Mobile Tech & Gadgets

20,000 million more will be spent on a factory with little water and labor

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TSMC’s journey in Arizona (USA) continues. Yesterday the board of directors of this chip manufacturer, the largest on the planetapproved an injection of 20 billion dollars in what is already its most advanced semiconductor production plant of any it has in the US. The start-up of this factory It was full of setbacks.. In fact, it started production of integrated circuits almost a year late due to how much it cost TSMC. find qualified personnel that I needed. At the beginning of 2025 the first good news arrived. The plant had been producing semiconductors for several months at the N4 lithography node, which belongs to the 5nm FinFET family, and was ready to deliver to Apple the first batch of SoC A16 and SiP S9. This factory, known as Fab 21, made $514 million in profit last year according to Yeh Chun-Hsienthe minister of the National Development Council of Taiwan. This is not bad at all if we keep in mind that during the first year of operation, semiconductor plants do not usually deliver profits. In this scenario, the investment of an additional 20 billion dollars in the expansion of Fab 21, which is the purpose of this money, makes sense. In fact, this project is part of the $165 billion expansion plan that TSMC presented last year. However, not everything is going well for this company in Arizona. According to the newspaper Taipei Timesthe shortage of labor, and, above all, of water, is giving many headaches to the management leadership of this factory. And solving this last problem is not easy. Arizona’s water shortage is a huge challenge for TSMC Arizona is the second driest state in the US only behind Nevada. Semiconductor factories need a large amount of this resource, but it is not ordinary water like what comes out of our taps; They need a type of water almost impossible to find in nature. And its scarcity is getting worse. In fact, it is slowly becoming a systemic threat to the industry that sustains the artificial intelligencecell phones, electric cars and virtually any device that has an advanced chip inside. The water we are familiar with, such as that which comes from the tap, spring water, and even bottled mineral water, is full of impurities. It contains bacteria, dissolved gases, mineral salts and microscopic particles in suspension. This is not a problem for most of the everyday applications we usually use it for, but This water is not suitable for making chips. Even the slightest impurity invisible to the human eye is pure poison when involved in the production of cutting-edge semiconductors, such as the 2nm integrated circuits currently being manufactured by TSMC. The industry standard calls for water with an electrical resistivity of 18.2 megohms per centimeter The integrated circuit manufacturing process requires cleaning silicon wafers dozens of times. Every time a geometric pattern is transferred to wafers using lithography, they need to be cleaned. Also after pouring chemical reagents and photoresist fluids on them. However, the water used to remove any residue that may have deposited on the wafer cannot have the slightest impurity. It must be absolutely pure. In fact, the industry standard calls for water with an electrical resistivity of 18.2 megaohms per centimeter, which is the theoretical limit of water purity at room temperature. The problem is that producing ultrapure water is not easy. And it is not because it is necessary to subject it to reverse osmosis in multiple stages and ion exchange treatments. It is also necessary to degas it under vacuum, eliminate any microorganisms it may contain with ultraviolet light and filter it using membranes expressly designed to capture the slightest impurity. In this article we do not need to investigate these processes in detail, but there is something that we cannot ignore: this treatment consumes energy and requires the use of a large amount of chemicals. Furthermore, a significant part of the water that is processed is not transformed into ultrapure water, so it cannot be used. Once the water has been subjected to this demanding treatment, it acquires such a high purity that it becomes corrosive if it comes into contact with a very wide range of materials. Because it lacks its own ions, ultrapure water absorbs ions from virtually any material it comes into contact with. This is the reason why the pipes used to transport it must be made of materials immune to corrosion, such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), a fluorinated thermoplastic polymer similar to Teflon, non-polluting and extremely stable because it does not give up ions to ultrapure water. A single cutting-edge semiconductor plant consumes between 10 and 30 million liters of ultrapure water every day. This range is equivalent to the daily drinking water consumption of a city of between 50,000 and 150,000 inhabitants. Plus, there’s another challenge we haven’t looked into yet: ultrapure water degrades very quicklyso chip factories must have a very sophisticated production and distribution system capable of working in real time to deliver the ultrapure water required by the manufacturing process of advanced integrated circuits. Image | TSMC More information | Taipei Times In Xataka | Intel’s plan against an unattainable TSMC: beat Samsung and consolidate itself as the second largest chip manufacturer

1,800 years ago the Romans had an amulet against bad luck. It was literally a tiny penis.

