Mobile Tech & Gadgets

100% robotic plants where not even the light turns on

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The automobile industry is going through a moment of evolution that we are all very aware of, especially in the face of the energy transition which we are witnessing. China is shown as a reference country in this technological revolution and its manufacturers are demonstrating it with a multitude of models that lay the foundation for the present and future of the automobile. Not only is there a technological revolution in many of the vehicles we see on the streets, but also in the manufacturing process of them. And before the end of the decade, at least one manufacturer will achieve a fully automated assembly line. This is the conclusion to which they have arrived analysts at Gartner and Warburg Research. China leads the race to inaugurate the first “dark factory“, factories where robots work without the need for lighting or human presence, which could forever change how cars are manufactured. Below these lines we tell you all the details. Why it is important. It is not just about robots replacing people in specific tasks, but about the total elimination of workers on assembly lines. China already has a wide range of “dark factories”factories with assembly lines where there is hardly any lighting and are operated by autonomous robots. However, car assembly has not yet been 100% automated, since the process still requires human hands. This would mark a turning point where artificial intelligence, humanoid robotics and digital manufacturing converge to redefine automotive production. Pedro Pacheco, research vice president at Gartner, account to Automotive News Europe that a U.S. or Chinese manufacturer will “likely be the first to create a line with 100% automation by the end of this decade,” and that several players in those markets “are already implementing disruptive manufacturing processes and showing more focus on humanoid robots.” Robotics and redesign. Until now, the installation of wiring and cockpit components have been the only elements of the assembly line that are not normally fully automated, explains Pacheco. From the media they say that manufacturers that make the leap towards total automation will do so through two routes: adding advanced robotics and redesigning vehicles to facilitate automated assembly. Automotive News Europe mentions splitting the wire harness into sections or integrating it directly into the body panels as an example. Another strategy is to not completely assemble the “body in white” before assembling the passenger compartment, thus facilitating access to the passenger compartment. The protagonists of change. Hyundai Motor Group plans to deploy humanoid robots from Boston Dynamics at its Georgia manufacturing complex starting in 2028, according to advertisement at CES in Las Vegas. The South Korean company aims to produce 30,000 robots per year and achieve production-scale deployment. Mercedes-Benz, for its part, has launched a pilot project with humanoid robots that could start working alongside assembly line employees before 2030. And Tesla is already manufacturing their optimus robots on a limited scale in California, with Elon Musk’s vision of creating an army of robots that help in his factories and take on other tasks that involve repetition of processes. Figures. According to Accenture, the integration of generative, agentic and physical artificial intelligence with robotics and digital twin technology it helps to significantly improve factory efficiency, with “enormous potential” to reduce costs and time to market by up to 50% or even more. McKinsey duck that $150 billion annually in potential economic value could be unlocked by accelerating R&D at large auto companies. Additionally, 12 of the top 25 manufacturers are already running pilots with advanced robotics in their facilities, according to they shared from the analysis firm Gartner. The debate on employment. Full automation does not necessarily have to translate into massive job lossesalthough it is certainly an issue that causes concern in unions. Workers could be reassigned to support functions such as maintenance, engineering, logistics, inspection or materials management, according to Pacheco. With proper training, employees could also engage in AI supervision, robotics maintenance, and software development. The International Labor Organization anticipates that, although some routine and manual tasks will be reduced, many positions will change their content and new jobs will emerge. And now what. China is the favorite to inaugurate the first completely robotic factory, but everything indicates that the United States is not going to be left behind either. Warburg Research analyst Fabio Hölscher consider that it is “not unrealistic” to expect to see the first automotive “dark factory” in China by 2030. Cover image | ChinaDaily In Xataka | That cars in Germany travel at 300 km/h is due to one reason only: their roads are prepared for it.

