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There was a time when Nvidia was a gaming company. That business is now pocket change for the owner and lady of AI

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

In 1993, Nvidia was founded with the goal of creating graphics chips for video games. For almost three decades Nvidia has been basically that: a semiconductor company for gaming that yes, I had ambition in the field of professional computing. But things change: Nvidia’s gaming business has generated $6.4 billion the first fiscal quarter of 2027and although it is a healthy business, for Nvidia it is something else: It’s almost pocket change. Gaming no longer (almost) matters. In any other company in the sector, this income (29% more than last year) would already be extraordinary, but at Nvidia they are almost a footnote, because gaming represents less than 8% of the company’s total income. The other $75.2 billion came from the data center business, which grew 92% from the previous year. AI has made Nvidia’s original business almost irrelevant in relative terms. Stratospheric numbers. Nvidia has earned $81.6 billion in the first fiscal quarter of 2027. It is an absolutely colossal figure that should be put into perspective: it is so large like GDP from Croatia, Panama or Uruguay. The company led by Jensen Huang has managed to grow 85% in revenue since a year ago, almost double. The surprising thing is that it has also done so when it seems increasingly difficult to grow at this rate. The graph shows year-over-year growth in revenue in percentage. In 2026 the trend is bullish again. Source: FT. This is non-stop. The company exceeded Wall Street expectations, which projected revenues of 78.86 billion, but Nvidia also states that its forecast for the next quarter is to earn 91 billion dollars, 12% more than the current one. It’s true that growth is slowing in percentage terms, which is normal at this point, but in absolute terms the company continues to add billions of dollars of additional revenue each quarter. Data center numbers. Those $75.2 billion in data center business aren’t just GPU sales for hyperscalers. It also includes the company’s networking solutions business, which has grown no less than 199% year-on-year to $14.4 billion: it has tripled. The reason is logical: the demand for interconnection infrastructure for the large clusters that are being created everywhere is enormous, and Nvidia provides an ideal solution for those who buy its AI chips. Beware I, Anthropic is coming. On the call with investors, Jensen Huang gave a singular fact: Anthropic has made virtually no use of Nvidia solutions to train and serve its AI models, but that is going to change. The company’s CEO highlighted that the computing capacity they are going to deploy for Anthropic this year and next is going to be “quite significant.” Or what is the same: they are going to continue selling like hotcakes even if the competition tightens. Nvidia is also an investor in startups. Nvidia’s strategy is also being curious on a financial level, because it is not content with growing its business, it is betting on AI startups. It has invested more than 26,000 million in investments in this type of companies, and that does not include the recent agreements with OpenAI or in listed companies like corning. Beware II, China is coming. All these numbers, attention, are being achieved without the help of the Asian giant. In December, the Trump administration authorized Nvidia chip exports to China (with a 25% government fee). Theoretically that should make Nvidia generate notable income thanks to said authorization. Huang explained that at the moment these revenues are zero and that there is some uncertainty about whether China will finally allow its chips to be imported. In the second fiscal quarter of 2027, income from China is not assumed, but if that market finally opens, we will have even more extraordinary numbers. Buying back shares. Nvidia has returned about $20 billion to shareholders this quarter between buybacks and dividends. The board of directors has approved investing $80 billion more in share buybacks, thus multiplying by four what had previously been authorized. That’s a clear sign of Nvidia’s confidence in its future, which will also benefit shareholders: the dividend has passed from $0.01 per share to $0.25 per share. Previously, Nvidia offered specific data on gaming revenue. From now on, stop doing so to put that division within the Edge Computing category. Gaming no longer appears in the accounts. Typically Nvidia’s financial reports divided revenue into data centers, networking, gaming, professional visualization, automotive, and a few other fields. Now that Nvidia is a fully AI-focused company, it has changed its revenue pooling structure. Everything related to gaming, PCs, consoles, workstations, robots, cars and other devices is part of the “Edge Computing” category. Gaming, we insist, no longer (almost) matters. In Xataka | For the first time in 30 years, Nvidia will not present new GPUs for gamers in 2026. They earn much more with AI