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Measures about three centimetersis cast in bronze with great detail (anatomical) and despite being around 1,800 years old, it is surprisingly well preserved. We talk about a phallus. A penis. An ancient figurine representing male genitalia that archaeologists have just unearthed in a roman site from Cumbria, in the northwest of England. The most curious thing, however, is not the appearance of the penile statuette itself. But that it took so long for researchers to find it. We explain ourselves. Under a cricket pitch. He Carlisle Cricket Club is a large resort for cricket lovers located on the outskirts of the town of Carlise, in Cumbria, England. That’s today, of course. If we go back almost 20 centuries to that same land, located on the banks of the eden riverwelcomed some hot springs where the Romans came to chat and relax. Years ago a group of archaeologists started investigating in the area to search for remains of that remote Roman past. Among the many things they recovered at the site, in addition to ceramics, fragments of pillars and heads sculpted in stone, there is one that has attracted attention: a penis. What do you mean, a penis? The figurine in question revealed it a few weeks ago the photographer Pete Savin in And archaeologists believe that the piece has some 1,800 years. It would be logical to think that Savin or the director of the site, Frank Giecco, raised their eyebrows when they encountered such a discovery. However, the opposite happened: what had surprised them for some time was not finding any phallic figurines among the Roman ruins of Carlisle. “It is unusual that we have not found a phallus-shaped object at the site before, as it is very rich in other types of objects,” admits Giecco to the BBC. Don’t say penis… No, say best amuletwhich is the function fulfilled by the figurine found in Cumbria. The researchers they are convinced that its purpose was not to simply represent a penis and the piece did not have an obscene or sexual nature either. It was not even a symbol of fertility. At least that wasn’t his main goal. For the Romans the device surely acted as a talismana protective tool designed to attract good luck and ward off the evil eye. The Romans were so convinced of the healing power of these phallic representations that they frequently resorted to them, either by capturing them in figurines that they would then hang from their belts and use as jewelry or by carving them on the walls. Click on the image to go to the tweet. A phallus for the collection. The truth is that you have to take a quick look through the newspaper archive to see that discoveries like the one in Cumbria are relatively frequent. Even in England. Or in Cumbria itself. In 2019 a group of archaeologists from the University of Newcastle cataloged there several inscriptions left by Roman soldiers in a quarry near Hadrian’s Wall, a series of ‘graffiti’ drawn on the rock in 207 AD and including (exactly!) the relief of a phallus. Last year another team focused on Vindolandaone of the Roman forts that protected Hadrian’s Wall, encountered another similar surprise. During their excavations they located a penis-shaped pendant hidden among the challenges of a wall from the 4th AD. Archaeologists speculate that the piece, made of jet, was lost at the beginning of that same century. And given how polished its surface is, they believe that the owner of the amulet handled it frequently. Small, big, huge. Carlise’s piece barely exceeds three centimeters and Vindolanda’s (at least for the photos shared by researchers) appears even smaller. However, not all representations were so minuscule. In 2022, while investigating a site in the province of Córdoba, archaeologists discovered a bas-relief that shows a 45 centimeter phallus long. The figure was carved directly on the cornerstone of a large building, another relatively common habit. “It was common to place them on the facades of houses and soldiers wore small phallic amulets as symbols of virility,” explains to The Country Andrés Rodlán, director of the project, although he also recognizes that Córdoba engraving breaks the mold. “This one is unusually large.” The list of phallic representations found in recent years goes on and on, with discoveries stretching from the distant lands of Britannia. to Omritin Israel. Why this obsession? The experts believe that phallic figures were so popular not because of their explicit nature, but because of their enormous load of meanings. Whoever carried a figurine of a penis or decided to sculpt it on their wall did not simply intend to show a male genital. He sought to protect himself with an amulet capable of warding off the evil eye. In fact, they not only surrounded themselves with images of more or less anatomically accurate penises. They also created figurines of winged phalluseswith animal shapes or with bells. “Phallic emblems are found on a wide variety of Roman objects, from amulets and frescoes to mosaics and lamps. They were symbols intended to attract good luck and ward off evil spirits. As the ancient author Pliny attests, even babies and soldiers wore such amulets to invoke divine protection,” they explain from the MET Museum. The reality is that, if history has shown anything, it is that humanity has always shown a fascinating inclination to represent penises everywhere. Images | The MET Museum and Carole Radatto (Flickr) In Xataka | Almost 2,000 years ago a Celtiberian soldier visited the most remote frontier of the Roman Empire. Then he returned to Soria with a souvenir