Artemis II enters decisive territory

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There are times when a space program stops being a promise and becomes a tangible countdown. Artemis II just reached that point. The mission enters the realm of controlled preparation of decisions that are no longer easily or costlessly reversed. It is not yet the launch, nor even a set date, but it is the step that requires demonstrating that everything designed, integrated and tested over the years can work. The concrete advance arrived at the weekend with a movement as slow as it is symbolic. The Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft completed its transfer from the Vehicle Assembly Building to ramp 39B of the Kennedy Space Center, a journey of about 6.5 km that took twelve hours. The operation concluded with the placement of the assembly on the pedestals of the launch platform, a step that enables the start of activities. The test that puts Artemis II against reality The next step is the Wet Dress Rehearsalthe test that conditions everything that comes after. In this test, NASA explains that the teams must demonstrate the ability to load a large amount of cryogenic propellants, carry out a launch countdown test and practice the safe removal of rocket fuel without astronauts on board. The countdown will stop shortly before the simulated takeoff. While preparations are being finalized, work on the ramp is progressing on several fronts simultaneously. NASA details that the teams have connected purge lines to maintain rocket and spacecraft cavities in adequate conditions, have enabled communications with the Launch Control Center and have carried out movement tests of the crew access arm. The emergency evacuation system has also been connected, with basket release practices, and Orion and various elements of the SLS have been turned on to verify their response in the launch environment. With those tasks underway, the focus shifts to the realistic mission schedule. NASA notes that the launch window opens as early as Friday, February 6, but stresses that the program direction will evaluate the preparation after the Wet Dress Rehearsal before selecting a day. In parallel, the choice also depends on external conditions: the position of the Moon for the planned trajectory and the security requirements that force Orion to re-enter within very specific margins to protect the heat shield. The caution surrounding this phase is not gratuitous. Artemis II is the program’s first manned mission and comes after a long development, marked by technical reviews and schedule slippages. During the campaign of Artemis I, The loading of cryogenic propellants was marked by problems maintaining adequate temperatures and hydrogen leaks in several attempts. Corrections and procedures learned then have now been incorporated, but this section serves precisely to verify that these solutions work consistently in a vehicle intended to carry people on board. Unlike the next mission in the program, Artemis II is a verification flight, not direct exploration. The planned profile includes several elliptical orbits around the Earth, a push towards the moon and a flyby without landing on the moon, lasting approximately ten days. This scheme will confirm that Orion can sustain a crew in deep space, validate systems such as life support and check communications and navigation for that environment, with the support of the Deep Space Network, before preparing the jump to Artemis III. With all this work already concentrated on the ramp, Artemis II now has more than just an administrative advance at stake. The loading test and subsequent review will determine whether the system is truly ready to take on a manned flight beyond Earth’s orbit. If problems arise, NASA is considering the option of returning the rocket to the assembly building for additional work, a reminder that there is still room for maneuver even if it impacts the schedule. Images | NASA (1, 2, 3, 4) In Xataka | Faced with the need to look for weapons against superbacteria, science has opted to send viruses into space

Railway experts explain how and why a rail can break

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Regarding the train accident in Adamuz (Córdoba) and its causes, there are very few things that can be taken for granted at this time. Almost the only certainty is that it will take months to know what caused the derailment of an Iryo train on a straight line and, everything indicates, the subsequent impact of a Renfe Alvia train seconds later. Despite this and despite the fact that Angrois railway accident (Santiago de Compostela) has already made it clear to us that these investigations entail a great effort of time and resources, information that points to one cause or another continues to be published. Among this information that, for the moment, remains conjecture, the idea of ​​a fracture of the road has become relevant following the publication of an image in which three researchers are seen next to a broken rail. in the diary The Country This hypothesis is pointed out as the fact that focuses the investigation. ABC He claims that it is the cause of the derailment. RTVE He points out that investigators want to confirm if it was the cause or consequence of the train leaving the tracks. The image, published by several media, is being used on social networks to defend that this is the real reason for the accident, accompanying video information in which strong vibrations from the trains in motion are observed. The latter, in fact, has been taken into account to lower the maximum speed to 230 km/h in a four points of the line between Madrid and Barcelona by Adif in what is considered the first really drastic measure after the accident in Andalusia. But what causes a fracture in the road and what are the implications? Is it related to the vibrations of the trains we travel on? A fracture in the road The first thing to make clear is that in this article we try to explain how the bill can occur on a track, what its implications are and if it has any relationship with the vibrations we feel on trains. However, until now there are no official sources that confirm that the original cause of the Adamuz accident is this. The investigations continue and probably It will take months to know all the details. The General Council of Industrial Engineers reminds us of the same thing, who emphasizes that “it cannot be stated without data whether the breakage is a cause or consequence. The investigation must be based on records, tests and metallurgical analysis. Not on images after the accident.” With this in mind, they point out that “a stress fracture is a progressive break of the lane that is not produced by a single sudden event, but by the accumulation of tensions over time. Simply put, the rail supports millions of load cycles. If there is a weak area (defect, welding, microcrack), each train passage does not break the rail, but it degrades it. “There comes a time when the resistant section is insufficient and the rail suddenly fractures.” From this entity they clarified to us that the vibrations we feel when we are traveling are not enough to derail a train. For this, one of the following scenarios must occur: Serious lane breakage. Severe loss of track geometry (alignment, grading, width). Structural failures in train elements (axles, bogies). Major obstacles on the road. Very unfavorable combinations of speed, geometry and undetected defects. And they emphasize that “usual vibrations are expected in the design of both the train and the infrastructure. “High-speed rail systems work with very wide safety margins.” “The usual vibrations are foreseen in the design of both the train and the infrastructure. High-speed railway systems work with very wide safety margins” This is confirmed to us from SEMAF (Spanish Union of Railway Machinists), who point out that imperfections in the track multiply when driving on them. “It is steel on steel,” they remember, and emphasize that the vibrations are a consequence of very small perfections in the track or the wheels that generate damage to their opposite. If the damage is on the track, it generates another imperfection in the wheel that multiplies it with each step cycle, generating the discomfort we feel on board. The General Council of Engineers emphasizes that “it is not usually a safety problem. It is usually a comfort or maintenance problem (wheel or rail) and many vibrations are corrected by re-profiling wheels or rails, without touching the structure of the line.” That is, when we feel these vibrations repeatedly and repeatedly It is not that we are passing through broken or fractured paths.. But it is possible that over time they end up being damaged to the point of suffering a stress fracture if appropriate measures are not taken. Maintenance is essential In this case, The road had been renovated last May with an investment that has reached 700 million euros. We cannot yet know if this was the origin of the accident, but the General Council of Industrial Engineers points to three possible causes that could cause the breakage of a track: Rail manufacturing defects: Non-metallic inclusions. Internal microcracks. Steel segregations. They are rare, but possible, and that is why periodic ultrasonic tests are carried out. Defective welds (especially aluminothermal): a poorly executed weld can generate residual stresses, poor alignment and/or internal microcracks. It is not common, but it is a known cause in railway engineering. Fatigue from repeated loads: Each axis introduces vertical, lateral and longitudinal loads. At high speed, dynamic effects multiply those loads. If the rail is already “touched”, fatigue accelerates the breakage. Thermal stresses on track without joints (the usual one today): The lane is “blocked.” Heat generates compression. The cold generates traction. A combination of low temperature, residual stresses and previous defect can promote brittle fracture. It must be taken into account that “the rail is one of the most demanding structural elements that exist. It is not rigid on its own, it is part of a flexible system. The steel … Read more

