A year ago, the blackout caused the Spanish data network to collapse. The CNMC believes it has the solution

In April 2025 Spain suffered a zero energy of which, precisely now, we are going to begin to pay some of its consequences. I remember quite clearly being cut off, not being able to call or send messages via data connection. However, when I changed locations and arrived at my relatives’ houses, some of them could do it. The fall of telecommunications It was uneven in Spainand the CNMC has published a document with preventive measures in case a similar situation occurs again. What happened. The energy blackout that left Spain plunged into darkness resulted in a large part of the population being cut off from communication. However, some operators They managed to keep their mobile network active for hours. Backup generators, generating sets moved to each area, backup systems… The challenge for operators to maintain coverage in Spanish territory was a titanic challenge, quite dependent on internal logistics, the state of the reserve batteries (some of them run on fuel), and the network infrastructure itself They were variables that influenced such unequal conditions to be experienced. A single network. In its statement, the CNMC proposes that the four giants of the Spanish territory put roaming plans at the service of the population in emergency cases. The experience of other countries shows that it is viable to incorporate roaming plans between operators in case of emergency. In this way, in areas where this was necessary due to the unavailability of service in an operator’s mobile network, the networks could be prepared to quickly enable the basic telecommunications services of the affected users through roaming in the networks of other operators. According to the regulator, this is an “ideal measure to strengthen resilience”, but it is not so easy to apply. Yes, but. What the CNMC proposes is a cross-roaming service between Telefónica, Vodafone and MásOrange, something that requires coordination and agreement between the three giants. The best example is Sweden where, after two years of preparation, any mobile phone can connect to any operator. Go deeper. In addition to this proposal, the CNMC requests the mandatory nature of the alert system HANDLE in those cars with DAB+ radio receivers (the evolution of FM radio). Although DAB+ works via antenna (like AM and FM radio), its signal is digitally encoded. The ASA system allows you to automatically activate a DAB+ radio connected to power, being able to quickly launch alerts. At the moment, there is a distance from proposal to fact. In Xataka | Europe has a million reasons to fear an increase in the price of electricity. Spain has something else: renewables

The largest data centers on the planet are guarded by dogs. By robot dogs

The deployment of data centers to train the artificial intelligence It is a sign of technological power, but also economic power. This year alone, the big Americans are going to let themselves more money than NASA invested to take man to the Moon. More than $670 billion between Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and Google to create gigantic data centers. And within that investment, an important part is in safety with dogs. With robot dogs, specifically. It is the culmination of science fiction dystopia. In short. In the age of AI, data centers are the holy grail. We are continually seeing how companies sign contracts for thousands of million dollars with NVIDIA either amd (especially with NVIDIA) to provide them with the platforms with which to train their models. It’s only part of the equation, as there is another monumental investment in power, storage, RAM, dissipation and everything necessary to make these small cities work. Within the investment, there is security, and in BI They have published a report in which they detail that, within the budget, there are companies that are already including spending on robots that patrol both the perimeter and the internal corridors. The goal is security in every sense: patrol to detect threats, but also to identify any problems that occur with the equipment before they escalate and become something more serious. brand dogs. In the report, two companies are pointed out: Boston Dynamics and its dog Spot (with which we were able to play a few years ago) and Ghost Robotics with your Vision 60. Since Boston Dynamicsthe company owned by hyundai For a few years now, they have told the American media that they have been visiting data centers for some time because there is great interest. “We have seen an increase in interest in data centers in the last year, which is probably not surprising given the investment in that space,” Merry Frayne, the company’s senior director of product management, tells the outlet. For these companies, it is tremendous advertising, but also a potential customer in a “new” sector. Because it is possible that the police do not have the budget to get hold of many, but within the billions that are invested in data centers, dogs are just another sheet in the accounting excel. You can mount the sensor you want ‘Patrolling the center. And what is your task? Well… quite a task, really. The representative of Boston Dynamics, and other operators, point out that the dogs are not limited to acting as a “mobile surveillance camera”, but have other tasks: Patrol exterior perimeters to ensure that there are no problems with fences and accesses. Walk through server rooms, cooling rooms, and power rooms to look for anomalies such as water leaks, hot spots that may indicate a short circuit, or accumulations of moisture. Also sensors to detect gases, microphones to analyze noise and, ultimately, the sensor you want to put on it. Capture visual data from everything, such as analog pressure gauges or level indicators. Constantly, and as some robot vacuum cleaners do, map with LiDAR as they pass to see that there are no elements out of place. Some specific centers in which they are already being tested are Novva Data Centers in Utah or Oracle at the Industry Lab in Chicago. And dogs, in addition to cameras, have all kinds of thermal sensors and even conversational interfaces based on models like ChatGPT to interact with people. Measurement of noise levels Object identification Thermal sensors Compensate. It’s really nothing new. We have already seen robot dogs in other industrial sectors such as oil, mining or manufacturing. security forces. In China, in fact, there are deploying to assist firefighters in extreme situations or in institutesbut if in those scenarios they are seen as a tool, here they seem more like a substitute. Because there are those who have done the math and, in a market like the American one, a couple of full-time human guards can cost about $300,000 annually. The initial cost of a Spot ranges from $175,000 to $300,000, depending on the equipment. The cost of a Vision 60 is $165,000. And, as we see, they do much more than a security guard by being full of sensors. Frayne says, “Clients typically start to see a payback on their investment in about 18 months.” Michael Subhan, business director at Ghost Robotics, comments that “instead of having two human guards for $300,000, you can have one human guard and one robot.” A Spots battery charging. And it’s better, since it lasts less than two hours with the standard battery They also get tired. These robots also have their needs. They need to change batteries and install charging points and the environment must be well structured so that the routes are efficient and the sensors such as the LiDAR work well. They can climb stairs and avoid obstacles, but performance suffers in other environments and, in addition, the placement of fixed cameras and sensors in the building must be planned. That is to say, it seems that it is not as easy as saying “I build the center however I want, buy four robodogs and it will work”, but rather that you have to plan the traditional elements and the dogs to achieve a good integration. who are you HUGE Market. Although we have discussed two specific cases in which these robo-guardian dogs are being tested, both Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics have not gone into more details. In the end, it is security, and this falls within confidentiality agreements. Boston Dynamics points out that it is an “emerging market.” And Subhan has mentioned that “in the United States alone there are 5,000 data centers and 800 to 1,000 are currently being built, so we see it as a great market for us.” According to some estimatesthe market for robot dogs and industrial drones is currently around 500,000 units, but is expected to double by 2030, generating a market of 21 billion … Read more