virtual assistants in the Philippines who write for them

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

What internet is full of AI-generated content It’s something we’ve been talking about. for a long timebut there is one platform where the phenomenon is especially evident: LinkedIn. It’s no longer that the posts smell like AI for miles, it’s that the responses in the comments sound just as manufactured. Thanks to a complete Rest of World report We know exactly how this artificial ecosystem is being produced. It all starts in the Philippines. What is happening. An entire industry of virtual assistants specializing in LinkedIn has flourished in the Philippines whose job is to manage the accounts of Western executives. Not only do they create those leadership posts that you’ve surely seen on the platform, they also comment on others’ posts, respond to comments and amplify messages as if they were the executives they represent, all using generative AI tools. This explains that feeling of déjà vu when reading certain LinkedIn posts with similar structures, predictable morals, and a suspiciously polished tone. How they work. The report describes Renee’s (not her real name) day-to-day life as “posting and commenting on behalf of a London-based strategic investor.” In order to do her job, the employee received a four-page document containing the investor’s biography, her favorite books, and a list of topics that interested her. Per day, generate between 30 and 40 comments, trying to interact with accounts that generate more engagement. They also tell the story of Alex, who works in an agency with 20 other assistants like him. He says that they have a WhatsApp group in which they notify each other when they publish a publication so that the rest can comment using their accounts, this way they can increase interactions and the algorithm boosts their publications. Of course, there are times when, due to the volume of comments, mistakes are made, such as one attendee who commented “Big win!” in a publication about 9/11. Why Philippines. The answer lies in a combination of factors that have been turning the country into a benchmark for remote work for years. Mainly it is because almost half of the population speaks English. Furthermore, the Philippines is leader in customer service outsourcingwhich is why it has many professionals accustomed to support, marketing and digital management tasks for Western companies. And of course there is the salary issue. One of these virtual assistants earns between 4 and 7 dollars per hour, much cheaper than hiring them in the US or another Western country. Virtual assistants. It is how you know the professionals who provide remote support services to companies or individuals. This industry was born during the pandemic with the rise of teleworking and increased thanks to many Western companies looking for cheaper and more flexible formulas to delegate work that was previously done by internal teams. According to a Future Market Insights reportthe virtual assistant industry generated $19.5 billion in 2025 and estimates it will grow 184% in the next ten years. Still, not everyone sees this market as a solid long-term bet. Ivan Gonzales, a recruiter in the Philippines at Worca (an agency that connects Asian digital labor with American companies), believes that AI will end up absorbing a large part of this sector. Speaking to Rest of World, he directly describes it as a “dead-end job.” What LinkedIn is doing. In a statement to Rest of World, LinkedIn claims to be strengthening its measures against “low-quality, automated or generic” content. The company explains that, although AI can help overcome the “blank page” problem, its algorithm is designed to reward authentic interactions. It doesn’t seem to be working much. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka |

Between June 9 and 11 we are waiting for you in Malaga at the largest B2B event dedicated to AI and technology

