In his career for the total domain of the solar panels, a rival has come out: the Spanish Perovskita

The sun will continue to shine, but the way we take advantage of it is changing at vertigo speed. While China and other countries are focused on improving the efficiency of Perovskita solar panels, Spain has set the point of solving another great challenge: stability. And he does it with a clear message: say goodbye to the silicon. Jubilating the silicon. Until now, talk about solar energy It was talking about silicon. Today, that equation begins to break through the Perovskita. In Madrid, an Imdea Nanocencia team has achieved that a cell reaches 25.2% certified efficiency, almost matching The world record of 26.7%. With this, Spain enters the first line of the race for the solar future. Not only that, they have also manufactured a mini-modulus of 25 cm² that maintains an efficiency of 22.1% and extraordinary stability, something that historically has been the Achilles heel of this technology. “These cells already exceed the commercial silicon, which barely reaches 18% efficiency, and open the door to the next generation of solar panels,” explains Nazario Martín, principal researcher of the project. The jump is not only academic. In research, Published in Advanced Materialsthey explain that Perovskita promises to reduce costs, be flexible, light and recyclable, in front of the silicon, whose production process is expensive and controlled almost exclusively by China. But the essential here is not so much efficiency and durability. The cells developed with the new PTZ-FL material maintain 95% of their performance after 3,600 hours of tests in demanding conditions (ISOS-D-1 protocol). In other words, we do not talk about fragile laboratory prototypes, but of devices capable of resisting the passage of time under sun, humidity and heat. The fund of the project. The advance is based on the design of molecules called Spiro-Fenotiazines, which act as “hollow transporters”, an essential layer in the solar cell. The PTZ-FL compound prevents lithium-ion migration, which is usually one of the main causes of degradation. In the words of the researchers, it is about building a “compact interface” that protects the material and improves its efficiency. In practical terms, it means that Perovskita modules are not only more powerful, but also much more resistant. China takes the lead. As he advanced above, China has focused its efficiency efforts. A study by the Huazhong University and Technology achieved a 28.8% record With a tandem cell totally from Perovskita, without silicon. This type of advance, such as Spanish, confirm that Perovskita can not only compete with silicon, but to overcome it in scenarios where it never shone: facades, windows, offices or even portable devices. There are very specific challenges. Beyond laboratory records, the great challenge is to bring this technology to the market. Today, the European Union depends largely on China to manufacture solar panels, According to an Ember report. Projects such as IMDEA not only seek efficiency, but also reduce this strategic dependence. In addition, the most expensive component of a solar panel is no longer silicon or glass, but aluminum frames, which represent 14% of the total cost. A reminder that the transition to Perovskita will require innovations not only in laboratories, also in factories and supply chains. Forecasts The solar future is no longer written with silicon. Perovskita has gone from being a fragile promise to real candidate for the market. The question is not whether it will come, but how and from where. Spain, with the advancement of IMDEA nanocencia, wants part of that response to have European seal. Image | Freepik Xataka | India needs more crops and solar energy than any other country. So you are installing solar panels in height

The main car manufacturing countries, exposed in a devastating map that shows the Asian domain

It depends on what car segment let’s put the magnifying glass, but I know esteem that in 2024 They sold Between 75 and 85 million vehicles worldwide. It is a growth of more than 2% compared to the previous year, and if you have wondered which country is the one that manufactures the most cars, this map responds to perfection and highlights its own name: China. There are also trend changes that should be analyzed. Asian domain. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With data from the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), we can see in blue the countries that dominate cars manufacturing. China produced more than 31 million Of vehicles in 2024, the United States more than 10.5 million and Japan more than eight million. Among the three, 54% of all vehicles built during the past year, but we put the focus on Asia. Apart from China and Japan, India with six million and South Korea with four million are two other countries of that Asian “axis that contribute to the domain of the area in exports worldwide. All have more or less stable production compared to the previous year, being Japan that stars in a 10% decrease in production, but staying between the powers. The opposite case is Thailand, which closes the Top 10 with 1.4 million vehicles produced, assuming a 20% downturn compared to the previous year.