Is it a good time to buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 or will it drop in price? This is what the data tells us

According to the price that the Samsung Galaxy S25 since it was launched and seeing how its predecessor (the Galaxy S24) performed in the market, this is how we value, at the moment, the purchase of the S25 in its 256 GB versionwhich is the one we have analyzed. 🔴 alert (don’t even think about it) Samsung Galaxy S25 Verdict At this moment it is almost at its launch price official RRP 869 euros (Samsung store) Target price “on the street” Don’t pay more than 729 euros (Powerplanet) Next release You can now buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 at the official price of 999 euros in the Samsung store. Our recommendation Don’t buy it. After having reached its historical minimum, now this Samsung mobile is practically at its launch price, being a moment in which you will pay 200 euros more than two months ago for a terminal that is already more than a year old. Regret cost High. The mobile phone has been on the market for more than a year and has a successor. Buying it now would be throwing away your money, as it is expected to drop back to the lowest price it reached a few months ago. In fact, it is already starting to decline in some stores, but not at a considerable rate. Samsung – Samsung Galaxy S25 12GB + 256 GB free mobile. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Why is the traffic light red? The price of the Samsung Galaxy S25, in March 2026, has reached a critical rebound situation after more than a year on the market. That is, the price went down after its release, but now it has started to rise suddenly until almost reaching its initial selling price. Therefore, we find ourselves in this situation: Uncertainty after the launch of the new Galaxy S26: After reaching its maximum price peak again, we now have to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S25 to drop again after the recent launch of the S26 (something that already happened to the S24). Everything indicates that in a few months the Galaxy S25 will drop and its price will stabilize. Future purchase: This means that, at the moment, the purchase of the S25 is more on impulse, since there are really no good offers for this model. The ideal is to wait a few months in case you want to get the previous generation of Samsung’s flagship. Expert Buyer Tip: The Samsung Galaxy S25 has suffered a “bullwhip effect” in recent months and its price has skyrocketed. With the launch of the new Galaxy S26, the price curve will surely end up going down. So if you can wait, the price of Samsung’s previous flagship will eventually drop until it stabilizes. Price history and change prediction The graph above compares the prices that the Samsung Galaxy S25 has had compared to its predecessor (the Galaxy S24) over the course of a year. This is what we observe: This is how Samsung makes money: the secret is in the IPHONE Unusual instability: The S25 market is being totally unstable. While in months nine and ten it reached its historical minimum price (being the best purchase option). After this, it has experienced a rebound that places it almost at the launch price. It is more expensive than its predecessor: Right now, the S25 is 21% more expensive than the Galaxy S24 at the same point in the cycle. The recommendation, therefore, is none other than to wait. Drop expected: It has already been shown that the S25 can drop considerably, so buying it at the prices it is at now, at this point in the life cycle, is paying an unjustified premium for a model that already even has a new replacement (the Galaxy S26) on sale. The best Samsung Galaxy S25 deals now: Keep in mind that many of the offers we find are no longer available once we publish the item, either because they end or because stock runs out, so make sure before buying. Right now, we have not found very good offers for the Samsung Galaxy S25 (except in a few stores). Samsung – Samsung Galaxy S25 12GB + 256 GB free mobile. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The successor to the Galaxy S25 As we have already indicated, the new successor to the Galaxy S25 is now on sale. Specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S26 It was launched at the end of February at the price of 999 euros for the base 256 GB model. So, as you can see, for what the previous model costs right now, the current one is a good purchase option. Samsung Galaxy S26, 256GB The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Is the Samsung Galaxy S25 for you now? If you are not sure whether or not you should buy the Samsung Galaxy S25, this is what I would take into account: ✅ BUY IT TODAY IF: You need to change your phone, you want one from Samsung and you like the previous model more than the new Galaxy S26. ⛔ I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT IF: Can pay a little more for the new one Samsung Galaxy S26 to enjoy some of its new features. 💡 Good alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy S25 that I would buy If you still have doubts about purchasing this Samsung mobile, these are some of the alternatives that I would take into account: Xiaomi 15: by 665 eurosthis Xiaomi mobile stands out for a major battery than that of the Galaxy S25 and charges at 90 W. Its photographic system is signed by Leica and offers more natural image processing. Xiaomi 15 5g 6.36″ 512 GB The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10: If you prioritize the photo and the pure Android experience, this is a good model and even more so at the price it has now (588 … Read more