military drones with Turgis Gallard

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It is not every day that a car manufacturer steps back into arms production. And even less so when that manufacturer is Renault. The military drone project that is beginning to take shape in France It is not understood as a simple industrial diversification, but as a response to a strategic environment that has changed radically. The war has brought back prominence to mass production, cost reduction and the ability to scale quickly, just the areas where European automotive knows how to navigate. Renault’s turn has a name. The project, known internally as Chorus, aims at a military drone designed for long-distance attack, observation and reconnaissance missions, with a logic of intensive use and contained costs. According to information published by L’Usine Nouvellethe initiative is piloted by the Directorate générale de l’armement (DGA) and seeks to provide France with teleoperated ammunition comparable in concept to the Shahid used by Russia. This approach connects with what the French public debate itself has been assuming since Ukraine: war penalizes those who cannot produce quickly and in volume. An industrial alliance. Chorus is not a solo development nor an industry-driven initiative. The aforementioned medium points out that the technical base of the drone comes from Turgis Gaillardbut it is the DGA that takes control of the program by identifying an operational deficiency and commissioning Renault to provide industrialization capacity. The DGA acts here as client and architect of the project, combining the agility of a defense SME with the scale, costs and processes of a large automobile manufacturer. A key point is that the project is part of the Pacte Drones, a State initiative to boost the military drone industry and better align needs and industrial capacity. What can Renault contribute to the project? Renault’s added value in Chorus is less in the concept of the drone than in how to manufacture it. Sources consulted by L’Usine Nouvelle say that the manufacturer redesigned the device with a dedicated team to eliminate complexities and adapt it to mature industrial processes, with materials derived from automobiles and common assembly line techniques, such as self-piercing riveting. In this same framework, the medium provides the first technical data of the system, a drone of around 10 meters long by 8 meters in wingspan, with a speed of up to 400 km/h and a flight ceiling of 5,000 meters. A historic plant. The Le Mans plant will become the main assembly point for the Chorus drone, although without altering its main automotive activity. Assembly of the drone structure should begin in spring 2025 and will be done on a dedicated chain within the facility. That line would not work permanently, it would only be activated when there are orders, depending on what the DGA requests. The project plans to involve between 100 and 200 employees out of a workforce of around 1,800 people. Even with this flexible scheme, the theoretical capacity could reach 600 drones per month if demand demanded it. The conditions of the contract. The project schedule is marked by a validation phase prior to any large-scale commitment. A first dozen drones are expected to be delivered to the DGA before the summer of 2026 to evaluate the concept in real conditions and the project would be financed mainly with public funds. Only if this phase is satisfactory would the door be opened to a long-term agreement, with an estimated duration of ten years and a volume close to 1,000 million euros, always in potential terms and subject to official confirmation. The decision to accelerate with Chorus comes after realizing that modern warfare penalizes those who cannot produce quickly and in volume. France has assumed that It was behind in consumable drones, just when these systems concentrate a good part of the destruction on the Ukrainian front. The Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, spoke in LCI of unprecedented alliances between automotive and defense to correct this gap, and the same article recalls an explicit political recognition of the delay. a few days ago, Emmanuel Macron summed it up like this:“Let’s be clear, we are late.” When Renault already made history. The most direct precedent for Chorus dates back to the First World War, when Renault became one of the protagonists of the FT tank. The Tank Museum remembers that the FT introduced elements that marked modern armored warfare and that the program was stressed by scale, industrial problems and bureaucratic frictions. The museum estimates that 3,177 tanks were produced until the Armistice, after orders that skyrocketed. So Renault’s move with Chorus leaves an open question that goes beyond the drone itself. Whether this orientation towards defense responds to an exceptional situation or marks the beginning of a new stage for the European automotive industry remains to be seen. Images | Xataka with Gemini 3 Pro In Xataka | The “rearmament” of Europe has begun at a Volkswagen factory in Germany: instead of cars they will produce tanks