They have brought Mad Max to ships

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In World War II, several Allied ships began to cover parts of your covers with mattresses, wooden logs, sandbags and improvised metal structures to try to survive the kamikaze attacks and the bombs that fell from impossible angles. Those modifications seemed absurd to many naval officers of the time, but they hid an uncomfortable reality: when a cheap and difficult to stop threat suddenly appears, even the most sophisticated war machines end up looking more like vehicles. improvised survival than symbols of military power. The war that turned the front into a “Mad Max” landscape. It we were counting during 2025. The war in Ukraine began to generate images that seemed taken from George Miller’s post-apocalyptic universe. Covered tanks with metal cagesvans protected with anti-drone nets and civilian vehicles transformed into improvised war platforms they became common on both sides. Those structures, baptized many times like “cope cages”were born as desperate solutions to FPV drones that attacked from above and turned any armored vehicle into a vulnerable target. The important thing was no longer to advance quickly or shoot further, but survive a few more seconds under a sky saturated with cheap and omnipresent drones. Little by little, this improvised aesthetic stopped seeming temporary and began to reflect a transformation much deeper than modern combat. Russia already escorts vehicles with “electronic guards.” One of the most revealing changes appeared at the end of January of this year with the Russian Zemledeliye systemsvehicles capable of laying mines kilometers away. Russia began to accompany them with GAZ-66 trucks loaded with electronic warfare equipment, antennas and even anti-drone networks to try to protect them during their operations. The important detail was not only the visual improvisation, but what it revealed tactically: Ukrainian drones have turned even the Russian rear into a dangerous zone. Convoys, engineering systems and logistics now need specialized escorts solely to defend against low-cost air attacks. And yet, defenses continue to have enormous limitations against fiber optic drones immune to traditional electronic warfare. GAZ-66 “Mad Max” Roads in hunting areas. While Russia improvises defenses, Ukraine is perfecting an attrition strategy based on increasingly autonomous drones. Ukrainian units no longer attack only positions close to the front, but deep logistics routes connecting Russian ports, warehouses and supply lines. The use of drones with artificial intelligence capabilities It allows trucks to be located and pursued with very little human intervention, increasing constant pressure on Russian mobility. The goal is not just to destroy vehicles, but to slowly erode Russia’s ability to sustain mechanized operations and supply the front lines. The consequence is quite clear: every major road begins to function like a hostile territory where any vehicle can be located from the air at any time. Grachonok a la Mad Max Mad Max, but in the water. The most disturbing evolution has appeared when this improvised logic has jumped from the land front to the naval field. They counted the TWZ analysts than a Russian patrol car Project 21980 Grachonok was spotted sailing in the Black Sea covered by enormous metal anti-drone screens installed on its superstructure. Seeing a military vessel equipped with a kind of improvised cage made clear the extent to which the drone threat is also disrupting naval warfare. The ship attempts to protect itself from aerial drones and munitions dropped from the sky, but the defenses themselves partially limit the operation of its weapons and leave vulnerable gaps. The image perfectly sums up the new reality: even relatively modern military ships are beginning to look improvised armored vehicles designed to survive in an environment saturated with cheap threats. Naval drones are changing maritime warfare. The problem for Russia is that Ukraine no longer uses only maritime suicide drones. Their unmanned vessels begin to act as mobile platforms capable of launching FPV drones and bomber drones against naval targets and positions in Crimea. This evolution has forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to reduce operations near the peninsula and transfer part of its assets towards Novorossiysk. However, withdrawal does not eliminate the threat. Ukrainian drones combine range, low cost and tactical flexibility in a way that is breaking traditional naval logic. In other words, maritime warfare is beginning to look less like a battle between large ships and more to a constant chase between small and extremely difficult to neutralize autonomous platforms. A much more chaotic phase. The most important thing about this evolution is that Ukraine is showing a broader transformation of contemporary combat. For decades, powers envisioned wars dominated by sophisticated platforms and extremely expensive technology. The conflict is proving something much more uncomfortable: Cheap, improvised, large-scale produced systems can completely upset the military balance. First it happened on land, where multimillion-dollar armored vehicles ended up covered with improvised structures to survive armed commercial drones. Now the same phenomenon is beginning to spread to the sea. The image of protected ships with metal cages reflects precisely that, a modern war that looks less and less like a display of clean technological superiority and more like a chaotic ecosystem of permanent survival. Image | Russia-24, X In Xataka | To achieve the milestone of building the largest drone industry without China, Ukraine has found an explosive ally: Taiwan In Xataka | Today in “the war in Ukraine beyond all comprehension”: drone pilots are training with ‘Grand Theft Auto’

