clear

The CEO of Ryanair is clear about how he would govern a country. We are lucky that it doesn’t.

by

Michael O’Leary has spent decades building a reputation based on provocation and irreverence. The CEO of Ryanair has not only built Europe’s largest low-cost airline based on surcharges on your services and open confrontation with clients, unions and regulators. He has also turned each interview into a showcase of extreme opinions that rarely leave anyone indifferent. The last of them, granted to the Financial Timesis especially revealing. In it, O’Leary explains bluntly how he would run a country if he had the chance. To no one’s surprise, his approach is not too far from what has been applying for years at Ryanair: treat everything as a balance of results, eliminate what is considered “inefficient” and assume political wear and tear as inevitable collateral damage. Govern a country as if it were Ryanair. O’Leary doesn’t hesitate when asked about his vision of power. As he explains, if he had to govern a country he would do it exactly the same as his airline. Aggressively cutting public spending and, especially, social benefits. “I would run it like Ryanair, I would cut it big… I would cut benefits big. Get a job!” he says without nuance in the interview. Even when he recognizes that there are people who cannot work, his conclusion remains the same and he would not hesitate to reduce this aid. “Are there people who cannot work at all? Yes, but it would also cut their benefits,” said the controversial manager, who maintains an extreme vision of the minimum State, where the social protection network is perceived more as a cost than as a collective investment. Millionaire politicians to attract talent. The most striking part of the interview comes when O’Leary addresses salary of the politicians. There are no cuts on the horizon. For the Irish manager, one of the big problems in current politics is the lack of talent, and the solution is to pay politicians as if they were senior managers. His idea is that “If you are prime minister or a minister, you should earn at least one million pounds a year”, which is equivalent to 1,152,900 euros at the exchange rate. Very far from the 93,145.20 euros that are assigned as salary to the President of the Government in Spain, or 182,400 euros gross per year who receives the President of the Republic in France. “Politicians must be paid much better, although saying so is political suicide,” giving Singapore as an example, where senior public officials receive very high salaries to attract the most talented profiles in the private sector to politics and reduce incentives for corruption. Zero personal affinity with Trump. O’Leary’s interview Financial Times It also leaves room for his relationship with Donald Trump. O’Leary recounts a direct call from the then-candidate in 2016, in which Trump insisted for almost an hour on increase flights from Ryanair to airports close to its golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. The current president of the United States even offered him accommodation in one of his hotels. O’Leary’s response to Trump’s offer was to avoid at all costs approaching any politician. “No, no way. It’s not my style,” the executive concluded, making it clear that personal harmony with Trump never existed, although both share a very similar vision of the world as a place where everything is negotiated. The same approach you apply to your passengers. O’Leary’s ideas on how to govern are consistent with the decisions he has made at Ryanair during the years who runs Ryanair. From defending the charge for using the bathroom on board to imposing increasingly complex surcharges for luggage or boarding passes. Everything responds to one income maximization logic and reduce costs, even if that means a more hostile experience for the customer. Their inflexibility with refunds is another example. In the interview he remembers the case of a passenger stabbed in an attack on a train in the United Kingdom who tried to cancel a flightbut did not obtain a refund for the ticket. “If the company had offered him one, the doors would have been opened to other demands for reimbursement,” said O’Leary, for whom the company’s efficiency and profitability always come before empathy. An old idea with dubious results. The proposal to manage a country as if it were a company is neither new nor exclusive to O’Leary. Elon Musk already defended openly that approach from the DOGE who led in the first months of the Trump administration. The result was especially negative for the cooperation policy and the operation of the US administration. Trump himself has applied this logic of business negotiation to international and economic policy with the imposition of tariffs as a negotiation weapon. The results, at least so far, do not seem to be giving the best fruits for the United States economy. In Xataka | When Ryanair CEO went to a restaurant he was charged for two extras: “priority seating” and “legroom” Image | Flickr (Polish presidency of the Council of the EU 2025)

Physics is clear that it is a mistake

by

In the middle of winter, a classic dilemma always returns in Spanish homes: is it advisable to leave the heating on all day to avoid the “peak of consumption” when turning it back on or is it better to turn it off every time we go out? For years, fear of an astronomical bill has fueled the myth that “keeping warm” is cheaper. But this winter, experts have decided to settle the issue by relying on an unbeatable ally: the laws of physics. The five minute rule. For Jorge Morales de Labra, industrial engineer and energy analyst, the answer does not allow nuances. As explained in Cadena CopeTurning off the heating is always worth it. In fact, he exemplifies it very simply: “Even if you go down for five minutes to buy bread, it is economically worthwhile to turn it off.” This statement has a solid scientific basis. As Morales de Labra details, heating systems consume energy constantly to compensate for the heat losses that the home suffers through walls, ceilings and windows. If the heating remains on while no one is there, we are paying for a comfort that no one enjoys, forcing the boiler to work tirelessly to counteract the cold outside. So why does shutting down save more than maintaining? The key lies in demystifying the “effort” that the boiler makes when starting. Although it is true that the boiler works more intensely to recover the initial temperature, this specific consumption is much lower than the sustained expenditure to keep the system running during hours of absence. Furthermore, the figures support this thesis. According to data from the OCU (Organization of Consumers and Users)If we decide to turn off the heating completely at night, the savings can skyrocket up to 67%. For their part, energy efficiency studies cited by El Español They estimate that by simply turning off the system for short and moderate absences, a family can reduce their annual bill by 8% to 15%. In an average home, this represents a direct saving of between 50 and 120 euros per year. The “invisible limit” of 21 degrees. Another common mistake is to confuse comfort with excess heat. The Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) warns that Each degree we go above that threshold makes the bill 7% more expensive. The official recommendation is clear: During the day: Between 19 °C and 21 °C is the optimal temperature. At night: Simply keep it between 15°C and 17°C, or turn it off directly. It should be remembered that this rule is universal for radiators and heat pumps. Nevertheless, systems such as underfloor heatingwhich have great thermal inertia and take hours to heat up, require more stable management and do not benefit from shutdowns lasting just minutes. The crucial role of insulation. It’s not all the thermostat’s fault; The reality is that almost half of what we pay depends on the walls. If your house has leaks, heat literally escapes through the cracks, forcing you to turn up the heat to avoid shivering. It is a vicious circle that empties the pocket. Luckily, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests several effective patches that do not require getting into work: Seal drafts: Installing weather stripping on doors and windows can save up to 100 euros annually. Blind management: Open them during the day to take advantage of the sun and close them tightly at nightfall to add an extra layer of insulation. Adjust the boiler: It is recommended to lower the boiler delivery temperature (the water that goes to the radiators) to improve the efficiency of the equipment. Smart ventilation: Simply open the windows for a few minutes in the morning to renew the air without the walls getting cold. An investment in control. Savings do not come from being cold, but from managing the heat intelligently. Jorge Morales de Labra emphasizes the importance of smart thermostats. These devices allow programming the heating so that it turns on half an hour before we get home or turn it off from our cell phone if we have forgotten. In short, this winter science gives us permission to turn off the switch. Heating an empty house is not comfort, it is waste. True efficiency is not about generating more heat, but about preventing the heat we have already paid for from escaping. Image | freepik Xataka | Heating has an invisible limit: going over that temperature raises the bill without you noticing more heat

To take photos, I am clear about which phone I would buy right now. A high-end that does not increase too much in price

by

I have never been a big lover of photography because until a few years ago it had not really caught my attention. But I have been experimenting little by little and Nowadays on a mobile I prefer to prioritize this section before even the power. Although in some cases good power and good photography go hand in hand in the high range, there are times when this is not the case. Here, for color tastes. But me right now I don’t even remotely take advantage of the power that this type of mobile provides.so if I buy one right now I am clear that I would bet on the Google Pixel 10. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A mobile phone with a great photographic section For many years I have played mobile games that were quite demanding. Currently, I only play one or two games very occasionally and they usually require quite low performance or power, as is the case of the Solitaire or, to a lesser extent, ‘Balatro‘. On the other hand, what I am taking advantage of right now is the photographic section of the Xiaomi 14T. I quite like to play with the options offered by the cameras signed by Leicaso it is clearer than water that the next mobile phone I would buy right now is Google’s. He Google Pixel 10like the rest of the brand’s models, has the particularity of having as a base the Google app. Yes, this can be adapted with the GCam in other mobile phones, but to this we must add excellent processing and a five-fold telephoto. The photographic section, focusing on the camera module, is made up of a 50 MP wide-angle sensor, a 13 MP ultra-wide angle sensor and a 10.8 MP telephoto sensor. It is also worth mentioning that it comes with Camera Coachwhich for those less versed in the subject may be attractive to receive recommendations through artificial intelligence. You may also be interested Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit Case for Google Pixel 10/10 Pro Compatible with Pixelsnap and MagSafe – Clear White The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Spigen Glas.tR EZ Fit Optik Camera Protector for Google Pixel 10, 2 Units, Transparent, Crystal Clear, Full Coverage, Installation Kit, 9H Hardness, Anti-Scratch The price could vary. We earn commission from these links 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 | Pepu RiccaGoogle In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | The best quality-price mobiles (2025). Their analyzes and videos are here

After Venezuela, the United States is already saying loud and clear what its next objective is: Greenland

by

The world looks at Venezuela, but a good part of Europe, NATO allies and more specifically Denmark have one eye (or both) on another geographical point: Greenland. The capture of Nicolás Maduro opens a very wide range of questions about the future of Venezuela, but it has also fueled the unknowns that for months They surround Greenland, geographically located in North America, although at a political level it depends on Denmark. That Donald Trump wants Greenland to come under Washington’s rule is not new, but his words take on a new meaning after what happened on Saturday. Especially because the Republican leader himself has remembered in the last hours that he does not give up on the island: “we need itdefinitely”. Beyond Venezuela. That Venezuela is the protagonist of the start of 2026, no one doubts it. The operation launched by the US on Saturday and which culminated in the capture of Maduro opens a wide range of unknowns about the future of the South American nation. Especially after Trump himself has slipped that he is determined to keep the country under his tutelage “until there is a reliable transition”, a process for which doesn’t seem to trust in María Corina Machado. What happened in Venezuela has, however, shaken some chords that go far beyond America. The main one is probably related to Greenland. Trump wants the US to control the island, crucial for its geostrategic value and mining resources. That’s nothing new. He has said it on many occasionsbefore even being sworn into office. Saturday’s campaign, however, gives a new veneer to that claim, especially because there are those who already warn that the US has shown that it is willing to ignore international law. Click on the image to go to the tweet. “SOON”. The above would be enough to rock the diplomatic waters around Greenland, but Trump himself (and his entourage) have taken it upon themselves in the last few hours to make it clear that they are not giving up on Greenland. The first message in that direction was sent on Saturday by podcaster ultraconservative Katie Miller, who posted a tweet in which it showed a map of Greenland colored with the US flag and a message as simple as it was resounding: “SOON”, ‘soon’. The tweet, which has more than 28 million views, caused a stir because Miller is not a simple influencer from the republican and MAGA sphere. During the Republican’s first term she played a relevant role in the Department of Homeland Security and today she remains the wife of Stephen Milleran influential figure within Trump’s White House team. Hence, Denmark has given special relevance to his tweet. Just a few hours after Miller published it, the Danish ambassador to the US, Jesper Moller Sorensen, he took it upon himself to respond by the same means (X) to make it clear that Washington and Copenhagen are allies and Greenland is already integrated into NATO. “We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of Denmark.” “We need it”. Miller hasn’t been the only MAGA voice to speak out about Greenland. In case there were still doubts about the White House’s position, Trump himself has also done so. On Sunday, in an interview with TheAtlantic, The Republican made it clear that his aspirations for Greenland remain as strong as a year ago, if not stronger. In fact, far from softening the tone after the multiple frictions With Denmark, Trump has been gradually raising the tone. During the interview The Republican insisted that he will not give up the island and recalled that right now it is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.” “We need Greenland, without a doubt. We need it for defense,” he emphasizedblunt. Just words? That is the unknown that remains after what happened on Saturday in Venezuela, a powerful military deployment that resulted in the capture of Maduro and that some experts and countries They see it as questionable from a legal point of view, if not directly contrary to international legislation. In the case of Greenland, the US has not only limited itself to sending messages. TO end of december Trump appointed the governor of the state of Louisiana as the US special envoy for Greenland, a decision that caused discomfort in the Danish Executive. The chosen one, Jeff Landry, is not just the governor of Louisiana. He is also a MAGA ally who, having recently assumed his position as special envoy, proclaimed in X that their goal is for “Greenland to be part of the United States.” Click on the image to go to the tweet. “Enough of the insinuations”. Trump and his entourage are not the only ones who have raised their voices to talk about Greenland. On this side of the Atlantic it has also done so (and with increasing forcefulness) Denmark itself through his Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen: “I have to say this to the US: there is no point in talking about the need for the US to take over Greenland. I strongly urge you to stop threats against a close ally.” His voice joins that of Ambassador Moller Sorensen, who remembered in X that Greenland is already part of NATO, so it is integrated into the same defensive alliance as the US. More resounding It has even been the Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens Frederik Nielsen: “That’s enough. Enough pressure. Enough insinuations. Enough fantasies of annexation.” A recent survey has revealed that 85% of Greenlanders They do not want their island to integrate into the United States. The new Monroe Doctrine? As remember Financial TimesTrump himself has slipped that the Venezuela operation goes beyond that nation and is framed in a broader concept of “hemispheric defense” that reinforces Washington’s role in the American continent. Against this backdrop, Greenland finds itself in a complex position: it is geographically located in North America, but administratively and politically linked to Denmark. The picture is also completed with its important geostrategic role and mining wealth, which opens a … Read more

There is an age at which we should stop drinking alcohol forever. Neuroscience is clear why

by

For years, popular culture and certain observational studies have sold us a comfortable idea: moderate alcohol consumption could be harmless and even beneficial for the heart. However, when we focus on the brainthe story changes radically. It is neurotoxic. A growing stream of neurologists and new epidemiological evidence point to an uncomfortable reality: alcohol is a neurotoxinand there is a biological age from which our brain loses the ability to tolerate it. Although official guidelines do not prohibit retirees from drinking, scientific literature suggests that The ages of 65-70 mark a critical boundary. Crossing it with a drink in hand could be accelerating cognitive decline and dementiawhich are very prevalent diseases at that time of life. Although there are exceptions, with people who are very long-lived and point out that their ‘secret’ is having a glass of alcohol daily. Although genetics may play an important role here. The neuronal reserve. Neurologist Richard Restak popularized a strong clinical recommendation: you should stop drinking completely at 70 years old. Is it an arbitrary number? Not at all. It is based on the concept of “neural reserve”. According to science, a young brain has room for maneuver before the arrival of these toxins. It has enough neurons and plasticity to compensate for the slight damage caused by ethanol, but, however, natural aging leads to a loss of neurons. That is why drinking in old age is, basically, burning fuel from a tank that is already in reserve and that is not going to be refilled. It is accelerating. Science in this case is quite clear that alcohol-related brain damage along with intense and prolonged consumption accelerates brain aging. And the fact is that with the same alcohol consumption, an aged brain has greater damage than a young one. Something that is explained because the neuronal repair mechanisms are also aged and do not have the same capacity as when a person is 20 years old to compensate. The data. The biggest blow to the idea that a little drinking “doesn’t hurt” comes from large cohort studies, such as the famous Whitehall II studiowhich followed thousands of people for 23 years. In this case, it was seen that people who drank between 14 and 21 glasses of alcohol per week were three times more likely to suffer from hippocampal atrophy compared to those who did not drink. And this is the fundamental region to have memory. For those who exceeded 30 units per week, the probability of atrophy shot up to almost six times more. But the most worrying thing is that no protective benefit was observed in the light consumption group (less than seven drinks a week) compared to general abstinence. Zero alcohol. These data along with brain imaging studies They point out that even ‘moderate’ consumption is associated with a significant brain alteration. This means that it can be stated that the safety margin for the brain is practically non-existent. The limit age. Why can 65 be a turning point? Although there is no international “dry law” for people over 70, organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Society from the UK warn that those over 65 are a special risk group. This is because there is already an aging liver that processes alcohol slowly, which means that the alcohol circulates through the body for longer. This is also added to the interactions that alcohol has with medications that can increase its toxicity and most importantly: increases the risk of dementia. You have to be careful. With all this data, science is quite clear that any consumption increases the risk of health problems, especially in regards to the brain. Although clinical guidelines still recommend simply “not exceeding 14 units per week,” the recommendation of experts like Restak and reading the most current evidence suggest a more aggressive prevention strategy. Given that we have no cure for dementia and that neuronal reserve is our only shield, giving up alcohol when entering old age is not an option, it is a logical cognitive survival strategy. Images | CHUTTERSNAP Simon Godfrey In Xataka | The alcohol industry’s biggest fear can be summed up in just five words: being teetotal is fashionable.

For OpenAI, 2026 will have a clear protagonist: voice

by

In the last two months, OpenAI has unified several engineering, product and research teams with a single objective: to revolutionize its audio models. The startup is preparing a more natural voice model for this first quarter of 2026, capable of managing interruptions and speaking while you speak, according to a report from The Information. Why is it important. This movement not only seeks to improve ChatGPT, but also to place audio as the main interaction interface, moving screens to the background at least in certain use cases. This is what first-generation smart speakers tried, unsuccessfully, a decade ago. The bet is to build personal devices that work exclusively by voice, with a launch planned for mid-2027. The context. Silicon Valley has been heading in this direction for months: Meta added five microphones to his Ray-Ban Meta 2 to isolate voices in noisy environments. Google is testing audio search summaries. Tesla is going to integrate Grok in their cars to be able to control certain aspects conversationally. In detail. The initiative is led by Kundan Kumarformer researcher of Character.AI which arrived at OpenAI this summer. The new model seeks to sound indistinguishable from a human voice and maintain fluid conversations without the typical cuts of current assistants. Besides, the May 2025 purchase of io Products Inc.Jony Ive’s $6.5 billion startup, marks a turning point. Ive, former head of design at Apple, now leads creative responsibilities at OpenAI with a team of 55 people. Its philosophy, already publicly announced, seeks to reduce addiction to devices through interfaces that do not require constant visual attention. What is happening. OpenAI contemplates several formats: screenless speakers, smart glasses (a clearly booming segment) and a pen-shaped, voice-operated device. Foxconn will manufacture the first product, rumored to be a context-aware pen, in Vietnam. These devices are positioned as complements to laptops and mobile phones, not as substitutes, at least for now. Yes, but. Not all “screenless AI” bets have worked. The Humane AI Pin burned hundreds of millions and defrauded its buyers by offering a half-hearted product that would stop working after the company was sold to HP. Several pendants have been in a similar line for almost two years, without any to date having managed to go beyond being a curiosity. And now what. The schedule is quite tight: New audio model before spring 2026. First dedicated device for sale a year later. OpenAI will go from being a software provider to competing directly in consumer electronics. The question is whether they will achieve what Humane and others have failed to achieve: make people want to talk to their devices without being able to look at a screen. In Xataka | The new Ray-Bans from Meta will allow you to cross a line: seem present while you are completely absent Featured image | Xataka with Mockuuups Studio

what should be clear between controversies and doubts about the norm

by

A breakdown on a secondary road, a car stopped on the shoulder and the doubt that arrives before help: what do I do now to signal it correctly. For years, the response was almost automatic and involved looking for the triangles in the trunk. That gesture is no longer the obligatory reference. Starting today, January 1, the regulations change and force us to rethink how we warn other drivers when something goes wrong. The change is no longer a future promise and is now in effect. The General Directorate of Traffic establishes that the V-16 beacon connected It is the only legal danger pre-signaling device in the country. This is not just a symbolic replacement for the triangles, but a clear redefinition of what is considered valid to comply with the obligation to signal an immobilized vehicle. It’s not just a light. The key to the connected V-16 beacon is not only that it emits a light signal visible from afar, but also in what happens at the same time and without driver intervention. When activated, the device automatically communicates the vehicle’s location to the platform DGT 3.0which integrates this information into traffic management systems. This “virtual visibility”, as defined by the DGT itself, allows other road users to be notified through variable message panels and browsers, before the incident becomes evident to those approaching. Who takes her and where she goes. The regulations establish that the connected V-16 beacon must be part of the equipment of passenger cars, buses, adaptive mixed vehicles, vehicles intended for the transport of goods and sets of non-special vehicles. Regarding its placement, the recommendation is clear: place it at the highest possible point of the vehicle, preferably on the roof, to maximize visibility. When this is not feasible, it can be placed in the highest area of ​​the driver’s side, taking advantage of the built-in magnet to fix it to metal surfaces. Fines for using the triangle, yes or no? Part of the noise around the V-16 stems from a misunderstanding about the concept of substitution. The fact that the connected beacon becomes the mandatory device does not imply that the triangle has become a sanctionable element in itself. DGT Instruction 2025/20 clarifies that a triangle placed specifically is not considered an obstacle on the road and, therefore, will not be the subject of a complaint. From here it is advisable to separate the scenarios well, because not all of them lead to the same result. Using only the triangle no longer serves to comply with the legal pre-signaling obligation, because the required device is the connected V-16 beacon. The case is different for those who correctly activate the beacon and, in addition, decide to place a triangle in a complementary manner, something that the aforementioned instruction frames as an element that, if placed punctually, will not be the subject of a complaint for being considered an obstacle. The problem appears when a beacon that is not approved or that does not meet the required connectivity requirements is used, since in that case the driver would not be using a legally valid device. Without vocation to fine. In this context, the DGT itself has tried to reduce the feeling of immediate threat. In an interview on Hora 14 on Cadena SERthe deputy director of the DGT, Ana Blanco, assured that “there is no vocation to fine,” when asked about the sanctions from day one, although she insisted that the important thing is that drivers get the mandatory device. The message does not eliminate the sanctioning framework, but does point to an approach focused on adaptation and the connected V-16 beacon being available and used correctly when necessary. Be careful with the ‘connected’ label. One of the main sources of confusion is in the market. Just because a beacon is announced as connected does not guarantee that it meets the requirements demanded by the DGT. The organization maintains an official and updated list of certified brands and models.and only the devices that appear in it have legal validity. Checking this list is key, because from today it is not enough for the beacon to emit light or have a connection, but it must have the current approval and the corresponding technical certificate. Four models that were left out at the last minute. In December 2025, The DGT updated its list of certified devices and marked four specific models as “not valid.” This qualification does not imply that they stop working or that their use is automatically punishable, but rather that they have lost the administrative validity of their original technical certificates. For this reason, these products can no longer be marketed, although, according to the criteria that accompanies this update, those who purchased them before the withdrawal can continue using them. Its validity is linked to the useful life of the device, in particular to the operating period of the associated data plan. Quick checklist. After so much explanation, it’s time to go ashore. Today is not a different day from the rest when you get into the car, except for that small change that should be well secured to avoid doubts and waste of time if a breakdown occurs. This is the minimum checklist to know that you are wearing the right thing and know how to use it. Check that the beacon is included in the official catalog of models approved by the DGT. Make sure the battery or batteries are in good condition. Keep the beacon in an accessible place inside the vehicle. Verify that the magnet allows a firm fixation in a metal area. Always place it at the highest possible point in the car when it is activated. Images | Netun Solutions | DGT (1, 2) In Xataka | What to look for in a V16 beacon: requirements and how to check if the one you have or want to buy works for you In Xataka | The DGT’s great plan does not end with the V16 beacons: it … Read more

A Singapore company has purchased 136,000 AI GPUs from NVIDIA. What is not clear is what he has done with them.

by

In the last three years, an unknown Singapore company has become the largest buyer of NVIDIA chips in Southeast Asia. This singular activity has caused alarms to go off, especially now that the trade war between the US and China means that the “illegal trafficking” of these components is extremely monitored. The suspicion. The company, called Megaspeed, is being investigated by the US government. The objective is to find out exactly if there are ties that unite this company with the Chinese government and if the NVIDIA chips that the company has purchased have ended up in China despite the veto and prohibition that said cards can end up there. The Singapore government is also checking whether Megaspeed has violated local laws, they say. on Bloomberg. Megaspeed denies the major. In a statement sent by mail to that newspaper, those responsible for Megaspeed declare that the company “is based in Singapore and operates fully in accordance with applicable laws, including United States export control regulations.” At the moment there is no evidence. An NVIDIA spokesperson indicates that its request for information from Megaspeed shows no evidence that there was a violation of the terms of those transactions. In their visits to Megaspeed’s data centers they confirmed that “the GPUs are where they are supposed to be.” Furthermore, according to its data, Megaspeed has owners and operates entirely outside of China, and there is no Chinese shareholder. But it does serve Chinese tech giants. Megaspeed has a “neocloud”, cloud infrastructure dedicated to offering computing capacity for AI projects. It has several data centers in Southeast Asia, and the company rents NVIDIA chips to Alibaba. This is an option that the US government does continue to allow: no buying chips, but access to those from suppliers from “non-vetoed” countries. Delicate situation. The question is whether Megaspeed has really done things right or whether it has ended up serving as an intermediary for NVIDIA chips to end up in Chinese technology companies. It would also be disturbing if in the end Megaspeed did have ties to companies or the Chinese government. This discovery comes just as President Donald Trump has stated that he would approve the sale of certain NVIDIA chips to China, something that until now was prohibited. Confusing data. Although Bloomberg admits that they have found no evidence that Megaspeed’s NVIDIA chips have ended up being sent to China, doubts remain. They have analyzed documents with records of commercial transactions, appointments and job offers from both Megaspeed and some of its collaborating companies, and have detected “inconsistencies” between the inventory of chips and those that should really be installed in their data centers. Megaspeed has thousands of NVIDIA GPUs. And the problem is that this company has a huge number of company chips. Since it was founded in 2023 and until November 2025, Megaspeed has imported at least 136,000 NVIDIA GPUs according to Malaysian and Indonesian customs records. More than half are Blackwell chips, which Trump said I would not approve of them being exported to China. Most of those newer GPUs were purchased six months ago, but NVIDIA employees who visited the data centers did not definitively clarify that those that were exported actually ended up where they were supposed to be. The suspicion: a mysterious data center in China. On the Megaspeed website it says that they have three data centers in Malaysia and Indonesia. There is also mention of a room under construction in an unspecified “specific area.” The problem is that Megaspeed showed an image of a render with a data center in Shanghai financed in part by Megaspeed’s original parent company, a Chinese company. Not only that: Megaspeed has a kind of corporate twin in China with an identical website that shows that in reality the employees of the Singapore company are its employees. All of this raises clear questions that remain unresolved and that raise even more suspicions. In Xataka | The US believed it had dealt a mortal blow to China when it deprived it of NVIDIA. He only accelerated one plan: ‘Delete America’

It is not clear how to make money when AI answers everything

by

These days there is a gesture that is repeated over and over again: open a chatbot or a generative search mode, write a question and wait for a direct, orderly and apparently definitive answer. There is no list of links and no need to compare ten pages to decide which one to trust. The promise of comfort is evident, but behind that everyday gesture a much deeper crack is opening up. For years, internet search has been one of the tech industry’s big money-making machines. If AI begins to answer everything for us, the question is no longer technical, but economic: who pays for that answer and who is left out. The first clear sign that something is moving came at a very specific time in the trading calendar. During the last Black Friday, the big language models started sending real traffic to top-tier online stores. According to Semrush data cited by The Wall Street Journaltwenty large retailers received an average of 183,000 daily visits from AI tools, a figure still small compared to Google, but almost eight times higher than the previous year. The volume is still marginal, but the trend no longer goes unnoticed by those who make a living by attracting and converting users. When the response replaces the click. Traditional search worked as a referral system: the better positioned a page was, the more traffic it received. The emergence of AI alters this scheme by offering closed answers that, in many cases, reduce or eliminate the intermediate step. This change does not guarantee greater quality or reliability; the models can make errors, mix sources or generate incorrect information. But it does transform the distribution of attention. If the user stops visiting thousands of sites and the interaction, in many cases, is concentrated on the platform that responds, the economic model that has sustained the web for years comes into tension. This shift in attention has triggered an immediate reaction on the business side. As AI-generated responses begin to influence which brands appear and which disappear from the user’s radar, a new concern arises: how to “be” within those responses. Hence the idea of ​​optimizing for search with AI, a still diffuse field in which traditional agencies, newly created startups coexist, such as Evertune either Profoundand platforms that attempt to offer metrics, tools, and promises of visibility into systems that, by definition, They work like black boxes. The emergence of AI search has not generated consensus, but rather a clash of interpretations. ORPart of the sector believes that the change is incremental and that good practices as always continue to be relevant, even if they are now expressed in another way. In front of them are those they openly talk about a change of era and they defend that visibility in generated responses requires a new discipline. Companies, brands and investors move between both extremes, with millions of dollars at stake. The signs that resist change. In a field that is not very standardized, many of the tactics that best fit generative search are not radically new. Authority, context and editorial clarity remain relevant factors, as does offering useful and verifiable information. Some companies, Semrush explainsthey are fine-tuning formats, summaries or structures to facilitate reading by models, but without breaking with their previous practices. When social context enters the equation. Compared to classic SEO, AI seems to rely more on signals external to the website. According to data analyzed by Profound, recency weighs especially heavily in this type of response. And, according to Semrush, user-generated content is also gaining relevance, from forums to comments on social platforms, which models use as raw material to understand products and brands. That introduces a variable that is difficult for brands to control: the real conversation. It is no longer just about optimizing pages, but about understanding that the collective story also influences what the AI ​​returns. For years an entire industry has been built around a very specific premise: appearing on Google to influence a purchasing decision. SEO specialists, digital marketing agencies, advertising tools and platforms have made a living by optimizing visibility, information and messages that took the user to a store. This system worked because the search acted as an intermediary and referred the potential buyer. If the AI ​​starts responding, recommending and prioritizing or suggesting which link to show to buy, the entire gear is reconfigured. The question is no longer just how to attract visitors, but how to make money when the intermediation changes hands. Images | Google | Austin Distel | 1981 Digital In Xataka | The risk that OpenAI goes bankrupt goes far beyond its future as a company: the entire sector depends on it

Madrid wants to convert its least used Metro line into the “Gran Diagonal”. A 1,000 million project without a clear end

by

A line that connects the southwest of Madrid with the northeast of the city. A project to quadruple the extension of Madrid’s least used line with the aim of turning it into one of the city’s great arteries. We are talking about the expansion of line 11 of the Madrid Metro. In 1998, Madrid inaugurated a new Metro line. It had been 20 years since new lines had been launched in the capital and the project ended up being the first of the last major investment in the Madrid Metro that the Autonomous Community has made. until the reforms we are experiencing today. The work attracted attention due to its short length (only three stops at the beginning). Then Metrosur (Line 12) and the Light Metro lines (LM1, LM2 and LM3) would arrive. Except for LM1, all the aforementioned lines were longer than the new Line 11 whose 8.5 kilometers and seven stations were dwarfed by Line 12, with its 28 stations and more than 40 kilometers long. Now, Madrid wants to transform that line and make it one of the main axes of the Madrid underground. The numbers point high. From a “forgotten” line to the Great Diagonal Currently, line 11 of the Madrid Metro is, by far, the least used in the city. According to the company’s own report, there are only three lines that are below it but two of them are branches of main lines that far exceed the flow of line 11. Beyond the numbers on lines 7B and 9B, line 11 and its 10.8 million passengers per year they are located just above the Ópera-Príncipe Pío Branch, which moves 10 million passengers despite only having one stop at origin and another at destination, with a train that is round trip. However, Madrid wants the seven stations that currently make up line 11 to be the embryo of a gigantic line that is beginning to be known as the “Gran Diagonal.” The project, of course, has several phases but some of them are still up in the air and others do not have an execution date, although they do have a budget. Map of the expansion of line 11 At the moment, what is underway is the connection of the Plaza Elíptica station in Carabanchel with the Conde de Casal interchange. This link involves excavating more than six and a half kilometers and the creation of two stations: Comillas and Madrid Río. These will join the Plaza Elíptica station to the south and continue north with stops at the already existing Palos de la Frontera and Atocha, before reaching Conde de Casal. 514 million euros will be allocated for this section and although it was expected to be ready in 2026, everything indicates that the works will not finish until a year later and that It won’t be until 2028 when finally the new link will be available. In order to speed up the works, Madrid already has Mayrit readya tunnel boring machine from Germany that can drill 15 meters a day, compared to the two meters that are excavated a day if working only with a pick and shovel. In Xataka we have already talked of this tunnel boring machine that measures 98 meters long and weighs 1,500 tons. After arriving piece by piece, it has taken almost a whole month to be able to operate with it, since assembling it was quite a puzzle. complete at 27 meters depth. This will be the first section that aims to almost double the extension of line 11 and increase the number of people who pass through its trains by up to 75,000 daily passengers. This first section should become the heart of a line that is clear your future in the south. The expansion at this end plans to link the La Fortuna station with Cuatro Vientos, with just over two kilometers of track and an awarded budget of more than 75 million euros. But, at the moment, there are no execution dates for it. Where more doubts are being generated is in the north of the capital. From Conde de Casal to Mar de Cristal, the city will add its main stops to already built stations, specifically in Vinateros, La Elipa, Pueblo Nuevo and Arturo Soria. But it is from Mar de Cristal where the project, for which 600 million euros will be invested, has been changing. As can be seen in the map above, the project contemplated taking the line to the airport and later to a final stop called Valdebebas Norte. In elDiario.es They assure that Metro de Madrid retains the possibility of building a second station to double the latter. The opening, according 20Minutes It would therefore be staggered, coinciding with the three sections already mentioned. Once completed, Madrid line 11 will become one of the main routes to transport passengers. An approximate extension of 33.5 kilometers is expected (from just over eight kilometers currently) and 20 stations from the mere seven it currently has. All this with an expense of more than 1,100 million euros. Photo | Madrid Metro and Community of Madrid In Xataka | Faced with daily collapses, the Madrid Metro could increase frequencies or put in “pushers.” He has chosen the second

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.