We have been telling ourselves since 1945 that we should drink “two liters of water a day.” Science is clear that this is not the case.

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One of the most popular rules in popular health culturewithout a doubt it is in the amount of water you have to drink per day. An amount that is located in eight glasses a day or what is the same: the immovable figure of two literss. We see it in fitness applications, in influencers’ advice and we hear it repeated like a mantra, but the reality is that there is quite a myth behind this. We are different people. A very common phrase within medicine is precisely “there are no equal people”, and not only because of the external physique, but because of everything that is inside. This forces the medicine Focus towards a more individualized idea in your medical advice that have to be given, included in nutrition or water consumption. This forces us to have to personalize the amount of water that each person should consume, because a person who is 2 meters tall and weighs 100 kg with a large amount of muscle is not the same as an elderly person who has a much slower metabolism. Logically, the two liters of water mantra cannot be established here. The origin of the error. To understand why we drink (or think we should drink) so much, you have to travel back to 1945. According to key review by Dr. Heinz Valtin in it American Journal of Physiology 2002, the myth of the “8×8” rule, that is, 8 8-ounce glasses to have almost 2 liters of water, probably comes from a misinterpretation of a guide from the Food and Nutrition Board. A guide that indicated that it was always recommended to have an adequate intake of 2.5 liters of fluids per day. But most people ignored the accompanying sentence that said, “most of this amount is in prepared foods.” What the institutions say. So the question is quite clear: how much should we drink per day? In this case there are different official figures, but they have fine print. We have one of the examples in the European Food Safety Authority Panel 2010 established adequate water intake at 2 liters per day for women and 2.5 liters per day for men. But here’s the key: the EFSA specifies that this refers to total water, that is, the sum of drinks plus food. And there are many dishes that have a large amount of water, such as soup, although fruits also have a lot of water inside. Even in the United States. If we move to the recommendations made in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the USA from 2005, suggests that the total water figures should be 2.7 liters per day for women and 3.7 liters per day for men. But again, it includes all the dietary intake that is made per day and not just glasses of tap water. The latest science. If we come more to the present, we also have scientific studies that have sought to dismantle a universal fixed figure set at two liters per day. One of the most important is the one published in Science in 2022 that used isotopes to measure water exchange in 5,604 people, and that showed that real needs vary enormously between people. One of the conclusions they addressed was that for most people in temperate climates and with sedentary lives, the real water intake needs are between 1.5 and 1.8 liters per day, far from the demands of wellness marketing. And it is reinforced. It is not a study that is isolated, but also in 2022 the magazine Scientific Reports, published research where this idea was reinforced: they predict necessary beverage intakes of about 1.6 L for women and 2.0 L for men, always depending on factors such as age, sex and body composition. Is more water better? One of the most repeated arguments by proponents of hyperhydration is that we should drink “before we are thirsty.” modern physiology, backed by scientific reviews and analysis of urinary osmolarity, refutes this fear that we may have. Specifically, the human body has an extremely sensitive osmoregulation system. When the concentration of solutes in the blood increases by only 2%well below clinical dehydration, the brain already activates the sensation of being thirsty and releases the necessary hormone to begin conserving water so that it does not ‘leave’ in the urine. There are exceptions. Unless you are an elderly person (whose thirst sensation is attenuated) or a high-performance athlete in the midst of intense effort, drinking when thirsty is the most accurate and scientifically validated strategy for maintaining water balance. When you should drink more water. That the “mandatory two liters” are a myth does not mean that water is not logically vital. The most recent systematic reviews and other clinical means confirm that increasing water intake has clear therapeutic benefits in very specific cases that are not universal. These can be the following: Having a kidney stone: here the “more, the better” applies since increasing urinary flow is key to preventing the recurrence of this disease. Urinary infections: a problem that mainly affects women, and that requires ‘overhydration’ to reduce risk of new episodes. Weight loss: Although the evidence is mixed, drinking water may help with satiety and, marginally, energy expenditure. Although it is not a magic solution against obesity. More common sense. The obsession with two liters is a perfect example of how an old and misinterpreted scientific recommendation becomes a cultural dogma. The reality, supported by decades of studies from Valtin to the latest isotopic analyses, is that we are not machines that need a fixed tank filling every 24 hours. In this way, our body’s water needs are dynamic. Water needs are dynamic. If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, work in an air-conditioned office, and don’t run marathons every day, forcing yourself to drink 2 liters of extra water will probably only do one thing: interrupting your work to go to the bathroom more times. The situation. In this way we can understand that … Read more