become an oasis of industry and data centers

The energy panorama that renewables are leaving in the Spanish state leaves some interesting realities, such as Empty Spain is energetic Spainwith regions such as Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León or Aragón as prominent hubs that supply other Autonomous Communities. Exporting it is all well and good, but surplus energy provides an opportunity to get more out of it. As? Becoming an industrial oasis. Aragón knows this and has everything it needs: abundant energy and good communications (another thing it’s how they are). And it has already started with data centersbut it’s just the beginning. Why is it important. Because the window of opportunity for the Aragonese electrical system in Europe is where two trends come together: The energy transformation, leaving fossil fuels behind in favor of renewables, a subject of which he is an advanced student. The digital economy, with data centers at the forefront of the new advanced industry with high electrical demand. The opportunity is real, but it doesn’t last forever. Aragon competes against other regions at the European level to establish itself as the best place to build this digital infrastructure in the eyes of those who make the decision in search of a territory with abundant and reliable energy. context. Aragon has energy. In fact, it produces twice the energy it consumes. Its energy generation is a mix with a high weight of renewables. More specifically and as stated in the report by the Basilio Paraíso Foundation and PwCAt the end of 2025, the Aragonese community has 13,793 MW of installed power, of which 82.5% comes from renewables (mostly wind and solar). Of the 22,365 GWh that it produces per year, it consumes only 10,659 GWh. In short: you have 11,700 GWh per year to spare. Historically, the Aragonese system has exported this surplus, but now it wants to convert it into a differential strategic asset in the event of the eventual arrival of high value-added industries. In figures. Throughout the article we have already been sliding some numbers that better outline the Aragonese energy scenario according to the aforementioned report and the Aragon Energy Plan 2024-2030which we summarize here: Aragón produces 22,365 GWh per year and only consumes 10,659 GWh. It has “left over” 11,700 GWh per year. 82% of its electricity already comes from renewable sources. Data centers already account for 14% of the electricity consumption of the entire autonomous community. In 2025, electricity demand increased by 7.2%: the key is in the new large consumers. By 2030, the objective is to attract new demand of 5.4 GW: 3.7 GW associated with data centers and 1.7 GW for other large electro-intensive consumers. The challenge is not energy generation, but the connection. The link between this available energy and the ability to use it effectively in industries with high energy demand is having an evacuation and connection infrastructure. In short: being able to bring energy to where it is needed. He draft plan 2024-2030 establishes a balance between the supply of connection points, of 15.2 GW, and the potential demand (13.84 GW). Of course, as long as they materialize in a timely manner, so that a potential promoter finds the connection point where and when they need it and that the supply is also stable enough. A bottleneck called Zaragoza. The problem is in Zaragoza and its surroundings. The capital of the community is the environment with the most pressure as it is the place that attracts the most projects. So: Of all the connection capacity that has already been authorized, only 12.7% is operational. Available capacity in the distribution network plummeted to 3.48 MW at the beginning of 2026, compared to 256 MW available in September 2024. Almost half of all requested power (48%) corresponds to data centers. The solutions are on the table. The Basilio Paraíso Foundation report also provides the levers for Aragón to take advantage of this window of opportunity. The most urgent is to reinforce the electrical network of Zaragoza and its surroundings, the bastion of this reindustrialization. In this sense, they call for putting order in the permit queue, prioritizing those with their homework done to release the capacity that is reserved but not being used. The network is not built overnight, so they call for anticipating needs. Finally, it advocates meeting the deadlines of the Plans and Projects of General Interest of Aragon, to offer guarantees for large strategic projects. In Xataka | Aragón is not afraid of AI: it has just approved three more new mega data centers in full commitment to renewables In Xataka | Quietly, Spain is solving its biggest energy problem: becoming the world’s second largest battery power Cover | SQUARE and Wikimedia

