters (specifically 191.16 meters) and will combine single-decker cars at the ends with double-decker cars inside. QWhat changes for the traveler. Where today about 1,565 people fit in the current trains, the new ones will accommodate up to 1,884 people (524 seated and 1,360 standing) in a single composition. Double-decker cars are designed for longer journeys and with a seat; those with one floor, wider at the entrances, for quick ascents and descents. Two-story interior cars According to they count in Trenvista, they will include areas for wheelchairs, multifunctional spaces for bicycles and strollers, a fully accessible toilet, WiFi and USB sockets. In addition, the middle points to greater padding than in other Cercanías trains, but without armrests. Why haven’t they arrived yet. Renfe put out to tender these trains in 2019 and the contract was awarded to Stadler in 2021. The Swiss firm had to expand its Albuixech factory to meet the order, which in 2022 was expanded with 20 additional 200-meter units, and began manufacturing in rented warehouses while the new facilities were ready, according to detailed at that time the medium. The first tests on the Spanish railway network began in the summer of 2024. The arrival at C-5, however, will still take some time. And the Ministry’s plan places the entry into service of these trains with automatic driving in April 2030. The problem that had to be solved before. For a 200-meter train to circulate on C-5, the infrastructure has to be prepared. Today it is not. The current platforms are too short, the LZB signaling system that regulates circulation has reached the end of its useful life, and there are no maintenance facilities capable of accommodating trains of that length. The good news is that in the 1,350 million plan is included the extension of platforms between 40 and 50 meters, the construction of a new maintenance base in Móstoles, the replacement of the signaling system with the European ERTMS Level 2 standard and the construction of a new station in Móstoles-El Soto. What’s coming now. The schedule foresees two service cutsin the summers of 2027 and 2028, to get to work with the most complex parts, and with free replacement buses and reinforcement in the Metro. Testing of the new signaling system will begin in April 2029, the first high-capacity trains will enter service in April 2030, and the project is expected to be completed in October 2031. The objective declared by the Ministry is to go from 72 to 100 million travelers annually, with a capacity 60% greater than the current one. It remains to be seen if the deadlines are met. Images | Snooze123 (Wikipedia) and Stadler In Xataka | In a region addicted to burials, a municipality wants to bury another 2.5 kilometers: Rivas’ plan for the Metro

Pancreatic cancer is a silent killer. A new experimental therapy has managed to “intercept” it before it attacks

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Pancreatic cancer is classically known as one of the most lethal and feared that exist because of how difficult it can be to treat in some cases and the high mortality rates. But this high mortality rate is not due to its aggressiveness from minute 0, but to its stealthy nature, making it when he shows his face With the first symptoms, the disease is already in a very advanced phase that makes treatment very difficult. It’s where to act. In this way, the objective of the researchers is precisely to try to advance the diagnosis as much as possible, since treatment in the initial phases of the disease can give great results. And this is exactly what a new study that focuses on the ‘cancer interception’ strategy suggests. This is something that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have focused on, who have achieved a vitally important advance in mouse models. And the fact is that, instead of focusing on attacking the already formed pancreatic tumor of considerable size, they have directed their artillery against the microscopic precursor lesions, known as PanIN. Its foundation. This is something that can be reduced to literally putting out the fire when it is still just a small spark. And as the specialized media report, by removing these microscopic lesions precancerous diseases, researchers manage to stop the advance towards the dreaded pancreatic adenocarcinoma in mice, proposing a total paradigm shift in how we could face this disease. Genetics is key. Something that has been known for a long time is that there are people who have a genetic predisposition to suffer from this disease. Specifically, in more than 90% of cases, the mutation responsible for triggering the disease is found in a gene called KRAS. A gene that for decades was considered “unapproachable” by classical pharmacology and that acted as a great shield against the disease. However, medicine is advancing in leaps and bounds, and this study uses selective inhibitors for this gene with the aim of silencing it precisely in PanIN lesions. In this way, by neutralizing the growth signals that the KRAS gene gives to tumor cells, they cannot take the step to begin to spread throughout the body, which causes the most serious symptoms. Mice today, hope for tomorrow. Logically, we must put our feet on the ground, since we are dealing with a preclinical study. That is, the therapy has proven to be a resounding success in animal models, but there is still a long way to go until this therapy can be used in a human in a hospital, since it must be seen that the effect is similar in our organisms. However, this research fits perfectly with the new medical philosophy against pancreatic cancer. As highlighted by the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) in his recent communicationsthe future undoubtedly involves knowing the personalized risk and ensuring that those people who are more likely to suffer from pancreatic cancer due to their genetics receive exhaustive screening to detect the disease in time and increase the probability of survival. Images | Bioscience Image Library In Xataka | A Spanish milestone against pancreatic cancer: we are one step closer to eradicating it but there is still a long way to go