The remake of ‘Prince of Persia’ aimed to be the turning point for Ubisoft. It has been canceled along with other titles

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There are games that are not only played, they are remembered. ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time‘ belongs to that category and for years was one of Ubisoft’s calling cards in its most inspired stage. Its remake, announced after a streak of ups and downsaimed to serve as a bridge between that legacy and a new stage for the company. What its cancellation reveals is just the opposite. Ubisoft is going through a period of harsh changeswith delays, cuts and decisions that reflect the extent to which the group is reviewing priorities to adapt to a tighter economic and creative scenario. The announcement came todayJanuary 21, coinciding with the presentation of financial results, and marks a turning point in the group’s strategy. Ubisoft announced a “reset” on a global scale that includes a new creative structure, a deep review of its game portfolio and an adjustment to the size of the organization. The company places these decisions in a more demanding market context, with higher costs and a “more selective” AAA. according to your own diagnosis. The stated objective is to gain agility, accelerate decision-making and guide the business towards what it defines as a more player-centered model. Cascading cancellations and delays. The restructuring has immediate consequences on the catalog. Ubisoft confirmed the cancellation of six games in development, including Prince of ‘Persia: The Sands of Time Remake‘, along with three new unannounced IPs and a mobile project. In addition, the company has decided to delay another seven titles to, as it explains, ensure that its new quality thresholds are met. One of those games, initially scheduled for fiscal year 2026, now moves to 2027, a move that directly impacts its short- and medium-term planning. A new internal map by brands and genres. One of the most profound changes affects how Ubisoft is organized internally. The company is reorganizing its production model to group its teams into five “Creative Houses”, each focused on specific franchises and genres, and supported by a “Creative Network” of studios to support production. The first brings together brands such as ‘Assassin’s Creed’, ‘Far Cry’ and ‘Rainbow Six’, while others group together sagas such as ‘The Division’, ‘Ghost Recon’ or ‘Splinter Cell’. ‘Prince of Persia’ is integrated into the fourth of these units, along with Rayman, Anno or Beyond Good & Evil, with its own leadership and greater creative autonomy. Beyond the canceled or delayed games, the restructuring implies profound changes in the company itself. Ubisoft has reiterated its intention to close studios, reorganize teams and reduce costs continuously over the coming years. In its plan, the company sets a reduction in its cost base of at least one hundred million euros by the end of its 2025-2026 financial year, and adds another two hundred million additional euros to be cut over the following two years. The group admits that the process will be difficult, but presents it as a necessary step to regain stability in a market that is increasingly less tolerant of errors. A new creative focus for the coming years. Looking ahead to this stage, Ubisoft states that it will concentrate its efforts on large open worlds and games as a service. At the same time, he has indicated that he will accelerate investments in “player-oriented generative AI”, a formulation with which he points to uses aimed directly at the player, without yet specifying how it will translate into specific titles. The company also recognizes that the revision of its roadmap will have effects on the release schedule and its financial forecasts. It is, in practice, the price assumed for the model change. Images | Ubisoft In Xataka | Sony has come up with something taboo in the world of video games: that AI starts playing for you when you crash

Productivity had become an obsession. Until leisure has started to give better results at work