some Amazon employees use AI just to inflate their token metrics

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He tokenmaxxing now has its most documented case. Some Amazon employees have been using MeshClaw for weeksan internal AI agent tool, to automate unnecessary tasks and thus inflate your consumption of tokens in the internal markers that the company has implemented. This is not the first time something like this has happened in Silicon Valley: Meta had its own leaderboard tokenswith a winner who took the title of Legend Token. And similar patterns have been documented at Microsoft. But the Amazon case adds a detail that makes it more striking: the tool used to cheat is the same one that Amazon has officially deployed to make its engineers work better. Why is it important. Amazon requires more than 80% of its developers to use AI tools each week and measures compliance using data consumption markers. LLMs. The company has said those statistics will not be used in performance reviews. Several employees have responded with variations of the same phrase: managers are looking at it. “When you track usage, you create perverse incentives and there are people who are very competitive with this,” one of them told the Financial Times. Yes, but. There is a more generous reading. Forcing a large organization to come into contact with new tools has a certain logic: if you force enough people to use them, someone eventually finds a really useful use for them. The problem is that that only works if there is real exploration. An employee who delegates to an agent the task of summarizing emails that no one will read is not learning anything, he is just inflating his metrics. The big question. amazon has committed 200 billion in AI infrastructure whose demand, in theory, is absorbed as it is deployed. If a part of that internal consumption is tokenmaxxing Purely, the figures that justify these requests are less reliable than they seem. The distinction between real adoption and inflated consumption matters because the former generates lasting demand while the latter disappears as soon as incentives change. Amazon has already restricted public access to device usage statistics. When the marker is no longer visible, the behavior it encouraged also changes. Go deeper. The Goodhart’s law He has been explaining this for fifty years: when a measure becomes an objective, it is no longer a good measure. Amazon hasn’t built a system to know if its engineers are using AI well. You have built a scoreboard, and the scoreboards are played. In Xataka | If the question is whether using ChatGPT or Claude in English is more efficient and saves tokens, the answer is: yes Featured image | Xataka

the collapse of the fertilizer trade

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If they have something wars like the one in Iran (or Ukraine) is that they remind us of the enormous fragility of some of the pillars that support the world economy. And that is something that is beginning to worry farmers. In addition to being a key channel for oil trafficthe Strait of Hormuz is a strategic piece in the world trade in nitrogen fertilizers. The UN estimates that before the war it passed through there one third of global maritime traffic of an input that, in turn, influences performance of the crops. After more than two months with maritime traffic blocked or at least conditionedmore and more voices warn that alterations in the supply of fertilizers may end up leading to a food crisis draft. The alarms go off. Warnings about how the Iran war could affect fertilizer trafficking may not have been raised as early as those in the oil marketbut that does not mean that the topic is not generate concern almost from the beginning. In early March, shortly after the US and Israel attacked Tehran, some analysts They were already raising their voices to warn of the risks that the conflict would alter the global distribution of urea, a nitrogen fertilizer in which the Persian Gulf plays a fundamental role. Graphic: Statista. How fundamental? The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculate that around 36% of global urea exports between 2023 and 2025 came from Persian Gulf countries, especially Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Not bad if we take into account two pieces of information that underlines the institute itself. First, urea is the nitrogen fertilizer most used, which gives an idea of ​​its relevance for crops. Second, how distributed the flow is. Its main importers are India, Brazil, Australia, Thailand, the USA and Türkiye. On that map Tehran plays an essential role. Both because of its weight as a producer and exporter, and because of the control it exercises over the Strait of Hormuz, which channels a good part of the world’s fertilizer trade. The UN estimates that around one third of all merchandise moved by sea, which is equivalent to 16 million tons. It is understandable if you take into account that one of the largest plants of urea on the planet (QAFCO) is in Qatar, a facility that, by the way, saw blocked its production at the beginning of the war due to alterations in the supply of natural gas. The reason? Again the interconnection of the global economy. LNG is a essential input in the production of fertilizers such as urea or ammonia. A sinking traffic. The problem is that, after several months of war in the Middle East, the global fertilizer supply chain is beginning to show signs of suffering. The latest signal has been issued by the OECD. And clearly. According to his observations (advanced by the EFE agency), the organization has detected that in April the movement of goods by sea plummeted to its lowest level since January 2019. And that at a minimum, since OECD statistics do not allow us to go back further. The OECD has also detected a decrease in the flow of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) through Hormuz, but the data on urea are especially alarming. To begin with, because the organization has confirmed the great weight of the Gulf in its traffic, with 18 specialized berths. The OECD warning also comes just when some countries are beginning to feel the disruption of the supply chain. A clear case is in Nepal: its volume of reserves is well below what is necessary (171,000 t compared to 250,000), which has already led the Government to purchase 80,000 t of emergency chemical fertilizer thanks to an agreement with India. Is it the only indicator? No. The OECD warning is one more stroke in a much broader picture in which not only the flows of merchandise are altered. Another key indicator is the prices of fertilizers. At the end of April Reuters echoed already from the rise in the value of urea. And although in recent weeks its price has been softenedgo on far above of the one noted on February 27, before the war broke out. It’s not just about the traffic disruptions in Hormuz. LNG also influences the cost of fertilizer. The situation has reached such a point that Fertiglobe, a major fertilizer company, has started operating its plants in the United Arab Emirates at full capacity and then transport the fertilizer in trucks to other ports far from Hormuz, its natural outlet. The operation raises costs so much that under other circumstances it would not be profitable. After the price increase that has changed. “As long as we manage to overcome the logistical obstacles, the price more than makes up for it,” explains a manager from the company to Financial Times. “The market is desperate.” The alarms go off. The big question is what to expect from now on. Although the UN recognize Since not all countries are equally exposed to interruptions in the supply of fertilizers and not all regions of the world harvests follow the same calendar, there are organizations that have already raised their voices to warn of the impact that war can have. There are several factors at play: the problems of transporting fertilizer and the fact that its cost ends up skyrocketing so much that farmers do without it or look for alternativessomething that could affect crop yields. Another question is whether this will be felt in food prices. Déjà vu in the fields. The photo is partly reminiscent of what was experienced at the beginning of the Ukrainian war, although with nuances. “In 2022 much of the fertilizer was finally distributed,” explains to Reuters Shwan Arita, of the Agricultural Risk Policy Center at North Dakota State University. “The supply shortages we’re seeing now are much more severe.” Another handicap is that, unlike what happened a few years ago, cereal prices after several campaigns with generous harvests … Read more