Mercadona has been a threat to other supermarket and restaurant chains for years. Now it is for Starbucks

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Mercadona gained fame (and money) as a supermarket chain, but it has long since explore business avenues in sectors that go far beyond the retail traditional. The clearest movement was made in 2018, when it launched a section of cooked dishes and “ready to eat” (in fact the service is literally called that) that has grown at record speed. Today it is already offered in 1,110 stores and has allowed Juan Roig’s chain to become an unexpected rival for hoteliers, who have seen how the firm monopolizes almost 20% of the expense in food and drink, more than bars and restaurants. Now there is another sector with reasons to be on guard: coffee shops. What has happened? That Mercadona has just launched a new service in Euskadi. At the end of February The Mail revealed that the Valencian chain installed a freshly ground coffee machine ready to go in a supermarket in Bilbao. Said like this, it may seem like minor news, but it has more to it than it seems. To begin with, because it is the first Mercadona establishment to adopt this service in Basque lands. Second, because it demonstrates the speed with which the company is filling its supermarkets with ground coffee machines. Are you riding that many? It’s not so much that coffee makers are available in many stores as it is the speed at which they are expanding. Mercadona’s commitment to freshly ground coffee machines is very recent. People began to talk about her in March 2025when the company started its first tests in a handful of locations in the province of Valencia. “This is a laboratory,” the company then recognizedwho did not hide his desire to move the bet beyond Valencia. Its initial objective was that (if the idea worked) it would move to premises in the Community of Madrid after the summer. Now it is looking further, as demonstrated by its premiere in Bilbao. Is it really growing? Yes. At least if we take as reference the dossier of gastronomic services published by Mercadona itself on its website. It details that the company has continued to expand its network of coffee services, taking it to new cities. Not only that. For months Mercadona advertise the service with a specific section in which it states that it has black coffee, milk, coffee and cappuccinos. The cups can be consumed on the premises. The bet connects in part with Mercadona’s new store concept, the T9which seeks to adapt the premises to new consumer trends. Why is it important? Everything that revolves around Mercadona generates expectation. And it’s normal. Roig’s firm has managed to conquer a market share of about 30%which (beyond struggles within the retail) means that it is the chain that thousands of families trust when they need to fill their refrigerators. This growth has allowed it to become a heavyweight in the food sector, one that is no longer just viewed with suspicion by the rest of the supermarket chains. Its long shadow is also felt in the hospitality industry. Recently the consulting firm Worldpanel by Numerator published a report in which it states that Mercadona already has a value share in food and beverage consumption of 19.7%. What does that mean? That practically a fifth of everything we spend on food and drink ends up at Mercadona checkouts. The percentage is tremendous not only because of its reach. It is also the case when compared with other actors analyzed in the same study. The sum of bars, cafes and terraces is assigned a quota of around 11.2% and independent restaurants 8.6%. Conclusion: Mercadona is not only ending the idea of cooking at home, it threatens to do the same with restaurants. Why is it important? Because regardless of how Mercadona is doing, its commitment reflects profound changes in the consumption habits of Spaniards. In fact, the chain’s success is largely explained by its aim when drawing up strategies. First, it opted for the short assortment model, filling its shelves with private label items. He then launched himself into the prepared food market, convinced that kitchens have the days counted. Now your new bet invites you to ask yourself another question: Will we continue going to cafes for a mid-morning coffee or will we have it at the supermarket? Images | Mercadona In Xataka | The war against Mercadona in Spanish retail is having a great beneficiary: the supermarket next to home

The POCO X8 Pro lands in Spain with double discount and subscriptions to YouTube Premium and Spotify