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The constant pressure to perform to the maximum has marked work life for a long time, leaving rest almost forgotten. A recent study shows how reserving well-planned leisure time changes the perception of daily routines and contributes to improved performance at work. Experts have verified that organize free time actively through crafts or other forms of abstraction brings improvements to creativity and motivation in your work tasks. This finding questions the belief that only by working non-stop can we achieve good work results. Let the brain create things. A group of researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands investigated on the effects of creative craft-based entertainment during employees’ leisure time. The result of the experiment was not an improvement in the morale and motivation of the employees who participated in the study, but rather it contributed to these employees offering a more creative response in solving the problems that arose at work. Improvements in daily work life. The workers who participated in the study felt that, by exercising new manual skills, they better appreciated the processes of their crafts, making them gain value. The curious thing is that the change was bigger in the workplace than in his personal life, even though it was his leisure time. “We were surprised to see that crafts had a greater impact at work than in personal life. We expected similar benefits in both areas,” explains Professor George Michaelides, from UEA Norwich Business School. Curiously, the group that noticed this improvement the most was the one formed by the most senior employeesthose over 61 years of age. The explanation for this phenomenon is found in cognitive aptitude, a brain condition that is activated during learning processes. Gymnastics for the brain. Just as they collect the studies of Professors Gilkey and Kilts, of the schools of medicine and business at Emory University, carry out various creative activities that require a motor and cognitive combinationlike playing the guitar, juggling or learning a new language, helps expand the neural system and makes it more communicative. That is, the development of new skills through crafts was improving the “physical fitness” of the employees’ cognitive system, and the results were more visible in those more prone to cognitive decline and memory deterioration due to age. Keep “fit“Cognitive aptitude improves performance in decision making and problem solving, as well as in the generation of new ideas. The capacity for abstraction. One of the keys to the use of crafts or pleasurable leisure activities is that they act as a natural stress reducer and depressive symptoms. “Hobbies are already known to be good for well-being. But our study shows that hobbies not only make you happier, they can also help you feel more fulfilled and creative at work. This goes beyond simply relaxing or having fun (like watching Netflix non-stop) and turns hobbies into something that helps people grow,” says Dr. Paraskevas Petrou, the lead author of the study. Beyond the cognitive improvement derived from the development of the neural system, a study from Cardiff University found that the use of crafts or repetitive activities, how to knitinduces the brain into a state of full attention that increases abstract thinking activity by up to 25%, which contributes to the generation of new ideas and improves problem solving. In Xataka | Feeling overwhelmed at work is normal, but it is not ideal: six techniques to avoid it and be much more productive Image | Unsplash (Elena Mozhvilo)

Nuclear energy has generated electricity for decades. China is reinventing it for something else: the industry

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For decades, nuclear power plant cooling towers symbolized one thing: electricity. However, off the coast of Jiangsu province, China has just begun a maneuver that will change the usefulness of fission. It’s no longer just about turning on light bulbs; It is about feeding, with clean steam, the voracious thermal heart of heavy industry. The first concrete of a new era. According to China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)the first concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Unit 1 of the Xuwei project. This act is not just another procedure, it is the first nuclear project to break ground in the inaugural year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, symbolizing a strategic shift towards diversified energy applications. The project, developed by CNNC Suneng Nuclear Power, is strategically located near the Lianyungang petrochemical hub, an area that requires a staggering 13,000 tons of steam every hour to maintain its operations. The concept of the super boiler. Xuwei’s great innovation lies in its technical architecture. As explained by Global Timesthe project is the first in the world to couple two different generations of reactors to maximize thermal efficiency: The Hualong One (Generation III): Two units of this pressurized water reactor (PWR) provide the base heat to convert demineralized water to saturated steam. The High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR – Generation IV): This unit acts as a “super boiler”. The steam produced by the Hualong One is superheated a second time by the primary steam of the HTGR, reaching the necessary extreme temperatures. for complex chemical processes such as petroleum refining, distillation and cracking petrochemical. This “double coupling” system allows, according to NucNetthat the plant will be useful for applications ranging from refining to desalination and steel production, sectors that have traditionally depended exclusively on fossil fuels. Cleaner than coal. The urgency of this project responds to a critical climate need. The petrochemical industry is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize due to its constant heat demand. The figures provided by CNNC yvsupported by media such as World News Nuclear They are compelling: once the first phase is operational, the plant will supply 32.5 million tons of industrial steam per year. This will reduce standard coal consumption by 7.26 million tons and avoid the emission of 19.6 million tons of CO2 annually. Advances in cutting-edge technology. To manage the complexity of joining two very different types of reactors, Chinese engineers have turned to Artificial Intelligence and robotics. The design team used hierarchical digital simulations to create the system’s control logic, allowing heat and electricity to be balanced based on grid and industry demand. In the field of construction, progress is not minor. Li Quan, project manager, explained to Global Times that automatic metal active gas (MAG) welding systems with intelligent laser tracking are being used, a technology three times more efficient than manual welding. In addition, they emphasize that the localization rate of equipment (100% Chinese technology) exceeds 95%, promoting a national high-tech supply chain. Towards a global standard? Beyond its borders, China sees Xuwei as an export model. The CNNC has described the project as a “Chinese solution” for the low-carbon transformation of energy-intensive industries around the world. The goal is to demonstrate that heavy industrial development does not have to be tied to coal smokestacks. This move aligns with the 2025 white paper titled “China’s plans and solutions for carbon neutrality”which advocates for safe and orderly development of nuclear energy not only for the electrical gridbut for clean heating and desalination. The European contrast. While China is betting on nuclear energy to power heavy industry, in Europe the approach to waste heat is taking a digital path. Cities like Helsinki are finding an unexpected source of heat: data centers. As we have explained in Xatakacompanies like Telia or Microsoft are recovering up to 90% of the heat generated by their servers to inject it into district heating networks (district heating). A single data center in Finland can heat up to 20,000 homes. Although the scale is different – ​​China seeks heat to make steel and plastics, while Finland seeks shelter for its citizens – the philosophy is identical: in a world in climate crisis, wasting heat is a luxury that no one can afford anymore. Both models demonstrate that the energy transition depends on taking advantage of every calorie produced, whether it comes from a uranium core or an artificial intelligence processor. The end of thermal waste. The start of work in Xuwei marks a turning point. As the CNNC analysis concludesthe project is a “strong and clear beat” towards deep decarbonization. China is trying to show that nuclear power is the missing piece of the puzzle to reconcile mass industrial production with net-zero emissions goals. If Xuwei’s model is successful, the image of the nuclear power plant as an isolated island that only produces electricity will become history. The future of the atom seems to lie, rather, in its ability to become the invisible “heat engine” of modern civilization. Image | CNNC Xataka | In Finland they already know how to deal with excess heat from data centers: convert it into district heating