discount of 60 euros and several gifts included

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If we put smartwatch and best sellers in the same sentence, it is difficult not to talk about HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Series. Well without further ado, good news: HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 Series is here. They are two very interesting new watches (we will talk about their characteristics below) that arrive with a launch promo in the official store of this manufacturer: if we use the code ‘AFIT5XS60’ We can save 60 euros on our purchase. And be careful, because they include gifts. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links This is the launch promo for HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 Series We are going to talk about the key points of the two HUAWEI watches a little further down, but first we are going to stop at the launch promo, starting with the Pro version. This arrives in stores at a price of 299 euros, but, using the code ‘AFIT5XS60‘when we have the watch in the cart, its price will remain at 239 euros. In addition to this, we will get a free additional strap that we can choose from six different colors (its prices range between 39 and 49 euros). Along with this, We will also get 12 free months of HUAWEI Carescreen protection against accidental damage that never hurts to have. What if we prefer the standard version? This comes at a somewhat cheaper price, specifically 199 euros. Although it is 100 euros less, we can use the same discount code ‘AFIT5XS60’ to obtain a direct discount of 60 euros, so it will cost us 139 euros. As gifts, it also includes a gift strap and 12 months of HUAWEI Care (so we will have a free glass replacement in case of breakage during that time), as well as the HUAWEI Scale 3 scale. Battery for 10 days and a screen that looks great HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 Now, let’s talk about these two new watches, starting with the cheaper of the two, HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5. This is a very interesting device made of aluminum alloy and with textile straps, which means that it is very light (so we will barely notice it on the wrist) and that its strap breathes, what is ideal when we do sports. Its screen is AMOLED, it is 1.82 inches and has 2,500 nits of maximum brightnessoptimal for outdoors. Its density is 347 PPI (which makes texts look very sharp) and it has a 60 Hz refresh rate that makes the experience with it very fluid. It is a very interesting and economical option if we are looking to control our heart rate or monitor our sleep, although it is also capable of measuring other aspects such as temperature and female health. Of course, it does not lack sports modes (it has more than 100) and ‘mini-workouts’, which are quick workouts to do at any time of the day. and work up to 11 body parts in a very short time. All this together with the fact that it has an intelligent reminder system to warn us not to sit for too long. and allows NFC payments thanks to Curve Pay. And, like its older brother, it is compatible with Android and iOS. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links WATCH FIT 5 PRO HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 PRO turn, of which we already have analysis in Xataka. At the material level, This model relies on a titanium bezel (more resistant) and its screen has sapphire glass, which is very resistant to scratches. Another point in which this model stands out a lot is its screen, which is a little larger (1.92 inches), has 3,000 nits of maximum brightness and has LTPO technology, which means that it adapts the refresh rate continuously to save resources and battery. It has a more complex sensor system that allows electrocardiograms to be performed directly on the wrist, as well as an analysis of arterial stiffness. It also has a very interesting function which is be able to see offline maps on itideal if you plan to take a route in a remote place where there is no coverage. This model is also compatible with NFC payments and stands out for its autonomy. As explained by the manufacturer (and we have purchased it ourselves), the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 5 PRO battery lasts 10 days with normal use. Being able to forget about the charger for so long is, without a doubt, a fantasy. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links They are two very good options that, with the discount we get by using the coupon ‘AFIT5XS60’, both have a very good price (and with gifts). Yes indeed: only until June 21. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Huawei In Xataka | Best smartwatch in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and seven recommended models In Xataka | Best activity bracelets. Which one to buy and most recommended models from 25 euros

Microsoft wanted to create a mega data center in Kenya. To function, half the country had to live without electricity