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

February and March are being very busy months in terms of mobile launches. The latest to arrive has been the new generation of POCO from Xiaomi, and as it cannot be missed, it is accompanied by discounts, gifts and an edition that more than one superhero fan may like. If you are interested, the POCO X8 Pro It is available in several configurations: In addition, if you buy it right now in the official store, Xiaomi offers another additional discount and several gifts: 20 euro coupon. Free trial of YouTube Premium (two months) and Spotify Premium (three months). Double My Points. Trade In option, so by handing in an old device you can receive an additional discount. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A new generation arrives He POCO X8 Pro It is interesting for many reasons beyond its particular edition of Iron Man. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that it comes with a 6,500 mAh batterya fairly large figure considering that we are talking about a compact (6.59 inches) and thin (8.38 mm) mobile phone. In addition, the battery supports 100W fast charging, so you can have it charged in a very short time. The AMOLED panel offers a 1.5K resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate, so it will look very fluid at all times. Xiaomi has opted in this case to mount the chip Dimensity 8500-Ultraso it has very good power if what you are looking for is to play with your mobile. Of course, the POCO X8 Pro comes with HyperOS 3.0 As an operating system and at a photographic level, it comes with a 20 MP front camera and a rear module that is made up of a 50 MP main sensor (with optical stabilization) and an 8 MP wide angle. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: POCO X8 Pro offer today ✅ THE BEST Your batterywhich allows you to use your mobile phone without depending so much on the charger. In addition, it supports very fast charging so you can have it charged in a matter of minutes. The introductory offerwhich not only consists of a discount, but also a coupon and several gifts through months of subscriptions to YouTube and Spotify. ❌ THE WORST Like practically any mobile phone, it comes without a chargerso if you don’t have one that supports fast mobile charging, you won’t be able to take advantage of it. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for a mobile phone whose battery lasts more than a day, that can be purchased in the maximum storage capacity (512 GB) without the price going up much and that also has a good processor. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Are you looking for a mobile phone that stands out above all in photography or that has an even larger battery, for which we have the POCO X8 Pro Max which comes with an 8,500 mAh battery. You may also be interested

China has started a battle against the US and Japan that no one is talking about. And it is crucial to winning the chip war

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

In the semiconductor war that the US and China are fighting Companies that specialize in the manufacture of photolithography equipment tend to attract attention, such as ASML; those that design the chips, such as NVIDIA or AMD; and the companies that produce them, such as TSMC or Samsung. However, in this complex network there are other much less known companies that also play an essential role in the integrated circuit industry. One of them is the Japanese company JSR Corporation. This entity is one of the industrial strongholds of Japan. And it is because it supplies its photoresist liquids to most of the semiconductor manufacturers that produce cutting-edge chips, helping to sustain Japan’s leadership in a very important area that usually goes unnoticed: that of the manufacture of advanced materials to produce integrated circuits. For China to have its own advanced photoresist liquids in your path to total independence of its chip industry is crucial, so its plan involves break Japan’s monopoly in no more than five years. China prepares to intimidate Japan The photolithography equipment designed and produced by ASML is responsible, very roughly, for transferring the geometric pattern described by the mask with great precision to the surface of the silicon wafer. In this area we can observe the pattern as the “drawing” that delimits the distribution of the transistors, the connections and the other elements that make up an integrated circuit. Before transferring the geometric pattern to the wafer, it is necessary to pour a liquid capable of absorbing light and preserving the pattern on it. However, before reaching this very important step, it is necessary to subject the wafers to a process known as deposition. It usually involves equipment manufactured by Tokyo Electron or Applied Materials. Its purpose is prepare silicon wafers for the transfer of the geometric pattern by depositing a very thin layer of material on them. Depending on the type of chip being manufactured, it will be necessary to use one material or another. One of the most used deposition techniques is known as oxidation, and consists of taking advantage of the ability of silicon to form a very thin layer of oxide when reacting with water. Its purpose is to protect the transistors and other chip components from external contamination. However, before transferring the geometric pattern to the wafer using lithography equipment, it is necessary to pour a liquid capable of absorbing light and preserving the pattern on it. This is the function of the photoresist fluid. During the last two decades, all companies specialized in the production of photoresist materials have been Japanese. In fact, Japan has since then the monopoly of this marketwhich is currently led by JSR Corporation. For the US, one of its main allies should lead this market not a problembut the possibility of China developing the capacity to produce its own advanced photoresist materials on its path to cutting-edge chip manufacturing is an issue. The Chinese government knows that photoresist production is a critical bottleneck, which is why its latest five-year plan has set out to resolve it. Xuzhou B&C Chemical, which is one of the leading photoresist materials manufacturers in China, anticipates that in at most five years will have the capacity to produce large-scale advanced KrF photoresists (Krypton Fluoride) and ArF (Argon Fluoride). Precisely this last material is commonly used in nodes equipped with deep ultraviolet (UVP) lithography equipment. However, the great challenge facing China is the development of photoresists suitable for the production of integrated circuits in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) nodes. We will see what achievements it achieves over the next five years. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | SCMP In Xataka | Japan takes the lead with nuclear fusion and sets an extremely ambitious date: the 2030s