Satya Nadella knows that AI now has “social permission” to burn electricity. And also that everything has a limit

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From time to time, a number of billionaire people get together to discuss topics that are considered important. This time he played at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, has issued a warning clear about the use of artificial intelligence and its excessive energy consumption. And for the executive, this technology only makes sense if it generates a real and positive impact on society, otherwise, “social legitimacy” would be lost to allocate scarce resources, such as energy, to its development. Energy. It is no surprise that AI data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water. They already did it before dedicating themselves purely to the operation of AI, but now that expense has more than multiplied. A while ago, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, gave some estimated figures about ChatGPT’s power consumption, stating that it used about 0.34 watt-hours for each response generated. On a larger scale, the combined electricity consumption of Microsoft and Google exceeded that of more than 100 countries in 2023, according to the analysis by Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview. The demand is not only energy, since a disproportionate volume of production of critical components is being allocated towards the development of projects related to AI, such as is happening with RAM in the world. Nadella’s warning. During his intervention In Davos, the CEO of Microsoft said that “We will quickly lose even the social permission to take something like energy, which is a scarce resource, and use it to generate these tokens, if these tokens are not improving outcomes in health, education, public sector efficiency or private sector competitiveness.” The CEO of Microsoft assured that the ultimate goal must be “to use AI to change tangible results in people, communities, countries and industries.” Otherwise, “none of this makes sense.” Tokens as a new global currency. Nadella mentioned in the conversation the “tokens” as the new currency among big technology companies. In this area, tokens are the basic processing units that users of AI models purchase to execute tasks. According to the CEO, “GDP growth anywhere will be directly correlated” with the cost of energy used in AI. In this way, Nadella says between the lines that if a country can produce tokens more cheaply, it will have a competitive advantage. The medical example. Among the specific applications that Nadella sees as valuable is the use of AI in the healthcare sector. He mentioned doctors who can spend more time with their patients while AI transcribes consultations, enters data into medical records systems and assigns correct billing codes. The risk of bubble. Nadella also addressed growing warnings about a possible AI bubble. For him, it will only be a bubble if everything remains in partnerships between technology companies and infrastructure spending. “A telltale sign that it’s a bubble would be if all we talk about are tech companies,” pointed out in his conversation with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock. The executive was confident that AI will “bend the productivity curve” and bring global economic growth, not just driven by capital expenditures. Mass adoption necessary. Microsoft’s CEO also insists that companies must start using AI on a large scale, describing it as a “cognitive amplifier” that grants “access to infinite minds.” It calls for workers to develop AI skills, similar to “how they master Excel to improve their employability.” Microsoft plans to invest 80 billion dollars in building AI data centers, with 50% of that spending outside the United States. Cover image | İsmail Enes Ayhan and World Economic Forum In Xataka | Europe is discovering right now that the US is not the partner it thought. And that is a problem in AI.