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In May 2024 Microsoft announced what seemed like a historic agreement for Kenya’s technological development. The goal: create a gigantic data center that would be powered by geothermal energy. This center was going to be created in the Olkaria region, but the Kenyan president, William Ruto, has been blunt with Microsoft’s energy claims: to power the total requested 1 GW capacity, the country “would have to shut down half the nation.” too fair. Kenya has an electrical capacity installed capacity of between 3 and 3.2 GW, with peak demand that already reaches 2.44 GW. Microsoft’s project would consume approximately a third of the country’s total capacity. Even the first phase, which requires a capacity of 100 MW, would take a huge bite out of the production of the Olkaria geothermal complex, which generates about 950 GW in total. Kenya seems to be clear that sacrificing domestic consumption was not worth it when most of the project’s profitability will end up in the hands of a large foreign technology company. Financial disagreement. In addition to the energy problems, the negotiations have ended up getting stuck in the economic field. According to sources close to the process cited in BloombergMicrosoft and the investment firm G42 have reportedly asked the Kenyan government for a financial commitment. Specifically, payment for a certain amount of capacity each year, something with which the Kenyan leaders did not fully agree. The project has not been canceled. John Tanui, head of Kenya’s Ministry of Information, explained that his country is still in negotiations with Microsoft and G42, and that the agreement “has not failed or been abandoned. The scale of the data center they needed requires some structuring,” and that includes solving both the energy and economic problems. A project with a lot of geopolitics behind it. This project was not only a technological milestone for Microsoft and Africa, but also a diplomatic one. It is part of a $1.5 billion deal between Microsoft and Abu Dhabi-based G42, which was designed to counter potential deals on this continent with China. In fact, as a condition for the G42 agreement had to divest its Chinese assets and remove Huawei equipment from their systems. While the project is on hold, however, the Chinese company continues to expand in this region and has recently launched new broadband services over fiber with the largest Kenyan operator, Safaricom. Bottlenecks everywhere. The case of Kenya is not the only one that is stopping Microsoft’s plans. The company has announced a capex of 190 billion dollars by 2026 that will be invested in data centers, and the company is adding approximately 1 GW of computing capacity each quarter globally. However, about half of the data centers planned in the US this year have been canceled or delayed due to the shortage of electrical infrastructure. Image | Microsoft In Xataka | In 2024, Big Tech spent absurd amounts of money on AI. In 2025, they managed to spend 77% more

While Ryanair cuts 1.2 million seats in Spain, the gap it is leaving has a name: Wizz Air

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Ryanair continues in its thirteenth cutting seats at regional airports Spanish. The thing is that the rest of the low-cost airlines have not sat idly by and are taking advantage to have a greater presence. One of these airlines is Wizz Air, which is already thinking about grab a larger market share in Spain after the fight between Ryanair and Aena over airport taxes. Without its own bases, but with more routes and more seats. If some leave, others come. Ryanair has been in open war for months with the Government for Aena airport taxes. The Irish company considers that the rates at regional airports are unaffordable and has gone from threats to withdraw from several Spanish airports, closing its base in Santiago de Compostela, canceling flights in Vigo and Tenerife North, and will leave those in Valladolid and Jerez inactive. The total cut amounts to 1.2 million seats for the summer. In addition, next winter the airline also plans to reduce its capacity in Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza and several Canarian airports. Wizz Air has seen that gap. What Wizz Air is doing. The Budapest-based airline has decided to move in the opposite direction: it plans to increase its capacity in Spain by 39% throughout 2026. This is confirmed by Vera Jardan, the company’s corporate communications director, in statements collected by OkDiario. According to the media, the strategy does not involve opening its own bases, but rather expanding operations in the airports where it already has a presence and adding new routes. The company already operates in 16 Spanish airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Malaga, Alicante, Bilbao, Ibiza, Santander and Fuerteventura, and offers 144 routes to 15 different countries. Its latest novelty has been a direct connection between Menorca and Budapest. What they say from within. “Spain is definitely an increasingly important emerging market for us, on which we are increasingly focusing,” counted Jardan in the middle. “We see that they are more open to adventures and impromptu trips, and we would definitely like to satisfy that demand with more interesting flights and destinations to different countries,” the manager continued. Wizz Air has been betting for years on routes to central and eastern Europe, destinations that large airlines do not usually cover so frequently. He Ryanair withdrawal. Just like we counted For some time now, Ryanair has historically maintained some low-demand routes thanks to advertising contracts with local institutions. When those contracts are no longer profitable (or more attractive incentives have appeared in other markets, like morocco), the company has not hesitated to withdraw its flights. Added to this is the impact of AVE to Galiciawhich has reduced passengers from the plane in a region that has already accumulated a drop of 15.5% so far this year. What changes the travelers. In the short term, those traveling with Ryanair from affected regional airports will have fewer options or will have to travel to another departure point. Wizz Air can cover part of that demand, but its destination network and operating model are still not comparable to that of the Irish airline. What is clear is that the Hungarian company sees at this moment a real window of opportunity to gain share in a market that, until now, Ryanair had dominated with almost no direct competition in the low-cost segment. Cover image | Paréj Richárd In Xataka | If you thought that Ryanair was living outside the Hormuz crisis, its CEO has a message. And it doesn’t look good for Spain