Four days (or more) of unlimited data is a huge price

Nobody likes to be left without Internet, but much less when we are traveling. If you don’t want to use roaming or public WiFi, you can always buy a SIM card at the destination, although this can be a hassle and not cheap. The solution? A eSIM installed on your mobile and you forget about problems. You have a very good option with eSimFLAG: if we use the code ‘XATAKA’ we will get three days free contracting at least four days of unlimited data. eSimFLAG – 4 days of unlimited data The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Unlimited data in more than 170 different destinations This promo is quite interesting if we plan to travel soon, such as next Easter. The code that we indicated above is already active and will be until next April 17so we have plenty of time to use it. For example, if right now we contract seven days of unlimited data in Japan and use the code ‘XATAKA’, it will only cost us 15.60 euros (outside of the promo, 27.30 euros). So with all destinations. Why choose an eSIM instead of a conventional SIM? In line with what we told you above, the key is in comfort. It installs in just a few minutes on your mobile, without having to use the typical spike that comes in the boxes. In addition, you install it once and forget it, so if you travel again in the future and use eSimFLAG you will not have to install it again. Another important point is the peace of mind that an eSIM provides in this type of case. Since you are paying for unlimited data, You will not have any scare in the form of a kilometer bill as could happen if you use your company’s roaming. And, if you set it up at home before leaving, you’ll already have Internet once you get off the plane. eSimFLAG offers its service in more than 170 countries, so it is very useful. Having unlimited data, We can continue using WhatsApp or Google Maps at our destinationmaking the trip a much more comfortable and simple experience. And if you do it at a reduced price with this promo, all the better. 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 | eSimFLAG In Xataka | eSIM in Spain: all operators, compatible devices, prices and conditions (2026) In Xataka | eSIM or virtual SIM: what it is, what advantages it has and what is its compatibility in Spain

Japan has taken a look at the data after the disappearance of thousands of Chinese tourists and it has been said that it is not so bad