It is not that China seriously in the Pacific, is that the space has revealed the size of a vertiginous naval domain

The satellite images From the rehearsals in Changjing, near Beijing, they are showing the magnitude of what China prepares for The military parade of September 3: an exhibition that coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of the war against Japan and that is emerging as a demonstration of naval and strategic power directed against the United States and its allies. Because China goes very seriously If we expand the focus. A missile showcase to deter. They counted the Insider analysts that among the images include the presence of mobile systems, advanced drones and, above all, a complete line of Antibheque missiles that It covers from Furtive subsonic models to hypersonic projectiles of great maneuverability, conceived to deny the access of the US Navy to the Western Pacific. Among the systems: The YJ-18Csubsonic and stealthy missile, The YJ-15Ramjet propulsion and supersonic speed, and The YJ-21capable of launching from ships or aircraft with hypersonic capacity against whites in motion. An even more advanced projectile would be added to them, The YJ-19of hypersonic planning superior to Mach 10. This missile deployment, which covers all possible categories, far exceeds what is necessary to face the Taiwanese navy and directly points to US and allied forces in the region, reinforcing the Power perception capable of controlling nearby seas. Unmanned platforms. Next to the missiles, the parade will include unmanned war systems. In the preparation zone, combat drones have been observed as The GJ-11 and the GJ-2as well as vehicles designed to transport naval surface drones. One of the most striking elements is the appearance of a small submarine drone to the Russian Poseidonpossibly destined for long -range oceanic surveillance or even attack missions. Although it is not clear if it is nuclear or if it can carry eyebrows, its mere presence indicates that Beijing explores the strategic weapons path unconventional In the maritime domain. The image of the place of the parade, taken on August 25, shows the complete extension of the vehicles parked in the testing place ICBM, missiles and scope. The deployment is not limited to the naval stage. In another section of the enclosure, at least 16 vehicles are appreciated carrying what would be intercontinental ballistic missiles Dongfeng-41solid fuel and with a range of up to 15,000 kilometers, capable of carrying multiple nuclear heads. They could also present land attack cruise missiles such as The DF-100designed to achieve targets at great distance at supersonic speed. With these weapons, Beijing projects the image of a power with the ability to hit not only in Asia-Pacific, but against objectives in US territory, including Guam or even the west coast. The sea as an instrument of ascent. I remembered this week The BBC In an extensive report that, in just two decades, China has transformed its naval industry into the most powerful in the world, absorbing More than 60% of the global orders of ships and producing at a rhythm 200 times higher than that of the United States. This domain is reflected in its navy, which already has 234 ships compared to 219 of the American fleet, although the American advantage still lies in the tonnage, in the large aircraft carriers and in the technological superiority of its submarines. For Beijing, the sea is The basis of its development economic (with seven of the ten most active ports on the planet) and the springboard to project Geopolitical ambitions increasingly explicit in the South China Sea and beyond. A new Chinese naval base with six nuclear submarines Dual shipyards and fusion. The key to this growth lies in the fusion between shipyards civil and military. Dalian, Guangzhou, Jiangnan and Hudong-Zhonghua produced between 2019 and 2024 almost 550,000 tons of military ships, more than the British Navy Royal displaces. The “military-live” model driven by XI Jinping allows large commercial facilities to manufacture war or support their maintenance, which provides China from multiply assets In case of prolonged conflict. Thus, even without even having a fleet of aircraft carriers comparable to the American, Beijing has a strategic advantage in the speed of replacement and In versatility of his shipyards. Extended bases. The qualitative leap is reflected in the expansion of bases such as Yulin, in Hainan, where in recent years they have Added five docks To house Jin nuclear submarines capable of carrying twelve strategic missiles each. In fact, recent trials and social networks material show that the popular liberation army is incorporating submarine drones capable of deep surveillance, detection of cables and covert operations in international waters. Although much of these technologies remains experimental, the investment rate suggests a clear will of shortening distances With Washington in high sophistication areas. The historical memory. In addition, the Chinese naval project is loaded of political symbolism. Xi Jinping links its strengthening to the “humiliations” suffered between 1840 and 1949, when China suffered 470 invasions and lost its regional power position. In The military paradeswhich exhibit hypersonic missiles and antisatellite weapons, the idea of ​​a country that resurfaces after centuries of submission is transmitted. Thus, the slogan “we defend our ocean dream”, present In naval theme parks and in walls of port cities, seeks to instill national pride and legitimize the enormous military expense before the population. The Taiwan factor and tensions. With this “Naval” Map of Beijing, the biggest question is how the nation will use The growing power. Although he says he does not want to interfere in other countries, he holds the promise of “gathering” Taiwan, without ruling out The use of force. United States, forced by law to assemble Taipéi, perceives the risk of an open conflict dragging the region to a greater war. Chinese naval trials near Japan and the circumnavigation of Australia show that the Navy is no longer limited to its nearby waters. Meanwhile, the Pentagon Try to revitalize a naval industry weakened after decades of divestment, although recovering the initiative will be A titanic task. The decisive issue for the Pacific balance, therefore, seems clear: who can put … Read more