new interface, YouTube, redesign of Maps, and a lot of AI

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In addition to all the news that Google has revealed about Android 17, Gemini Intelligence and Google Bookthe company has also taken the opportunity to tell us all the details about the new and great Android Auto update. And the company has revealed which would be the most ambitious renewal of vehicle software since the platform hit the market eleven years ago. The update features a complete redesign of the interface, new navigation features, the arrival of YouTube and everything wrapped in AI. Gemini. Under these lines we tell you all the new features of the system. An interface that no longer leaves dead spaces on the screen The most visible change is the design. And now the interface adapts to any shape of screen, no matter how irregular it may be. This is especially useful, since we will stop seeing empty spaces with unused margins. “You have the new BMW Neue Klasse with a screen that is like an irregular trapezoid. I don’t even know what to call it. It’s something like a parallelogram. And I was like… I have to go back to teaching geometry classes,” counted to The Verge Patrick Brady, vice president of Android Automotive at Google. Brady defined the new design as “full bleed,” meaning that applications like Google Maps occupy the entire surface of the screen, regardless of its geometry. Google demonstrated the system’s ability to adapt to screens in three very different cases: the circular screen of the Mini, the irregular one of the Lucid Air and the trapezoidal BMW iX3. In all of them, the map covered the space from edge to edge. The design language Material 3 Expressiveuntil now exclusive to mobile phones, also comes to the car with its own fonts, more fluid animations and customizable wallpapers that can even transfer the colors and themes of the user’s mobile phone. Dashboard widgets and 3D navigation The new version incorporates widget supportsomething that had been rumored for a while. These widgets can be pinned onto the navigation map without interruption. For example: quick access to your favorite contacts, a button to open the garage door, weather information or options to control the home automation of our home. At the center of this experience is what Google calls Immersive Navigation, defined by the company as “the largest update to Google Maps in more than a decade.” The map view becomes completely three-dimensionalshowing buildings, overpasses and the relief of the terrain. In addition, it highlights elements such as available lanes, traffic lights and stop signs in real time. According to Google, the function is designed to help with complicated maneuvers such as changing lanes or entering highways. Finally, video in the car: YouTube at 60 fps and in high definition Android Auto incorporates video playback for the first time. Applications such as YouTube will be available while the vehicle is parked, with Full HD quality and at 60 frames per second. According to Brady, users have been asking for this function for some time when they charge their electric car, wait in a parking lot or are standing at the school door. The system has intelligent behavior when starting: if the user was watching a video and starts the car, the image disappears but the audio continues automatically in the apps that support background playback (a great idea to check out with the YouTube Premium). As confirmed by the company, the first manufacturers that will have this function are BMW, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Škoda, Tata and Volvo. In parallel, Android Auto will add compatibility with Dolby Atmos to deliver spatial and immersive sound. This function will initially reach a somewhat smaller group of brands: BMW, Genesis, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Škoda, Tata and Volvo. According to Google, music apps, including YouTube Music and Spotify, will also receive a visual update to improve their usability while driving. Gemini Intelligence comes to the car Google’s artificial intelligence assistant, Gemini, was already available on Android Auto, although its arrival has been much more timid than on mobile devices. According to the company, those who have Gemini Intelligence On their phone they will be able to access this more advanced version also from the car. The main difference is that Gemini Intelligence understands user context and promises to act autonomously. The Magic Cue function is the clearest example: if someone receives a message asking for an address, the system analyzes the content, searches for the response among the user’s emails, messages or calendar and offers to send the response with a single touch. Brady affirms that this function seeks to reduce phone use while driving: “We do distraction studies while driving in simulators. We test everything thoroughly.” The company ensures that Gemini will also be able to execute actions in other applications on the phone without the need for special integrations. The example that Google offers It’s the classic way of ordering food, describing to Gemini what you want to order and having it ready for pickup. An extra layer for the coches with integrated Google Vehicles that already have Google incorporated as standard (those with Android Automotivea base integrated system in the car itself) will receive all these new features and, in addition, some exclusive ones from its more integrated architecture. The most notable is lane guidance in real time within Immersive Navigation. Unlike conventional Android Auto, these cars can take advantage of the vehicle’s front camera to analyze the road and know which lane the driver is in, advising them in real time during lane changes or exits. All processing happens inside the car itself. Gemini in these vehicles will also have additional capabilities. According to Google, will be able to answer specific questions about the car: identify what a warning light on the dashboard means or calculate whether an object that the driver is going to pick up fits in the trunk. Zoom and other meeting apps will also arrive in these cars throughout the year. Availability: throughout 2026 Google … Read more

China and Nvidia star in the “great technological divorce” of 2026. A bureaucratic hell that is erasing it from the market

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Talking about Nvidia is talking about artificial intelligence glue. The GPU giant has invested millions financing cocompanies like OpenAI or Anthropicbut along the way has not forgotten startups or to make purchases for strengthen your position in the market. The problem is that it is missing out on a potential $50 billion market: China. Because Nvidia is eager to enter China, but it is trapped between bureaucracy, the Trump Government, Xi Jinping’s Government, and the smuggling of its graphics cards. The great divorce. In a very short time, Nvidia has gone from dominating the Chinese GPU market for artificial intelligence to losing it completely. The restrictions of the Trump Administration and the intensification of the trade war between the powers left Nvidia out of the game. Either it would adapt its GPUs and create less capable versions of those it sold in the West or it would not be able to sell in China. For a time, Nvidia was selling the H20 to adapt to the new rules, but it is something that has taken its toll. As AI needs demanded more powerful GPUs and own chinese industry with Huawei, Cambricon and Moore Threads was developed, Nvidia was being left out of the game. Official quota. In the middle of last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pressed Donald Trump to see reason: it was better for Nvidia to be able to enter China both to make money and to slow the accelerated development of the domestic industry, one that Western restrictions had given wings to. In the end, the US gave in previous tariffs of 25% and one condition: all GPU orders from Chinese companies to Nvidia would be reviewed one by one. There is a problem: the US body in charge of reviewing these export licenses has decreased by 20% in recent months, which is causing delays of months when it comes to fulfilling an order. From when a Chinese company asks for Nvidia GPUs until they are given an answer, the ‘chinese dragons‘They have already released some product. The result? Huang points out that Nvidia has gone from being a leader in China to have a 0% quotapainting the situation as a true drama and pointing directly to the strategies of both China and, above all, the United States as the cause of his company falling into the offside of the large Asian market. Furthermore, it is China itself that encourages its companies to, to the extent possible, use Chinese hardware that they is developing at accelerated rates. “Official” fee. But the fact that Huang claims that his market share in China is 0% does not mean that there are no GPUs for AI in China because it seems that there are H100, H200 and even B200 due to something very simple: smuggling. Despite the proprietary technological solutions they are developing, it is evident that a large part of the AI ​​industry is built with Nvidia GPUs and that implies that the tools are very well optimized for them. There are several occasions in which Nvidia AI chip smuggling networks have been reported, with modest seizures on occasions (just tens of millions of dollars) and somewhat larger seizures on others (hundreds of millions in a few months). Chinese companies obtain these chips through indirect routes from Hong Kong and Singapore and, although Nvidia tries to trace the origin, the clandestine flow and opaque chains make the task complex. trapped. Someone is lining their pockets and that someone is not Nvidia. And the problem is that Huang’s pressure had an effect, but the solution they gave him is not as agile as the market needs. Returning to the issue of bureaucracythe United States Office of Industry and Security, which is responsible for reviewing these export licenses, reduced its workforce by 19% in 2024. Specifically, those who develop standards linked to the semiconductor industry and review licenses have decreased by 20%. The result is an average of 76 days to resolve export requests, something that is extending so far this year and which is disastrous news for both Nvidia and others deeply involved in the AI ​​segment, such as AMD. From China, things are not much better, since companies must make it very clear why they need Nvidia AI chips and cannot meet their objectives using national alternatives. Jensen, almost excluded. In any case, it is evident that Huang does not like to be missing the AI ​​party in China, in the same way that he is going to miss the new trip of Donald Trump and other executives to a summit between Trump and Xi Jingping that will be held between the 13th and 15th of this month. Or so it seemed. This is an event in which conversations will focus on agriculture and commercial aviation, so a priori Jensen didn’t have much in mind. But of course, alongside Trump are CEOs like Elon Musk, Cristiano Amon or Tim Cook, among others. And, although it seemed that he was not invited, as we see in South China Morning PostIn a message from Trump on his social network, it was confirmed that Huang will finally accompany him on the trip. In the end, it’s about money. Jensen Huang doesn’t want China to have the best chips because He wants to save those for the United States.but it is a very large market in which Nvidia can offer chips strategically: it makes money while making companies opt for its product instead of that of the Chinese companies themselves. In Xataka | Nvidia’s superpower is not having money, it is making everyone work for it: Foxconn is the latest to join

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