In the recent tourist chronicle of Japan there is a date marked in red. November 7, 2025. That day the prime minister Sanae Takaichi opened the box of thunder announce that Tokyo would not hesitate to deploy its troops in case China invaded Taiwan. The statement fell like a bucket of cold water on Beijing, which further made clear its discomfort at the diplomatic level, asked its citizens to avoid traveling to the country of the rising sun. Taking into account the enormous weight of Chinese visitors in Japanese hotels, that it sounded like a catastrophea punch in the gut for its thriving tourism industry. Well not so much. The latest data of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) show that this is not the case. It is true that the country receives fewer (much fewer) Chinese visitors than a year ago, but the gap they have left in the hotels has not taken long to be filled by clients from other nations, especially from Asia. A percentage: 6.4%. February has been a good month for the Japanese tourism industry. At least as far as the arrival of travelers is concerned. He last balance from JNTO shows that throughout the month the flow of visitors grew by 6.4% compared to the same period in 2025. From 3.26 million it went to 3.47. The accumulated of the first two months of 2026 is also positive. Japanese tourism now totals around 7.1 million visitors, 0.3% more than last year. Said like that it doesn’t seem like a big deal. The weakness of the yen and its enormous popularity in networks, added to the recovery of the international tourism market after the pandemic stop, have turned Japan into everything a tourist phenomenon. One on a roll and accustomed to record numbers. In 2025, without going any further, the country will receive 42.7 million of foreign visitors, a historical mark that places the nation above 40 million for the first time in its history. So… Why is it news that it rose 6.4% in February? Why does that percentage matter? Countries February 2026 Evolution (%) Accumulated 2026 Evolution (%) TOTAL 3,466,700 +6.4 7,064,200 +0.3 South Korea 1,086,400 +28.2 2,262,400 +24.7 China 396,400 -45.2 781,700 -54.1 Taiwan 693,600 +36.7 1,388,100 +26.1 Hong Kong 233,900 +19.6 433,900 -1.2 Thailand 117,000 +0.2 232,100 +8.7 Singapore 51,300 +21.4 99,800 +13.4 Malaysia 59,700 -8.0 132,200 -5.5 Indonesia 51,200 +8.9 125,200 +13.6 Philippines 71,700 +7.5 150,900 +8.7 Vietnam 61,000 -17.4 113,800 -8.4 The answer: China. What is surprising is not that Japan continues to receive more tourists. The surprising thing is that it does so despite how much the Chinese market, one of its pillars, has become very complicated. We mentioned it before. Takaichi’s statements in November in which he implied that Japan would not sit idly by if Beijing forced its way into Taiwan caused an earthquake that jumped from diplomacy to the economy and from this directly to tourism. As part of their response to punish Takaichi, in mid-November the Chinese authorities they advised its citizens not to travel to Japan. They were even canceled dozens of flights and they refunded plane tickets. From politics to hotels. It didn’t take long for the boycott to be noticed in Japanese hotels. If the flow of Chinese tourists grew at 22.8% in October 2025, the following month (after Takaichi’s speech) that percentage had deflated to 3%. In December it went directly into the red, with a drop in 45.3% which was expanded to -60.7% in January. In February (latest JNTO data available) the balance again marked another puncture of the 45.2%confirming the trend. The percentage is better understood when talking about people: between January and February Japan received 921,700 fewer Chinese than in the same period in 2025. And the alarms went off. The problem is not only the drop in visitors, which is already alarming in itself. If the Japanese sector began to worry, it is because China represents a strategic market. And doubly so. To begin with, it is because of its weight. Along with South Korea, the Asian giant is the main fishing ground for visitors to Japan. In 2025 it added 9.1 million tourists21% of the total. Only South Korea mobilized more. And the data only reflects mainland China. Travelers from Hong Kong (another big market) go separately. The other reason why the Asian giant is so important for Japanese businesses is the profile of its tourists. Not only do many travelers leave China, those who pack their bags to spend their vacations in other countries also do so with full wallets. JNTO itself calculate that last year Chinese tourists spent about 25% more than other travelers during their stays in Japan, something that is especially noticeable in shopping centers. After Takaichi’s words about Taiwan (and the diplomatic storm between Tokyo and Beijing) there were businesses in the sector that they recalculated their forecasts billing, assuming double-digit drops in its earnings estimate. In the absence of Chinese… Other markets are good, which is what the JNTO statistics reflect. Despite the initial fear that Beijing’s boycott would hit Japanese tourism, slowing its unstoppable growth streak, Japan has managed to rebalance the sector. After experiencing a overall flow drop of visitors of 4.9% in January, last month that percentage was corrected and the industry grew again. In total in February they visited Japan about 3.5 million of tourists. How is it possible? This increase actually has little mystery. The JNTO tables show that the 45.2% drop in the influx of Chinese tourists has been offset by an increase in visitors from other nations. The flow of South Koreans shot up, for example, by 28.2%, that of visitors from Hong Kong by 19.6%, that of Singaporeans by 21.4% and Indian tourists by 22.7%. Ironically (or not) one of the markets that has grown the most is Taiwan. Throughout February, 693,600 tourists from the Asian island visited Japan, 36.7% more than in 2025. This is relevant data because Taiwan … Read more

The number one enemy of the Spanish mountain is called climate change. And we have data to prove it.

In 2024, they burned 47,700 hectares. In 2025, 340,000 were exceeded. And honestly, the reasons are manyalmost too many. Well, Marco Turco, from the University of Murcia, just demonstrated something that we already sensed: at a global level, the days of extreme fire risk They have increased 65% since 1980. That’s 12 more days a year. And, if that were not enough, the Mediterranean region is where lthe signs are clearer. What does all this mean? In general terms, this means that although the causes of the fires remain human (in Spain between 80 and 95% of firesin fact; the intentional ones there are many less), climate change has a lot to do with its spread. Increasingly. Why is it interesting? Because this study is the first to apply formal climate fingerprinting techniques on a global scale to fire risk. That is, that figure of 11.66 more days of extreme risk in 44 years is achieved with the most advanced methodology that we have at our disposal. And if the global data is bad, the Mediterranean data (where the days have doubled in these almost five decades) they are horrifying. But it’s not all bad news. After all, as Turco points outdespite the increase in risk, the burned area has not increased proportionally. And the reason, according to him, is the improvement of the means of extinction. However, “when extreme conditions coincide with ignition, the resulting fires are more virulent and extensive.” Why is it news now? Besides because the article has just been published in Science Advances, because the precedent of 2025 (a rainy spring and a terrible summer) It resonates a lot with what we have in 2026. We don’t even have to remember that we are talking about a handful of months with truly incredible accumulated rainfall and that is generating an amount of material in the field that can easily be end up turning Spain black. Because the core of Turco’s work is that the conditions that allow fire to spread and become a big fire They are stronger than ever. Furthermore, human exposure to these types of fires is increasing: according to recent work in Cataloniabetween 42 and 138% for each area burned since 1992. The great debate of the future. As we have repeated on several occasions, there is no debate about the effect of climate change on increasing the risk of fire. The work is summarized in how much, how and where. Therefore, the central debate is another: what. What we do with the cards that nature is dealing us. And the truth is that there is a lot to cut: whether to bet on extinction or preventionif investing more in the landscape management or begin to integrate the entire territory into urban planning schemes more ambitious and extensive. Etc, etc, etc. The debate is endless and we are always late. Because what is clear thanks to Turco is that the distance that separates the spark from the megafire is increasingly shorter. Image | Mikhail Serdyukov In Xataka | In Ourense there are towns that fear running out of water in the middle of the rainy season. The reason: the hangover from forest fires

Data centers have run out of “plugs” in central Europe, so they are migrating north and south