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

There are three weeks left until the tenth edition of the Digital Enterprise Show (DES) (June 9-11), one of the most important events in Europe dedicated to digital transformation, AI and exponential technologies. For the fifth year, Málaga hosts this enormous knowledge and technology fair of which Xataka is Media Partner. Like every year, the DES has a B2B profile, aimed at the business, institutional and executive sector. Thousands of managers, workers and experts from all business fields will meet for three days at the Malaga Trade Fair and Congress Center (FYCMA), transforming the city into the epicenter of European technology throughout the week. Thousands of attendees and two large spotlights With an expected attendance of more than 15,000 people, the organization includes the exhibition of 400 firms and the presentation of more than 700 innovations, many of them tied to artificial intelligence. The 2026 edition is special because it marks the first decade of DES’ existence. As a tribute and rupture, the organization has broken with its previous structures and has completely redesigned itself under a new hyper-specialized format called ‘DES Universe’. The idea is simple: transform the fair into an “event of events” divided into seven thematic ecosystems that will address from the Cloud until the Digital Marketing Planet. However, and as could not be otherwise given the current times, DES 2026 will pay special attention to two large thematic areas: the rise of agentic AI and cyber defense, issues that we have discussed at Xataka on a daily basis. The conferences will focus on the integration of AI into everyday life, quantum computingthe work automationthe news in civil and military security and even the rise of drones. Among the speakers are Randi Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook Live and CEO of Zuckerberg Media), Yongdong Wang (Corporate Vice President of Microsoft), Beatriz Navarro (CMO of Renault) and experts such as Carme Artigas (co-president of the UN AI Consultative Body) and Javier Porras Castaño (Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of Unicaja), among many others. Xataka will also participate at a round table on June 9 at 5:20 p.m. by yours truly. The complete listas well as the agendacan be consulted on the web. How to participate General access and to the exhibition area of the large technology firms is managed through the event’s official website. Tickets vary depending on the professional profile and the content you wish to attend on June 9, 10 and 11. They are the following: Business Pass. The general access entrance. It allows you to visit the DES Universe exhibition area and some of the most important events, such as The Alnomics, Spain Digital Company either CyberXponential World. Its price is 90 euros during the three days. Premium VIP Pass. Ideal if your profile is executive and you pursue business opportunities and meetings with investors. In addition to the general access included in the previous pass, it allows you to unlock the 1 to 1 meeting platform, the VIP Lounge and The Scale Up! World Summit. Its price is 400 euros (one day) or 675 euros (three days). Honor Pass. The honorary pass includes all of the above and also a lunch at the Leadership Summit or in the CIO’s Summit and an invitation to the welcome party. Its price is 1,500 euros for three days. Thanks to our collaboration as Media Partner, all our readers can access a 35% discount in all DES 2026 entries. You just have to click this linkchoose your pass, enter the code that we show you in the following image and complete the registration. We are waiting for you in Malaga between June 9 and 11! Image | DES

Spain will have 27,000 new civil servants. The surprise is that experts in AI, cybersecurity and data science are now sought

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

In recent years, Spain has promoted the public employment calls. This has managed to beat historical figures in the number of places and, although the OEP (Public Employment Offer) of 2025 took its foot off the accelerator, the Council of Ministers has just approved the OEP corresponding to 2026 with figures somewhat higher than those of the previous period. What draws attention is something else: the 1,700 positions for information technology specialists to achieve a ambitious goal. Transform Administration thanks to AI. 27,000 for the AGE. How has published The Government through the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, the OEP 2026 includes 27,232 places for the General Administration of the State. It represents a small increase compared to the 26,889 places last yearalthough it continues to show that there is a personnel problem. The breakdown is 26,886 ordinary places and 346 corresponding to an extraordinary offer linked to the climate emergency. The Government points out that this offer will generate 6,200 net jobs and ensures that, since 2021, the different public employment offers have met the objective of rejuvenating the public workforce, with an average age now at 49 years. New specialists. Now, the big news is that the Administration wants profiles that are much more specialized in technology. Of these positions, 1,700 will be for information technology specialists. It is estimated that it is 42% more than those called in the previous offer and it is not only the increase in places, but also the profiles they are looking for. Because what they are looking for are “specialists in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Data Science” with the aim of, according to Minister Óscar López, “transforming the Administration.” López points out that we have to see what the administration’s priorities are, the needs of citizens and, thus, “have a more effective and efficient administration with the use of AI and the creation of quality public employment.” More digitization. This increase in digital profiles is supported by Government figures that indicate that the percentage of citizens who use official websites or applications is 83% while the European average is 75%. Furthermore, they point out that Spain is seven points above the average in digitalization of the Public Administration. The objective they aspire to is to increase digital administrative procedures by 25%, digitizing public administration. If this is going to be accompanied by the destruction of jobs, López affirms no and that what they are going to do is transform those jobs, not destroy them. They do not detail much else, other than that a series of digital training courses will be carried out with AI modules and “data tools” to strengthen the digital skills of all public employees. Exceeding 37,000. In total, counting the beaches already announced for the National Police, Civil Guard and Armed Forces, the OEP 2026 will exceed 37,000 places, slightly above the 36,588 last year. And, beyond the striking nature of these digital offers in AI and “data”, the Government intends to reinforce strategic areas such as the energy transition, the prevention of climate emergencies and the fight against climate change. The problem is that, according to the OECD, Spanish public employment remains below the international average. In the 2025 report, the OECD pointed out that Spanish public employment represented 15.25% of the total active population in 2023, with the average for all OECD countries being 18.41%. We will have to wait for more recent reports to see if the record rally of 2023 and 2024 has reversed the situation. Image | Treball Generalitat (edited) In Xataka | The easiest oppositions to pass in Spain following three criteria: by syllabus, by places and by requirements