25 million dollars and a commitment to Greenland

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Ironies of history, it is more likely that Donald Trump’s wish incorporating Greenland into the United States will be more surprising to us, the citizens of 2026, than to those of a century ago. The reason: by then Americans and Danes were more than used to reading news about the sale of overseas territory from the European kingdom to Washington. Of course, more than a century ago the focus was not on Greenland, but on much warmer waters and with a strategic value that the Arctic island completely lacked at that time. The land in dispute was Virgin Islands. Nothing new under the sun. The protagonists, the context, even the tone change, but not the background. Although the Europeans of 2026 will be shocked expansionist plans of Trump and his desire to seize Greenland from Denmark (well through a “purchase”pulling a checkbook, or asserting its military power) the truth is that it is not the first time that both countries have been involved in a dispute for Danish territory to remain under American control. It actually happened not so long agobetween the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, although the focus at that time was on the warm waters of the Caribbean. The Danish Western Islands. To understand it you have to travel to the other end of the Atlantic and go back to late 17th centurywhen Denmark took control of a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Over time its domain extended to the insulas of Saint John, Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and dozens of islets and cays that formed what was called Danish Western Islands. Although the archipelago in question was thousands of kilometers from Copenhagen, for a time its domain represented a lucrative business based on two big legs: slaves and sugar plantations. From good business to heavy burden. That changed over time. In 1848 the territory lived a revolt which ended up leading to the abolition of slavery in the colony, which added to other economic factors (such as the fall in the price of sugar) made the archipelago less attractive. At least in the eyes of the metropolis, which continued to face the costs of its administration. That was the situation when in 1867 the US Secretary of State, William H. Sewardknocked on the door of Denmark interested in the ownership of the islands. A long tug of war. “After the Civil War it was time to consider strategic conditions in the Caribbean and Seward focused on both the annexation of Mexico and possible expansion into the Caribbean,” explains to BBC the historian Hans Christian Berg. In principle, the winds were favorable for Washington: Denmark’s power was declining and the US faced a new stage, convinced that it had to reaffirm its regional power and erase European influence. For a time the pact to acquire the Danish Western Islands seemed to go ahead, crystallizing in a treaty that contemplated the sale in exchange for 7.5 million of dollars in gold. However, both parties were left wanting. The agreement ended up foundering in the US Senate. The reason actually had little (or nothing) to do with the Virgin Islands. The controversy over the recent purchase of Alaska and Seward’s support for the president Andrew Johnson took their toll on the operation with Denmark, which did not achieve the necessary political support. It wouldn’t be the first time. In 1900 both countries signed a new treaty which also went to waste when it did not obtain the endorsement of the Danish Upper House. It took a global conflagration for that to change. The fateful RMS Lusitania. Things changed at the beginning of the 20th century, during the First World War. To be more precise (and as you recognize the US State Department itself) the turning point was the wreck of the RMS Lusitaniaa British ship that was torpedoed by a German U-Boat submarine while traveling from New York to Liverpool. That episode not only influenced American public opinion regarding the First World War, it also made it understand how much was at stake in controlling the Caribbean Sea. “The purchase of the Danish West Indies once again became an important issue in US foreign policy. The president W.Wilson and Secretary of State Lansing feared that the German Government might annex Denmark, in which case the Germans could secure the West Indies as a naval or submarine base from which to launch attacks against shipping in the Caribbean and Atlantic,” explains the US Department of State Archive. By hook or by crook. No sooner said than done. In 1915 Lansing sounded out Denmark to facilitate (once again) the purchase of the Caribbean archipelago. The new attempt did not go down well in the European metropolis, leading Washington to adopt a tone reminiscent of that assumed by Donald Trump today: “Concerned by recent events and Danish reluctance, Lansing suggested that if Denmark was not willing to sell, the US could occupy the islands to avoid their confiscation by Germany,” remember the file. It was enough for Copenhagen to agree to the sale, which crystallized in a treaty signed in New York in August 1916. The agreement received the blessing of the Lower Houses of both countries and months later it was submitted to a Danish plebiscite (note, not in the Danish Virgin Islands, affected by the decision). Once all the procedures were closed and with the approval of Cristian X, the archipelago was under the control of Washington in March 1917. To this day the renowned US Virgin Islands remain a “unincorporated territory” from the USA. 25 million dollars… and something more. In exchange, the US paid Denmark 25 million dollars in gold coins, which would be equivalent, according to Bloomberg estimatesto 630 million today. In the last days there are who has remembered However, another point of the pact signed by Copenhagen and Washington. As remember the BBCthe US promised not to interfere with Denmark extending “its political and economic interests” … Read more

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