The insatiable appetite of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redrawing the map of Europe. Historically, the European data center market has been dominated by a handful of metropolitan areas known in the industry as the “FLAP-D” markets: Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin. The main attraction of these cities was their proximity to large demand centers, which allowed extraordinarily fast data transmission. However, current forecasts indicate that this historical dominance is beginning to crumble. Technology developers are packing their bags and the reason is purely physical: there is not enough energy. The collapse of the giants. The driving force behind this technological exodus is the sheer congestion of the electrical grid in the traditional epicenters. Unlike a conventional factory, data centers present a brutal challenge for any infrastructure: they are huge, hyper-localized loads that operate tirelessly and have the ability to skyrocket their consumption faster than almost any other industry. The local impact of these installations is astonishing. According to Greenpeacein 2023 data centers consumed between 33% and 42% of all electricity in cities such as Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt. The most extreme case is that of Dublin, where they accounted for almost 80% of electricity consumption. The situation became so critical that Ireland was forced to impose a moratorium de facto to new data centers in its capital until 2028. The exodus to the North and South. As a direct consequence of this bottleneck, the proportion of installed capacity in FLAP-D markets will fall from the current 62% to just 51% by 2035. according to a report by Ember. This drop marks the beginning of a new era in which developers flee from bottlenecks. The new map would look like this: The big winners: The Nordic countries top the expansion list. They offer some of the least congested networks in Europe, low electricity prices, minimal carbon intensity and cold climates that reduce the need for cooling. Demand is expected to increase 4 or 5 times in this region. The awakening of the South: On the other side of the continent, countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain also project explosive growth, driven by their potential in renewable energy. The laggards: There are nations that, despite having strong economies and plenty of IT talent, are falling behind. Poland and Czechia are the best example. As detailed by Paweł CzyżakDirector of the Europe Program at the analysis center Embertheir electrical systems are still tied to coal and gas (Poland emits about 600 gCO2/kWh and the Czech Republic about 400 gCO2/kWh). With no clean energy to offer, investors prefer to look to their greener neighbors. Don’t underestimate the south. While the north squeezes the Scandinavian cold, Spain faces this exodus from a privileged position, breaking daily renewable generation records. However, its electrical network suffers a serious administrative “thrombosis”: There is plenty of clean energy, but there is a lack of cables to transport it, leaving 130 GW trapped in a bottleneck. Faced with the avalanche of data centers that threatened to collapse the system, the Government and the CNMC They have applied emergency surgery. The solution involves pioneering “flexible access permits” – which allow these plants to use residual capacity by accepting outages in emergencies – and the non-negotiable requirement that they withstand “voltage gaps” to shield the electrical stability of the entire peninsula. Planning and more planning. None of this happens by chance. In places where the network flows smoothly, there are years of work behind it. The Norwegian operator, Statnett, has been preparing the ground for some time to assume three times the electricity demand from data centers by 2030. In Denmark, Energinet began building high-voltage substations in 2017 in anticipation of precisely this scenario. Beyond the cables, the internal technology dictates the sentence. The key indicator is the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), which measures the technical efficiency of each installation. Paweł Czyżak points out in your newsletter that the difference is abysmal: the leading centers consume 24% less electricity and emit four times less CO2 than an average plant. Google has the best student in the class in Fredericia (Denmark): it averages a spectacular PUE of 1.07 and runs on 91% clean energy. The technological paradox. There is, however, a fascinating irony in the background: the same Artificial Intelligence that today saturates the cables could be the salvation of the electrical system. According to calculations by the consulting firm Deloittethe efficiency improvements that this technology will bring will save more than 3,700 TWh globally by 2030. Put into perspective, the deployment of these algorithms will save almost 4 times the energy consumed by all the data centers on the planet combined. Examples from other latitudes support this theory: in Southeast Asia (ASEAN), It is estimated that integrating AI in the management of its electrical systems it will save more than 67 billion dollars and avoid the emission of almost 400 million tons of CO2 between now and 2035. Infrastructure decides the future. At the bottom of this complex puzzle of cables and algorithms, what is at stake is pure and simple economic competitiveness. They are not minor figures. In the Netherlands, the data and cloud sector already attracts 20% of all foreign direct investment. In Germany, estimates calculate that the contribution of these centers to GDP will jump from the current 10.4 billion euros to more than 23 billion in 2029. The warning for legislators and regulators is clear: the technology giants have no patience to wait for new cables to be buried. They will move their billions to where the network already has space. As Czyżak saysthe country that wants to seduce the industry must guarantee clean energy in abundance and plugs ready to use. In the frenetic race to dominate the technological future, having a ready electrical grid is no longer an advantage; It is the only entry ticket. Image | İsmail Enes Ayhan on Unsplash and IRENA Xataka | Iran is directing its attacks where it knows it hurts the West: energy and data centers

Meta spent a fortune on AI talent and data centers. Nine months later the result is: zero models

Mark Zuckerberg wanted to be the Florentino Pérez of AI. last summer began to sign galacticos in this segment and getting talent by letting go stacks of millions of dollars. He more popularOf course, it was the AI wunderkind Alexandr Wangwho became leader of its “Superintelligence” division. The funny thing is that the months go by and go by and in Meta they don’t seem to have absolutely anything to show. And that is very worrying. Delays. Despite having invested billions of dollars in that restructuring of the company to bet (practically) everything on AI, three internal sources confirm that Meta finds it very difficult to meet the planned deadlines. The race for generative AI waits for no one, and at the company headquarters nerves are on edge because the roadmap is not being met. Avocado, where are you? The new foundational AI model that Meta has been working on for months has been internally named Avocado, but at the moment it is not measuring up, something that reminds us what happened to Llama 4. Internal tests reveal that although it manages to surpass the aforementioned Llama 4 and the old Gemini 2.5, it falls short of Gemini 3.0 (and of course, the recent Gemini 3.1). Patience. Coming out with a model that is clearly worse than its rivals does not make sense, so Meta has decided to wait and delay the launch of its model. Avocado is expected to hit the market in May at the earliest. And meanwhile, Gemini. The situation is so critical that according to these sources, the leaders of the AI ​​division are considering something unthinkable: paying a license to Google to be able to use Gemini in their own products, something that for example will Apple do Siri. That would be a clear sign that for now this own model is not capable enough to power the AI ​​functions of WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads. Money does not equal speed. The company has spent billions of dollars on AI researchers, and has committed to invest 600,000 million dollars in building AI data centers. In January, Meta projected a capex of $135 billion dedicated almost entirely to these projectsalmost double the $72 billion it spent last year. Despite these investments, the company is currently missing from an area in which its competitors continue to advance. Internal tension. According to these sources, Meta is becoming a tinderbox. The “TBD Lab” (for “To Be Determined”), the unit led by Wang, is working under maximum pressure on models named after fruits (Avocado, Mango, Watermelon), but has clashed with old-school Meta managers like Chris Cox and Andrew Bossworth. The company is trying to integrate those models with Meta’s advertising business, which is what supports everything, but Wang doesn’t seem to handle that part of the business very well. Goodbye to open models. Meta stood out at the beginning of this AI race as the company whose open models —not Open Source— were above the rest. Llama became the norm in this area, but in this new stage that philosophy seems to change and China is the one that now leads that segment. Thus, there is talk that both Zuckerberg and Wang lean toward closed models, such as those of OpenAI (GPT) or Google (Gemini). This allows you to have full control over the code, a competitive advantage that Meta does not seem to want to give up. Few fruits of this tree. Despite the extraordinary deployment of resources, the current balance is poor. Meta’s only tangible product of those investments is Vibes, an application similar to Sora that has not managed to fully gel. Meanwhile, those initial talent signings have turned into abandonments: the trickle of AI researchers who leave the company to join others (or found their own projects) is increasing. In Xataka | Meta has been buying chips from NVIDIA and AMD for years. Now it also makes its own so as not to fall short

Chips connected by laser instead of cable. It seems like science fiction, but it aims to revolutionize data centers

If you have ever mounted a PCSurely one of the points on which you have had to pay the most attention is the connections. Because understanding the power of the processor, the GPU or the speed of the RAM is “easy”, but the motherboard is what allows us to interconnect all these components with ‘highways’ in which the data speed can be maximum. In the data centers and serversthis is the same: the better the connections between chips and equipment, the lower latency, higher bandwidth and better performance. These connections are made physically, but there is a French startup that wants to change the rules of the game with NVIDIA. As? Connecting the chips by laser. Chips connected by laser and NVIDIA taking out the wallet Improving interconnection speed is no small feat or a whim. NVIDIA has begun manufacturing its next generation platform, the one named Vera Rubin. It is a system that can be combined with others to multiply benefits. That union, as we say, is physical, but there comes a point at which physics is no longer enough. When that arrives, NVIDIA wants to be ready and, a few days ago, Reuters reported on a $4 billion investment by NVIDIA in two companies that are aggressively researching new technologies to help increase that interconnection speed: Lumentum and Coherent. This is a rack and the nightmare of those of us who hate cables. Specifically, that of the Wikimedia Foundation. Well, imagine that a large part of those cables go outside because the systems are connected by electricity Another of the companies in which they have invested is Scintil Photonics. It is a French startup that this in the testing phase of a technology that, if the industry adopts it, will mark a before and after in this connection on a team scale. The LEAF Light Evaluation Kit is, as detailed, the first dense wavelength division multiplexing single chip to go from theory to practice. It’s like another language, I know, but it’s basically what we were talking about: an optical chip interconnection system instead of copper. And that is the main advantage. With copper reaching physical limits of speed and density, optics are emerging as a solution when connecting clusters of thousands of processors. Each chip has an optical system that is responsible for emitting and receiving light, and in that light goes the data that is currently traveling through cables. The one from the French company it is not the first chip based on photonic communication, but they claim that their technology reduces the energy necessary for them to work by 50%, as well as latency. Results? Well we’ll see. The startup’s CEO, Matt Crowley, has commented that he has “six or seven companies interested in implementing the technology by 2028,” but that due to confidentiality agreements, he cannot name names. The Scintil Photonics prototype The complication in this will be that they get supply of the photonics systems, since the data center racks are built with the idea that they are scalables. That is, it is no longer just power, but how many tens of thousands of units you can interconnect, and a bottleneck in the manufacturing of any of the parties involved in optics would be equivalent to a lack of supply for their customers. At the moment, some prototypes have already been served to select companies for testing, but certainly, using light pulses instead of electrical signals is something that is very interesting in superclusters focused on huge data centers that can scale without the limitations of the physical connection. Images | Victorgrigas, M.I.T., GlobeNewswire In Xataka | Huawei no longer competes: it is building its own parallel reality

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