This is how India prepares its next big leap in the chip industry

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

When we think about making chips, India is not usually the first country that comes to mind. We think of Taiwan, South Korea, the United States or China, but India often appears in another box: that of software, technological services or the assembly of electronic products. Precisely for this reason this movement is interesting. We are witnessing firsthand how a huge country seeks to advance towards one of the deepest and most difficult parts of the technological chain. The announcement is supported by a very specific alliance: Tata Electronics and ASML have signed a memorandum of understanding for the future Dholera semiconductor plant in Gujarat. The facility, which the release presents as India’s first 300mm commercial factory, has a planned investment of 11 billion dollars and will be aimed at producing semiconductors for a wide range of sectors. The agreement, Reuters points outwas signed on May 16 during Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, also attended by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. India’s commitment to chips is beginning to cease to be a promise The news comes accompanied by some interesting technical data that is worth analyzing carefully. The 300 mm figure may sound like a measurement of the chip, but it actually talks about the silicon wafer on which the semiconductors are manufactured, indicating the diameter of that circular surface, not the size of the transistors or the size of the final chips. It is a standard industrial platform for large-scale production, because it allows working with many units on the same wafer before cutting them and taking them to the next phases of the process. Furthermore, the statement places the Tata collaboration with PSMCPowerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, as the gateway to a technology portfolio that includes 28nm, 40nm, 55nm, 90nm and 110nm. That list helps land the project much better than the 300 mm label, because it tells us which process families the plant plans to handle. In practice, we talk about analog and logic chips for automotive, mobile devices, consumer electronics, connectivity, IoT, embedded memory and other industrial uses. This is precisely where the Dutch company occupies a central position in the semiconductor industry. Their contribution does not simply consist of “setting up machines”, but rather supporting the start-up of the factory with lithography tools and solutions, the phase that allows the circuit patterns to be transferred to the silicon wafers. ASML also speaks training local talent, supply chain resilience and R&D infrastructure. It is a way to accompany Tata not only in the purchase of equipment, but in the industrial learning necessary for the plant to scale. ASML is known for its most sophisticated machines, but that doesn’t mean every deal of yours involves EUV either High-NA EUV. In this case, the available information speaks of lithography solutions for a process-oriented plant that they do not belong to the most advanced frontier. With these data, and in the absence of ASML detailing what specific systems it will supply, the most prudent reading is to place the project in the field of lithography DUV and the support ecosystem that allows stable production. TWINSCAN NXT:1980Di, one of the DUV machines that would fit with a factory like Tata’s This agreement comes at an interesting time for the Dutch company. ASML continues to occupy a central position in the sector, but the adoption of its most advanced technology is not being uniform among its large clients: TSMC, for example, continues to evaluate High-NA EUV, although for now it prefers to rely on current EUVs and process improvements rather than assume the cost and complexity of the new generation. Its executive Kevin Zhang summed it up with a very clear phrase: “I like the technology, but not the price.” In this context, an alliance like Tata’s reminds us of something important: the Dutch firm not only stands out for its most extreme machines, but also for its ability to accompany factories in different stages of industrial maturity. Reuters places the agreement in a broader context than that of a single factory. India has pledged billions of dollars in subsidies to attract semiconductor plants and related manufacturing, with eight projects underway, while Modi has encouraged Dutch companies to invest in areas such as semiconductors, renewable energy, digital technologies and health. At the same time, Dutch companies in the sector look for new markets and more geographical diversification in a scenario marked by export controls and trade restrictions linked to technological rivalry between the United States and China. As we can see, the move does not put India, at least for now, at the top of the semiconductor industry, but it does bring it closer to manufacturing chips at scale with proven processes and sustained demand. That difference matters. The industry does not only live on the most advanced semiconductors, but also on a huge base of components present in devices that surround us, such as everyday electronics and the automotive industry, as well as those that play in another field, such as industrial systems. Images | Tata Electronics | ASML In Xataka | Manufacturing 60 machines a year may not seem like much. In practice, those of the European ASML are setting the pace of AI