what it is, what it is for, prices and how you can get one to use in your projects

March 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Let’s explain to you what it is and how to get a DeepSeek API. This is essential code to be able to link your production models. artificial intelligence when developing an app or creating a workflow that includes them. And although we have already told you how to get Claude’s either ChatGPT’sthat of DeepSeek It stands out for being much more economical. We are going to start this article by explaining what it is and What is an API key for? from DeepSeek, trying to make sure anyone can understand the concept. And then, we’ll tell you step by step how you can get yours, as well as their prices. What is the DeepSeek API and what is it for? DeepSeek is one of the most powerful artificial intelligence chats on the market. It comes from China, and competes with Western AIs by offering for free what others save under a paid subscription. DeepSeek is the name of the chat, but it is also the name of the AI model that makes it work. Think of the AI chat as a complete car, and while what drives it is the engine, it is the model. And then, from time to time new versions of these models come out. Each of these AI models occupies many terras, and therefore, if you want to link it to an external application or project you will not be able to install it on your server. Instead, what you will do is connect your project to one of these models, build a bridge between your application and DeepSeek, and the key that opens the doors of that bridge is the API. An API is a unique key that is used to connect an app and an external service. In this case, the API serves to connect other applications with DeepSeek, or rather, the artificial intelligence model that powers it. The idea would be that when you write something to the bot that you have connected with an API, this bot sends the message to the AI, and that when the AI generates the response it reaches the bot and it can show it to me. And since the bot and the AI are on different servers, possibly in different countries, I’m going to need a bridge. And this bridge is the API. The DeepSeek API is paid. You pay for each token consumedwithout a fixed monthly fee. First you will have to buy credit packsand then these will be spent as you use the API. When you make a request, depending on the processing it requires and the task involved, you will spend these tokens or tokens, and when you run out you will have to buy more. But in exchange, what you have is the possibility of use DeepSeek in your projects to create your own chatbot or assistant, to automate tasks, to analyze texts, videos or audio and make transcriptions and summary, generate code, and ultimately for whatever you need. You will have the AI within the application, but not natively, but you will have connected both. Token types and API prices The price of DeepSeek APIs depends on several things. For a start, It depends on the model you want to use.. If you are going to use the most powerful model it will be more expensive, since it is a model that consumes more resources. Meanwhile, the lighter models will have lower prices. There are two types of tokenthe input ones (Input) and the output ones (Output). Input tokens are the consumption of the text that you send to the model with a prompt. And the output is the response it generates. The price of the tokens is per million of them. As for the price, it depends on whether you use a full or lighter model. This is a table with prices of current flagship models. You will also be able to generate APIs for older models, which will have cheaper prices. Model Input cache hit (by MTok) Input cache miss (by MTok) Output (by MTok) DeepSeek-V3.2 (Non-thinking Mode) $0.028 0.28 dollars 0.42 dollars DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking Mode) $0.028 0.28 dollars 0.42 dollars How to get your DeepSeek API To obtain the DeepSeek API, you have to enter its Platform developer website. The address is platform.deepseek.com. Once there, log in with your user account. Once logged in, in the left column click on the section API Keys. When you do, you will see the screen with the list of API keys that you have created. Here, press the button Create new API key to create a new one. This will open a window where you just have to name your API to be able to identify it among others that you create, and click on Create API key. And that’s it, with this you will have created the API and all you need to do is start buying tokens to use them. In Xataka Basics | DeepSeek Guide: 36 functions and things you can do for free with this artificial intelligence

Log In

Sign In

Forgot password?

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections