critical

The Artemis II countdown has already begun, but many critical points must still be overcome

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If everything goes well, humans will return to the moon todayafter more than 50 years without manned trips to our satellite. The Artemis II mission has a two-hour launch window, which will begin at 6:24 p.m. local time in Florida (00:24 a.m. PST). Before that launch the countdown will take place. But not the typical 10-second countdown that comes to mind, but a much longer one that has, in fact, already started. During the 50 hours that the countdown lasts, each of the factors that could make it necessary to postpone the launch are analyzed point by point. Only if everything is fine or can be solved at the moment will we finally see this mission begin, which breaks records and barriers in many ways. Who. The crew of Artemis II They will be very different from those of the Apollo missions. Although all of them were crewed by three white American men, this time there will be more variety. The four astronauts who will go aboard the Orion capsule are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The last three will be the ones that will make the difference, since Glover and Koch will potentially be the first black person and the first woman to travel to the Moon and Hansen the first Canadian to leave Earth’s orbit. The Artemis II crew will be pioneers in many ways So that. Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface. That will be the goal of Artemis III. However, its 10-day trip will include a flyby to the Moon, in which key systems, such as life support, navigation and communications, will be tested. Photographs will also be taken of the hidden side of the Moon, in order to analyze its geology. and other data of scientific interest. Meanwhile, astronauts will carry sensors that will help verify the alterations that their biological parameters experience in space. The countdown. While it is true that the true countdown lasts 10 minutes, during the 50 hours prior to launch There is a very well established testing and preparation schedule. It all starts with preparing the fuel loading systems and powering up the ship. Other important key points are, for example, the ignition of the batteries, which occurs 33 hours before or the cooling and subsequent filling of the various fuel charging and propulsion systems. These steps are taken starting 10 hours before launch. Also very important is the flight crew’s weather briefing, which takes place 6 hours before the rocket is launched. The real countdown. During the last 10 minutes, very sensitive tasks for the launch are carried out. Above all, in this countdown the last checks are made to all the systems and the refueling of the fuel tanks is carried out. This means that the tank is refilled to the optimal level to replace the fuel that has evaporated during the filling stages. In these last minutes, the final pressurization of the tanks is also carried out and the rocket goes into internal energy mode. That is, it stops using energy from the terrestrial electrical system and uses only its batteries. What can go wrong. Any minor detail that does not work properly during the 50 hours before launch could cause the mission to be postponed. The most sensitive points are, without a doubt, those that have to do with fuel. For example, many missions have been canceled when leaks were detected in the tanks that could not be solved at the time. Adverse weather could also force the launch to be delayed. When. A launch cannot take place at any time. The Earth revolves around the Sun and the Moon orbits the Earth. In order for a rocket launched from Earth to follow a suitable trajectory towards the Moon, it is important that it be in a suitable orientation, taking into account their respective orbits. These specific moments are known as launch windows. Artemis II will have one of these windows today for two hours. If the launch could not be carried out due to any error, this month there will be several more opportunities, on April 2, 3, 6 and 30. After takeoff. The first 8 minutes after takeoff are critical. The engines are working at maximum power to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and arrive, now, slowly. Above all there will be two critical ignitions in the rocket’s upper stage, known as ICPS. The first serves to stabilize the orbit and the second to take the rocket to high Earth orbit. It is important that these go well so that the mission can move forward. Once those critical 8 minutes have been passed, the mission will have a lot of flight ahead of it, but at least the most complicated part will have passed. Even so, still We will have 10 days to closely follow the work of these 4 astronauts which, of course, have already gone down in history. Images | POT In Xataka | Spanish technology in the return to the Moon: the system designed in Madrid that NASA will use in Artemis II

The United States had not manufactured its most critical uranium for 20 years. He has just resurrected his production with an old metallurgy trick

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In the hills of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, lies a place that carries the weight of contemporary history in its foundation: the Y-12 National Security Complex. According to the files of the US Department of Energy (DOE)these facilities were born in 1943 as a vital cog in the Manhattan Project. However, for more than two decades, the halls of its most advanced nuclear processing sector had remained in a prolonged dormancy. Today, that industrial silence has been broken. The United States has just ended a long gap in its domestic processing capabilities. The milestone that marks this rebirth is as visual as it is forceful: the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has successfully manufactured its first “button” of purified enriched uranium, an achievement that opens a new era in the American nuclear deterrent. In short. From the NNSA have confirmed the restart of uranium purification at the Y-12 complex. It is not a sudden step; This achievement comes months after, in September 2025, the start of the project will be authorized electrorefining. This is the first authorization of its kind since the opening of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility 15 years ago. More in depth. The new process allows installation slam the door definitively on the old Y-12 plants. For years, uranium processing depended on complex chemical treatments that were inefficient and, above all, posed greater risks for workers. The new era abandons these legacy systems in favor of much cleaner and safer technology. A strategic milestone. According to the statement from the NNSAthis purified uranium is a critical material that will support unavoidable national security missions, from the production of nuclear weapons to providing the fuel needed for the reactors of the United States Navy’s aircraft carriers and submarines. This effort is not a coincidence, but respond directly to the security and defense guidelines promoted under the mandate of President Donald Trump. Added to this military strategy is a pressing need for independence of resources. In November of last year, the US Geological Survey (USGS) added uranium to its final list of 60 critical minerals. This government directive has a clear objective: to shield the country against the risks of interruption in global supply chains. The “magic” of electrorefining. The secret behind this renaissance is called electrorefining. Although it may sound like science fiction, it is based on well-established commercial processes commonly used to purify everyday metals such as aluminum, titanium or copper. The method was originally developed by the prestigious Argonne National Laboratory and later perfected by the Y-12 development team itself. A simple process (at first glance). To understand how it works, the magazine Science Direct explains it in a simple way: The process uses an electrolytic cell where two electrodes are immersed in a chemical solution. One of them acts as an anode (where the impure recycled material is placed) and the other as a cathode. Through a controlled electrical reaction, metal ions travel to the cathode, where the pure metal is deposited, while the impurities fall to the bottom as an “anode sludge.” The result: An astonishing 99.9% purity. The format: An NNSA spokesperson He explained that the process It first generates “purified uranium crystals,” which are then melted in a furnace to create the compact, secure, high-purity uranium “buttons.” Additionally, Nikolai Sokov, senior researcher at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, explained that this innovative technology allows recovering and recycling uranium from various byproducts. Along the same lines, this method drastically reduces the waste generated compared to old chemical treatments. The weight of history: environmental debt. No story about the Y-12 complex would be complete without looking at its darker side. The background documents of the US Department of Energy rreveal the heavy inheritance of the Cold War. During the 1950s and 1960s, facilities used massive amounts of mercury for lithium separation. The ecological toll was devastating: an estimated 700,000 pounds (more than 317,000 kilos) of mercury were lost in the buildings and the surrounding environment. Today, to contrast technological advancement with the mistakes of the past, the top priority of the Environmental Management (EM) program at Y-12 is the cleanup of this mercury. He DOE informs that it is being built the Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility. Scheduled for 2027, this plant will be capable of treating up to 3,000 gallons of water per minute. This vital infrastructure will allow older, more contaminated facilities (such as Alpha-2 by 2029 and Beta-1 by 2030) to be safely demolished without mercury ending up in the nearby Upper East Fork Poplar Creek. A process of metamorphosis. Audrey Beldio, NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator for Production Modernization, summed it up forcefully in the statements. project startup: “Electrorefining revolutionizes the processing of enriched uranium.” With uranium flowing again into Y-12, the United States is not just abandoning aging infrastructure. It is sending a clear message to the world: after twenty years of lethargy, the US nuclear sector has taken a leap towards a future where technological efficiency, the safety of its workers and the reliability of its arsenal are once again the spearhead of its defense policy. Image | HeUraniumC Xataka | While the West does not decide on nuclear, China already has a reactor 100 times more efficient than traditional ones

NASA chose it for a critical spacecraft system

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After some delays and problems, the Artemis II mission will take off next April 1, 2026 towards the Moon after half a century without humanity setting foot on the Earth’s satellite. And well, the reality is that the four people who will travel will not touch the Moon: they will simply circle it in a 10-day mission that will put humanity one step further: they will be the human beings who have been the furthest from Earth. And in that ship there will be critical technology made in Spain. Because the Orion ship consists of two modules: a crew capsule manufactured by Lockheed Martin for NASA and the European Service Module, provided by the European Space Agency, with the German Airbus Defense and Space as main contractor. That’s where the Madrid piece is: the thermal control unit, which is carried out by Airbus Crisa. TCU arrives from Tres Cantos. The Airbus Crisa plant in Tres Cantos (Madrid) has designed, manufactured and validated the Thermal Control Unit (TCU) of the European Service Module. As explains the Madrid company on its website, this piece will allow the supply of air and water to the astronauts, while ensuring that the temperature on board remains within comfortable levels for astronauts and equipment. As account for El Mundo Fernando Gómez-Carpintero, general director of Airbus Crisa, Orion does not carry one TCU but two. “Both are identical and redundant, that is, the ship carries two units because all the systems are duplicated in case one fails.” After all, it is the life support of the crew capsule: it monitors and regulates the conditions inside, providing propulsion, communications and energy. ESA module breakdown. THAT Why it is important. Because as recognizes NASA itselffor the first time in history has entrusted a non-American company with the construction of a crucial element for a United States manned space mission. Among the chosen European ones is Airbus Crisa from Tres Cantos and also with a critical component Who is Airbus Crisa. CRISA was born in 1985 independently, but since 2000 is integrated within the Airbus group. Its activity focuses on the development and manufacture of electronic components for space missions, both for the Airbus group and for third parties. In 2012, ESA launched the public tender and in 2014, Airbus Crisa signed the contract. As tells its directorwith Artemisa 1 its units recorded impeccable operation. His resume includes his participation in some of the most ambitious space missions of recent years, such as electronics for the James Webb Space Telescope, monitoring Martian rovers Curiosity and Perseverancecomponents for the Ariane and Vega rockets and also for ESA’s Gaia star mapper or the electronics of the SPAINSAT NG antennaEurope’s most advanced military secure communications satellites. Spain and the moon are old acquaintances. Spain’s connection with lunar exploration is not new. Without going any further, in the Apollo mission the antenna through which we received Neil Armstrong’s first words It was from Fresnedillas de la Oliva (Madrid). Its successor is still in Madrid today, but has changed location: now It is in Robledo de Chavela and remains operational as part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. However, Airbus Crisa’s contribution to Artemis II represents a qualitative leap: we are talking about critical components integrated into a manned spacecraft. In Xataka | Artemis: launch plans and everything we know about the mission to return man to the Moon In Xataka | We have been deceived by the distances of the Solar System: the closest neighbor to Neptune is Mercury Cover | Airbus Crisa and NASA

just completed a critical test before delivery

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Spain is in a moment of weapons renewal. A few days ago we said that the country has been selling his old submarines for scrapa movement conditioned by something very specific: the new generation of S-80 submarines is beginning to gain traction. Or impulse, rather. And the ignition of engines S-82 Narciso Monturiol It is one more step towards delivery to the Navy. And it has cost… Milestone. It was last February 28 when S-82, the second submarine of the S-80 Plus series, started its diesel engines for the first time. The Ministry of Defense has become again echo of the achievement achieved a few weeks ago, and it is no wonder. The ignition is one more step in the commissioning of the submarine after the electrical ignition, the boarding of the batteries and the launching. Overcoming these phases brings the ship closer to its delivery. The S-82. The Narciso Monturiol measures about 80 meters in length, has about seven meters in diameter and is capable of moving about 3,000 tons while submerged. It has capacity for more than 30 crew members and can last submerged for three weeks. Regarding weapons, account with a system developed by Navantia and Lockheed Martin that allows launching ground attack missilesbeing the only of the European Union’s conventional submarines that have that capability. It can also arm DM2A4 heavy torpedoes with a range of up to 50 kilometers. Issues. And if the ignition of the engines is announced as a milestone, it is because the S-80 program has not had it easy. These are the first submarines of Spanish design, and since 2004 they have been suffering delays. The first in the class, the S-81 Isaac Peralshould have been delivered in the early 2010s, but design errors and a budget that went from 1.8 billion euros to 3,900, ended up being delivered in 2023. The biggest problem was weight, something crucial in a submarine. It had between 70 and 100 tons of overweightsomething that was discovered just when it was due to be delivered and that compromised the entire project because it is something that would cause buoyancy problems. There were also other problems in the propulsion system and disputes between the Spanish Navantia and the French Naval Group. Next steps. And, again, completing these tests is the step prior to delivery at some point this year. It also shows that there is someone doing the calculations somewhat regularly because the S-82 was scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2024, generating a delay in the plans. This delay is what caused the very veteran S-71 to have to be revised so that Spain could keep two submarines operational at the same time, giving itself the situation of having a new generation one alongside the aforementioned S-71. The next steps for the S-82 are to continue testing systems before delivery, and then the S-83 and S-84 will arrive, which were dated for 2026 and 2028 respectively and will arrive with a novelty: the BEST AIP system to improve immersion capability and long duration missions. Both the S-81 and S-82 will also be upgraded with the BEST AIP at some technical stop between 2029 and 3031, respectively. After that ignition of the S-82 engines, they start the most critical tests, such as those of acoustic signature and immersion, key steps before it can be launched into the sea to definitively retire the S-71. Photos | Ministry of Defense In Xataka | In the 19th century, Spain designed the first “torpedo launcher” to defend itself against the United States: the Sanjurjo Badía submarine

does not produce 13 minerals critical for economic security

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For years, the so-called critical minerals have remained out of the focus of public debate, despite the fact that entire industries and a good part of the economic security of countries depend on them. Its relevance does not respond only to a technological issue, but also to geopolitical tensions, fragile supply chains and strategic decisions that today condition industrial development. In that context, Mexico has begun to put figuresnames and concrete limits to their own exposure, opening a conversation that goes far beyond mining and reaches directly to their productive future. What exactly is considered a critical mineral. These are elements present in nature whose demand is high while their availability is limited, either due to geological restrictions inherent to finite resources or due to external factors such as geopolitical tensions and trade blockades. That combination of scarcity and dependence makes them sensitive pieces for contemporary industry. They not only intervene in everyday electronic devices, they also determine energy efficiency, component durability and thermal stability in multiple technologies. Image shared by the Government of Mexico The concrete photography of Mexico. The Mexican Geological Service has defined which materials are scarce or directly non-existent in the national territory, or without technical and economic conditions today to produce them viably, a diagnosis that allows foreign dependence to be measured with sufficient precision. The list is not small and concentrates a good part of the inputs associated with electronics, energy and various advanced industrial chains. These are the 13 minerals classified as scarce or non-existent resources in the country: Aluminum Cadmium Cobalt Chrome Germanium Iridium Lithium Nickel Palladium Platinum Tantalum Titanium Vanadium The reverse of the diagnosis. Mexico has a relevant mining base in certain materials where there are not only reserves, but also extraction and processing capacity, which allows it to sustain its own industrial chains and participate in international markets. This dimension is key to avoiding a reading solely focused on external dependence and understanding that the resource map combines shortcomings with operational strengths. According to the Mexican Geological Service, the minerals that the country concentrates or processes are the following: Baryta Copper Fluorite Graphite Magnesium Manganese Silver Lead Zinc The diplomatic channel and the geopolitical board. The diagnosis of available resources has not remained internal. Mexico has brought the issue of critical minerals to the field of international politics with a specific goal: to ensure access to materials that are necessary for its present and future industry. This is how Marcelo Ebrard explained itSecretary of Economy, when detailing the country’s participation in different forums and coordination spaces, including areas linked to the United Nations. The strategy, as he stressed, does not seek to offer its own reserves, but rather to be part of the decisions that will determine how these supplies are guaranteed in an increasingly competitive environment. Coordination with the northern neighbor. The United States Trade Office (USTR) announced that Its ambassador, Jamieson Greer, and Marcelo Ebrard agreed on an action plan aimed at building a preferential trade scheme for critical minerals, which includes everything from the identification of priority materials to the exploration of adjusted minimum border prices for imports and consultation on how to incorporate these minimum prices into a binding plurilateral agreement. The cooperation seeks to respond to global market distortions that have left North American critical mineral supply chains vulnerable to disruption. The initial calendar, it should be noted, establishes a work horizon of two months to analyze measures before defining subsequent steps. Lithium. State ownership and pending viability. Among the minerals that explain the Mexican position, lithium occupies a unique place. The Constitution establishes that only the State can exploit it, a decision that reinforces its strategic nature but, at the same time, coexists with technical and economic limits. As President Claudia Sheinbaum notedthere is already a technology developed at the Mexican Petroleum Institute to obtain lithium in clays, although “today it is not economically viable, it is very expensive.” This combination of state control and production difficulty illustrates why guaranteeing access to critical materials remains an open question for the national industry. In conclusion. The image that emerges is not that of a country without resources, but of an economy that must precisely manage its material dependencies in an increasingly demanding international environment. Mexico has relevant mining capabilities and, at the same time, faces clear limits on essential inputs for the technology and energy industry. Between both extremes is a strategy that combines internal diagnosis, diplomatic action and technological development still in process. The result does not close the debate, but it does define the context in which the country must work. Images | Dominic Vanyi + Nano Banana In Xataka | What are rare earths, the elements that move the technological world and separate China from the West

Critical dress rehearsal leak forces NASA to delay Artemis II

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If we learned something with Artemis I in 2022 is that liquid hydrogen is possibly the biggest enemy of NASA’s patience in its missions. And in the last few hours the US space agency has confirmed what many of us feared after a difficult weekend: the launch of Artemis IIthe mission that must take astronauts around the Moon, officially delayed until March. An accumulation of errors. These days NASA had on its agenda to do a ‘general rehearsal’ for the launch of this new mission that aims to test its equipment to take the final leap: put man on Mars in the future. And everything seemed to be ready, with the astronauts in strict quarantine since January 23. But in the end, Florida’s weather reminded us again that it reigns supreme with freezing temperatures and strong winds that forced these plans to stop. Some specific limits. A priori, these adverse conditions should not be a problem for cutting-edge operation, but the reality is that the SLS rocket has very strict operating limits: it cannot safely load fuel if the temperature drops below 4.4ºC for more than 30 minutes. Something that eliminated the launch window that It was scheduled between February 6 and 7moving hope to February 8. The coup de grace. But if the weather was already a big problem, in the last few hours the last major inconvenience has arrived while retrying to refuel under more favorable conditions. It was none other than a leak of liquid hydrogen that was detected at the umbilical interface of the rear service mast while the test was being carried out. Something that has forced everything that was being done to stop, and logically to make decisions that are very hard. Safety first. Although the agency managed to complete many of the test objectives, the hydrogen concentration exceeded safety limits, forcing the rocket to be drained. Administrator Jared Isaacman has been blunt– Crew and vehicle safety is the top priority, so no launch window will be forced. A ‘dejà vu’. For fans of the Artemis show, this sounds painfully familiar. The situation is almost a carbon copy of what was experienced with Artemis I in 2022and although at that time it was not the weather, there were recurring technical failures such as propellant leaks and problems with the pressure fans that caused multiple cancellations of the general rehearsal. Because of those technical problems, they were forced to return the rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building for much more thorough checks, pushing the April launch to the end of August. Now the similarity lies in the complexity of liquid hydrogen, an ultracold and extremely difficult to contain fuel that remains the Achilles heel of these missions. What will happen now? For now, with all these problems behind us, the launch window that lasted until February 11 has been completely ruled out. This forces us to look for a new date that NASA aims for sometime in March 2026although without specifying a specific day. To do this, they must still analyze data and above all have a successful general rehearsal to validate the safety of the operation. As far as the astronauts are concerned, it no longer makes sense for them to remain quarantined at the Kennedy Space Center, so they will return to Houston until there is a new firm launch date. Images | POT In Xataka | Claude begins to seem unstoppable: NASA has already used him to plan routes for the Perseverance rover on Mars

The great covered in the War of Critical Minerals is Tungsten. The US needs it and 83% have it China

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On April 4, just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, The administration led by Xi Jinping responded. And he did it with forcefulness. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: the Scandio and the Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but are at least as important as the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. The ability to put pressure from China had not yet been extinguished. Just ten days later, on April 14, the Administration did not hesitate take another step forward With the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. To achieve this, it effectively suspended, in addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Tungsten hunting and capture Tungsten or Wolframium (W) is a relatively scarce metal in the earth’s crust. It is very dense and extremely hard (understanding hardness as its resistance to being scratched), but its most exotic physicochemical property is that it has the second highest melting point of all the chemical elements that we can find in the periodic table only behind the carbon (nothing less than 3,422 ° C). It has a very wide range of applications, but, curiously, from World War II it is much appreciated for its suitability when intervening in the tuning of the armor of some vehicles and in the manufacture of ammunition. In February China announced that I was going to respond to US sanctions by enabling export controls of the strictest tungsten China currently controls 83% of the world’s tungsten, which has placed this country in a very comfortable position that allows it to drastically limit the amount of this metal that reaches rival powers, among which is USA. It is just what you are doing. In February, the Chinese administration announced that I was going to respond to US sanctions and its allies enabling export controls of the strictest tungsten. From that moment on, the price of this mineral has progressively increased to its historical maximum. Today Wolframio is 55% more expensive that in February. Beyond China, the main producers of Tungsten are Vietnam, Russia and some countries in Central Africa and South America. Anyway, Europe, Japan and South Korea are trying to ensure their supply of this metal by implementing political measures that seek to promote local production with the purpose of reducing China’s dependence. The US is even considering the possibility of replenishing its strategic tungsten reserve after selling it for many years. Image | Generated by Xataka with Google Gemini More information | Volt Rush In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

The Critical Mineral Companies of the West are trapped between the US and its best client: China

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Western companies that are dedicated to the extraction and processing of critical minerals are between the sword and the wall. These raw materials They are fundamental for many strategic industriessuch as those of semiconductors, telecommunications, advanced weapons or electric car, so USA and China are using them as a resource to exert pressure on the other. This situation represents a very serious problem for Western mining companies because Donald Trump’s government has imposed very strict controls to China of these minerals, as well as High tariffs. Rio Tinto and BHP are the world’s largest western miners, and its best client is China. In fact, According to Volt Rush In 2024, 57% of Rio Tinto’s income came from China compared to 16.7% of the US. Losing the Chinese market is not an option for these companies, so the managers of the two companies I just mentioned have met with President Donald Trump in the White House with the purpose of defending their interests and protecting their position in China. However, they also have something to offer to the Administration: the possibility of reinforcing the US supply chain by opening new deposits in the country, such as the “Resolution Copper” project of Arizona, delayed for years due to the opposition of the Apache tribe of San Carlos. China dominates an essential market for the US and its allies: that of rare earths On April 4, just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, The administration led by Xi Jinping responded. And he did it forcefully. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: the Scandio and the Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but They are at least so important Like the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. Many companies have high -power magnet reservations made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months The ability to put pressure from China had not yet been extinguished. Just ten days later, on April 14, the Administration did not hesitate take another step forward With the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. To achieve this, it effectively suspended, in addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Chinese authorities are retaining in ports throughout the country not only rare earths, but also high -power magnets acquired by electric cars manufacturers throughout the planet, aerospace companies, chip factories and armament companies. Many of these organizations They have high -power magnet reservations Made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months. Europe in particular is in an extremely delicate position. China’s export controls are directed mainly to the US, but the old continent It does not remain unscathed. At least for the moment. In fact, in Germany, which as we all know is the heart of the European car industry, There are already experts who assure that if China continues to retain rare earths and electric motors some essential parts of the electric cars production chain will stop in a few weeks. For the European car industry this blow would be very difficult to fit. European companies that are dedicated to the manufacture of semiconductors are also in a very compromised situation. According to Reuters Many European chip production lines They will stop very soon Due to the shortage of crucial supplies, which has led the European Chamber of Commerce to meet with officials of the Ministry of Commerce of China to ask them to allow rare earth supply to European companies that are dedicated to the production of integrated circuits. Image | Volker Braun | Gage Skidmore More information | Volt Rush In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

Plan to remove 2,000 million from the chips and give them to critical minerals

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Donald Trump has criticized on many occasions The Chips Law approved in July 2022 by the government of Joe Biden. At the end of last January and just a week after returning to the White House, the US president He made this statement: “In the very close future we will impose tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceutical products to return the manufacture of these essential goods to the US (…) went to Taiwan; now we want them to return. We do not want to give them billions of dollars in The ridiculous Biden program. They already have billions of dollars. “ “The ridiculous Biden program.” It is evident that Donald Trump doesn’t like Chips law at all. Three months before, in October 2024, I had already charged ferocity against this program of the previous administration In Joe Rogan’s podcast: “We put millions of dollars on the table so that rich companies came, they borrow the money and build chip companies here. And they will not give us the best companies.” At that time the possibility that Donald Trump dismantled the Chips program if he arrived at the government was on the table, which caused semiconductor manufacturers They were hurry to collect subsidies Before his return. The partial dismantling of the Chips Law is on the table Presumably Intel, TSMC, Globalfoundries and other designers and manufacturers of integrated circuits have already charged the subsidies of the Chips program assigned to them during the mandate of Joe Biden. Or part of these funds. A priori the money that has already been delivered will not be returned to the administration, but a part of the funds remains in the hands of the Department of Commerce, which is currently led by Howard Lutnick. AND, According to Reutersthe government is considering reallocating at least 2,000 million dollars. China is restricting the export of many of these minerals in response to US sanctions and their allies If this measure thrives those funds initially reserved for semiconductor research and the construction of chips factories will be used to finance projects dedicated to obtaining and the processing of critical minerals. At the moment China controls extraction, processing and the distribution chain of a good part of this crucial strategic resource for many industries, such as integrated circuits, telecommunications, batteries or the electric car, among others. And the country led by Xi Jinping is restricting export of many of these minerals in response to the US sanctions and their allies. The US needs to drastically reduce its dependence on critical minerals controlled by China, and the decisions that Donald Trump has made during recent months reflect clearly that he is much more worried about reinforce the American land industry to deliver subsidies to chips manufacturers. However, the reallocation of these 2,000 million dollars will have an additional effect, if it thrives, it is worth not overlooking: Howard Lutnick will expand its influence to the critical mineral sector. And this manager has the total confidence of Donald Trump. Image | TSMC | Gage Skidmore More information | Reuters In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

There are two suspicious companies of the theft of critical data of TSMC and none of them is China: the two are Japanese

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TSMC leadership has a price. This Taiwanese company is The largest semiconductor manufacturer on the planet and has built its success on the tuning of Extremely competitive integration technologies. Your most advanced photolithography is currently The 2 Nm; In fact, it is about to start the large -scale manufacture of chips of this class. All probability of their competitors, they could know their most sophisticated processes, especially those that are linked to their 2 nm node. And, apparently, some of them are trying to get this information. As We explain three days agothe Taiwanese authorities have arrested three TSMC employees because they have allegedly stole commercial secrets of this company. As we can expect, behind this detention is TSMC itself, as He has revealed The Taiwan Superior Prosecutor’s Office in a statement. According to Nikkei Asiathose responsible for this company have realized that two employees and a former employee have been made with critical information about their photolithography of 2 Nm. This information is very valuable. In fact, it could be used by a competitor to optimize its own semiconductor manufacturing processes. Two unexpected suspects: Tokyo electron and rapidus corporation The research has not yet determined if this stolen information has reached another company, but United Daily News ensures that researchers have registered the offices of the Japanese company Tokyo Electron. The latter is specialized in the design and manufacture of wafering processing equipment, and currently its most ambitious project is the tuning of wafering engraving machines by plasma. These equipment are involved in the definition of the pattern that will later be transferred to the wafer. Rapidus is making a chip manufacturing plant in northern Japan in which it plans to produce 2 Nm semiconductors According to SCMPTokyo Electron has confirmed that he has fired an employee of his Taipéi subsidiary (Taiwan) for being involved in the theft of TSMC’s critical information. This Japanese company also ensures that He is collaborating with the Taiwanese authorities They are carrying out the investigation. “That Tokyo Electron is located in the center of attention for this incident is an unfortunate accident,” has declared ASUSHI OSANAIProfessor at the University of Waseda (Japan). However, this company is not the only Japanese company that has been involved in this conflict. And is that Money.udn.com maintains that some of the TSMC employees who have been arrested have delivered to Rapidus corporation Hundreds of photographs and data linked to their most advanced process integration techniques. This company is intended to compete from you to you with TSMC, Intel or Samsung in the chip production market. Interestingly, it is very young: it was founded on August 10, 2022 by the Japanese government with an initial capital of 7,346 million yen (just under 46 million euros) contributed by, and here comes the interesting, Sony, Toyota, Nec, Softbank, Kioxia, Denso, Nippon Telegraph and Mufg Bank. Rapidus is currently putting a circuit manufacturing plant integrated in northern Japan, in the city of Chitose (Hokkaido), in which it plans to produce 2 Nm semiconductor. The first prototypes of these chips are already ready, but large -scale manufacturing It will not arrive at best until 2027. Anyway, as in relation to Tokyo Electron, the possible implication of Rapidus in the theft of data to TSMC has not been officially confirmed. In fact, it is possible that the authors of this crime have acted on their own and have offered the stolen information to Rapidus without this last company having requested or accepted. Those responsible for the investigation will have to settle. More information | Money.udn.com | SCMP In Xataka | South Korea fears US reprisals. To avoid their old lithography equipment, they take dust on a warehouse

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