“token factories” with their own hardware

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

The AI race is no longer explained just by looking at which company launches the most powerful model or who gets access to the most advanced chips. That part is still important, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. What is beginning to emerge is a much broader dynamic to ensure the necessary resources to continue competing. China is pushing that idea with a formula it has called “token factories.” In action. The most recent example comes from Wuxi, a city in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. According to Global TimesHonflex and the Wuxi High-tech Zone have promoted the first computing supernode there Huawei Ascend 384 of the province. The idea is to use that infrastructure as a starting point for a large-scale installation aimed at offering AI capacity measured in tokens to the market. Demand grows. If more and more applications use language models and AI agents, someone has to stably provide the capability to run them. Xinhua points out that at the end of March 2026, daily requests for tokens in China exceeded 140 billion, more than 1,000 times more than at the beginning of 2024 and 40% more than at the end of 2025. That is where the concept of “factory” makes a little more sense. Meaning of the label. In practice, AI data centers already function as token factories. They execute models, receive requests and return responses. What changes here is not so much the technical nature, but the way of converting it into an industrial product. It presents computing power as something measurable and sellable for those companies that need AI without building the entire infrastructure on their own. In detail. The Wuxi facility will start with four Huawei Ascend 384 servers. The promise here is to create a high-performance cluster based on domestic chips and models. In parallel, China Mobile announced on May 17 that it had built a computing center in Hubei for the center of the country with locally developed AI infrastructure and intelligent computing capacity exceeding 2,200 petaflops. A reading of technological sovereignty. In both projects, emphasis is placed on Chinese infrastructure, Chinese chips and national models. There are no mentions of American technology as the basis of the deployment, nor of NVIDIA chips, although the American company continues to be a global reference in AI hardware and has had a very relevant role in China. This framing fits with the Asian giant’s efforts to gain autonomy in a strategic technology. The initiatives also seem to point in that direction. The race continues. If we take the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 as the starting point of this new AI race, little time has passed on the calendar, but a lot of time has passed in the industry. The US is not exactly the same actor as it was then, neither is China, and in between we have seen export restrictions, regulatory comings and goings, development of national alternatives and growing pressure to secure the technological base that allows us to continue competing. In this context, the concept of “token factories” appears. Now we have to wait to see if it will translate into a real advantage. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | If the question is whether AI data centers end up increasing temperatures in a region, the answer is: 2.2ºC

first you will have to take a two-hour course

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

We have gone from looking at artificial intelligence with curiosity to having it closer and closer. Many use it to summarize texts, organize ideas, study, or solve small work tasks. The feeling is clear: these services are beginning to form part of our digital life. But there is a very specific border that changes the conversation. It is one thing to try a free tool, with its limits, and quite another to pay every month for a more advanced version that unlocks greater benefits. That’s where Malta comes in. which recently announced together with OpenAI, an alliance that the company presents as the first of its kind in the world. The measure will allow access for one year and without direct cost to ChatGPT Plus. Times of Malta adds An important piece: the agreement also includes Microsoft, so participants will be able to opt for ChatGPT Plus or Microsoft 365 Personal Copilot. The condition, in any case, is not minor: you must first complete basic training on how to use these tools. The program is structured around “AI for Everyone”, a national online course developed by the University of Malta and designed to explain what AI is, what it can do, what limits it has and how to use it responsibly at home and at work. The Maltese Government speaks of a training of approximately two hours. OpenAI explains that the first phase is planned for May and that the Malta Digital Innovation Authority will be responsible for managing the distribution among eligible participants. The initiative will grow as more Malta residents and Maltese citizens abroad complete the course. An initiative that goes beyond free ChatGPT Plus For OpenAI, the deal fits within a broader strategy. The artificial intelligence company places it under OpenAI for Countriesits initiative to work with governments and institutions that want to move from initial interest in AI to national adoption programs. The idea is not to apply the same model everywhere, but to adapt it to local priorities such as education, public services, support for startups or digital literacy. Microsoft appears in the equation in another way: its collaboration with the country comes from a previous agreement to introduce Copilot in the public administration. What has not been made public, however, are the financial details of the new agreement. Malta tries to present the initiative as something more ambitious than a technological promotion. The Government maintains that the main objective is to give the population a broad understanding of AI so that they can use it safely, responsibly and with confidence. This formulation is important, because it shifts the focus from the tool to the competition. Silvio Schembri, Minister of Economy, summed it up by presenting it as a way of turning a still unfamiliar concept into a practical help for families, students and workers. It’s not just about trying out advanced services, but about learning how to incorporate them into real tasks. The context helps to understand why Malta can propose an initiative of this type. According to the European Commissionthe country obtains very good results in the adoption of AI and business digitalization, and stands out especially in the digitalization of public services. In addition, it has already reached 100% coverage in very high capacity networks and 100% basic 5G coverage, in line with the objectives of the Digital Decade. That is to say, Malta is not starting from scratch: it has a solid technological base on which to try to bring AI to more citizens. Valletta, capital of Malta The other reading is less colorful, but necessary. The fact that Malta is well placed in digitalization does not mean that the adoption of AI will be automatic or homogeneous. Brussels is located in 63% population proportion with at least basic digital skills, although it also points out differences associated with educational level. This nuance explains part of the meaning of the program: if AI begins to become a common tool, the problem will not only be who can access it, but who knows how to truly take advantage of it. Deep down, Malta is rehearsing an answer to a question that many countries will soon have to ask themselves: what does it mean to prepare the population for an economy where AI is beginning to creep into very everyday tasks. OpenAI speaks of intelligence as a national utility, an ambitious but useful expression for understanding the movement. The point is not that everyone uses the same tool, but that more people have a minimum basis for deciding when to use it, when to distrust it, and how to turn it into real help. We will have to see how far a training of about two hours can go. Malta is a small country and that makes it a manageable experimentbut the important questions remain for later: how many people will take the course, how many will activate the tool afterwards, and how many will actually incorporate it into their daily lives. The answer will only come with time. Even so, access to advanced tools being accompanied by minimal AI literacy does not seem like a bad starting point. Images | Maltese Government | Tchoutcho Dantine de Thier | Solen Feyissa In Xataka | The list of requirements for Gemini Intelligence is so long that even many Google phones are left out

500 million euros are going to be spent on expanding the circuit in their town

May 20, 2026 by usatoday24

Formula 1 is much more than a motor sport. Each Grand Prix moves billions in advertising interests and investmentsthat’s why the main cities in the world they fight for having his own circuit in the championship. In Denmark, a group of investors wants build a circuit capable of entering the orbit of Formula 1. The plan puts on the table some 510 million euros in exchange, and is proposed on the foundations of a small circuit that already exists located in Padborg, a town in the south of Denmark with only 4,393 inhabitants. Two millionaires and the first Danish GP Perhaps the names of Henrik Lyngbye Pedersen and his son Mathias Lyngbye Villadsen will not be familiar to you. But if we tell you that his last name comes from one of the founding members of the main Danish pharmaceutical companymaybe they give you some clue. Both are heirs to the fortune of the brothers Harald and Thorvald Pedersenfounders of Novo Nordisk, creator of Ozempicand they have proposed an investment of 3.8 billion Danish crowns, about 510 million euros, to build a circuit with very serious aspirations. As and how to publish Motorpassionits objective is to build a track 6,006 meters long, with 18 curves and capacity for 100,000 spectators. Along with the expansion of the current layout, it is also planned to build a hotel complex, a conference center and a karting and motocross circuit. All this with the intention that the venue does not depend solely on the celebration of one Grand Prix a year, but rather leaves the door open to other events related to the world of motorsport. The current Padborg Park circuit is located between Padborg and Tinglev, on the land of a former airfield that opened as a circuit in 2003. Now, Henrik Lyngbye Pedersen and his son Mathias want to expand that space and officially turn it into the Denmark Circuit. Current status of the Padborg circuit The proposal to remodel this old airfield into a first-class circuit approved for Formula 1 It seeks to attract audiences from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, taking advantage of its proximity to the border and the connection routes with cities such as Flensburg. Rebecca Palmberg Steele, project director, assured that “the circuit will be located in a place that is the gateway to Europe, and this project has the potential to boost both the sport, the business world and the local community,” declared the one responsible for the Danish media Børsen. 510 million to bring Formula 1 to your home The heirs of Novo Nordisk have estimated an initial investment of 3.8 billion Danish crowns to create what would be the first circuit capable of hosting a Danish Grand Prix in the future. It is a huge investment for a facility that, until now, functioned as a minor circuit and as a training space. The circuit design has already been assigned to the Wurz Design studiofounded by former Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz, who already has extensive experience in the private layout design for training and competition, such as Qiddiya Speed Park Circuit in Riyadh or the RACC Driver Training Center in Madrid. The more than six kilometers of track would place it among the longest routes in Europewhile the capacity of 100,000 people makes it one of the largest venues in the north of the continent. However, for a circuit to host a Grand Prix, an FIA Grade 1 license is required, the highest level of homologation. The promoters of the project assure that this is the goal of the project, although they also make it clear that entering the Formula 1 calendar will not be easy since new tests are only incorporated when one of the venues stop celebrating themso the heirs of Novo Nordisk face an investment whose return is not assured. In Xataka | The Madrid F1 circuit is not yet finished but it has already had its first accident on the track: four workers with a van Image | Unsplash (Marti Sierra , hannah thiel)

Lead has its days numbered in hunting. The problem is that no one really knows how to replace it.

May 20, 2026 by usatoday24

The practice of hunting is a ‘hobby’ that has been much discussed among different sectors of society in recent years, but beyond its ethical aspects, the European Agency for Chemical Substances and Mixtures has decided to intervene by pose the ban on lead in hunting ammunition. And this has raised a great debate between the hunting sector and environmentalists and researchers that require immediate measures, although at the moment it is in pause. The siege of Europe. This lead fence is not new, but since 2023 the European Union prohibits its use in wetlands for hunting waterfowl, a historic measure to prevent lead poisoning in ducks and other species that ate the pellets at the bottom of the lagoons. But now they want to go one step further, since ECHA has recommended to the European Commission a total veto by prohibiting the marketing and use of cartridges and fishing tackle that contain more than 1% lead. And to soften the blow, the European drafts have proposed transition periods that range between 18 months for large hunting and up to 5 years for small hunting. The role of science. For the Spanish scientific community, these grace periods are a luxury that ecosystems cannot afford. Specifically, 130 researchers from different institutions have signed a manifesto urging the Government to support the European restriction without any type of concession. That is, the ban applies immediately overnight. The arguments they offer focus mainly on the great toxicity that lead generates when it is left abandoned in the countryside, and above all they argue that there is no safe exposure threshold. That is, the only security we can have is when there is zero lead in the environment. Its impact. On the one hand, we have the environmental impact, since tons of lead end up scattered in the countryside every year due to hunting practices, poisoning fauna, especially scavenger birds that consume prey with pellets. On the other hand, we have a public health problem. In this case, there are several reports that exist warning about the nutritional risks of consuming game meat shot with this type of ammunition, recommending that children and pregnant women avoid its consumption due to the neurological data associated with lead. The hunters. Faced with the scientific urgency, they ask to hit the brakes on the application of these measures. Entities such as the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC) and the Andalusian Hunting Federation (FAC) they argue that a sudden ban would be a death sentence for the sector and, by extension, for the economy of many rural areas. The problem that arises is that the alternatives to lead are not completely convincing, since, although there are options such as steel or bismuth, the hunting sector denounces that they are not validated at a toxicological level, they are much more expensive and, above all, that there is no large-scale production to cover the demand. Furthermore, the use of steel shot requires in many cases to adapt or change older shotguns, since they can damage the barrels due to the hardness of the material. This is why they ask for at least 10 years to adapt. A political battle. Right now the Government supports aligning itself with the hard line that comes from Europe, but the opposition parties, such as the Popular Party, ask for a fight in Brussels over get those decades of margin and funds for safe, alternative ballistics research. And right now the ball is literally in the court of Brussels and the REACH committee in charge of regulating chemical substances in the EU. Right now the only thing left is to open a space for debate that is not easy at all. Images | freepik In Xataka | Hunting has been printed on the Spanish national ID card for centuries. Now you have a problem: there is no relief

This Prime Video series ends after 7 years and 40 chapters, making history with an audience more divided than ever

May 20, 2026 by usatoday24

Today Prime Video premieres the last episode of ‘The Boys‘. It is not just any ending: it comes with the highest audience figures in the entire history of the series and, at the same time, with social networks converted into a battlefield over whether this latest installment of the superhero satire has been worth it. What is clear is that one of the most ambitious and rounded productions of the recent era of the streaming. ‘The Boys’ was born as an adaptation of the comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson published between 2006 and 2012 and arrived on Prime Video in July 2019 with a brutal premise:what if superheroes were corporate tools with powers of mass destruction? The series created by Eric Kripke immediately connected with a eerily similar political and information climate to the starting point of the series. In the following seven years, the fiction has accumulated five seasons, a spin-off (‘Gen V’) and an expanding universe that turned Patriot, more than a villain, into a disturbing reflection of reality. For a series to reach its conclusion at the best audience moment in its history is not usual. ‘The Boys’ has done it. The fifth season has reached an average of 57 million viewers per episode on a global scale, the highest figure in the entire history of the series. The season is also among the ten most viewed from any Prime Video original series. All this while there has been a more heterogeneous public reception than ever with the series (often praised by critics, but with very combative detractors for its powerful political message). In addition, this season has encountered criticism of its pacing, filler episodes and lack of action. It has been compared to ‘Game of Thrones’ in its controversial final stretch and although Kripke has defended the decisions that have been made, today is the day to check to what extent the series manages to live up to its prestige. In Xataka | 8 premieres this week on Netflix, including a science fiction and mystery series from the creators of ‘Stranger Things’

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