Microsoft had a saved secret. His new AI model for Copilot is the clearest statement against Openai’s domain

Since the fever broke out by generative AI, Microsoft has opted for OpenAi models to give life to key functions in some of its most important products. It is not strange if we remember that those of Redmond They invested more than 10,000 million dollars in the startup directed by Sam Altman. However, this alliance of convenience It has been showing fissures for months And, as time goes by, The rivalry between both parties becomes more evident. It was Microsoft itself that, a year ago, included OpenAI in his list of competitorstogether with Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta. And it is OpenAi who, According to The Informationinsists on not wanting to share its avant -garde technology when it arrives, if it arrives, the AGI. Even if you try to make up, the link is no longer as solid as in its first days. And now there is another chapter underway. Microsoft AI begins to show their own letters Mustafa SuleymanCEO of Microsoft AI, who assumed the position when the association with Openai had been consolidated for years, It has just presented two internally developed models. They are advanced proposals that users can already prove and reflect the company’s ambition: “Create AI applied as a platform for products.” One is a real novelty and another we already knew. Let’s look at the details. Mai-1-Preview. It is the great novelty. It is a Mixure-OF-Experts model, in the style of GPT-4O or GPT-5, designed to offer great capabilities in resolution of instructions and useful responses for daily consultations. According to Suleyman, it is the first model trained from beginning to end in Microsoft AI’s own laboratories. The most striking thing is that it can already be tested. Just enter LMARENAselect Direct Chat and choose Mai-1-Preview. In the coming weeks it will also arrive in Copilot, although only “for certain cases of text use.” It is paradoxical: the text functions of the Microsoft Chatbot work thanks to OpenAi, but now it will begin to live with its own technology. Developers can also request anticipated access to API. MAI-VOICE-1. It is a voice generation model that stands out for its expressiveness and naturalness. For some time now it promotes functions such as Copilot Daily (news summaries) and Copilot Podcasts, although only in English. It is also available in COPILOT LABSwhere you can try different voices, styles and narration tones. One of its strengths is efficiency: it can generate a complete minute of audio in less than a second using a single GPU. With this, it is one of the fastest and most effective voice systems that exist today. Microsoft defends that the voice will be the interface of future assistants of AI. And he wants to advance with a high fidelity solution capable of responding in different scenarios. Could I have resorted to Openai and your GPT-4o in audio version? Yes. Do you want to do it? Everything indicates not. “Much more to come. We have great ambitions for what comes next: advances in the models, an exciting roadmap in computation capacity and the opportunity to reach billions of people through Microsoft products. We are building an AI for all,” said Suleyman in X. It remains to see what course the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAi will take. What is clear to users is that there will be more variety and more tools to experiment. Images | OpenAI In Xataka | Goal wants us to use AI when we don’t know what to say at WhatsApp: This is how your new option for writing assistance works

Nvidia is going to give your chips to the push you need to maintain their domain

Nvidia is preparing to open the door to the door to The photonic silicon. Just a few hours ago it has started in Palo Alto, California (USA), the Specialized Conference in Semiconductor Engineering and High Performance Computing ‘Hot Chips’. And the company led by Jensen Huang has not let out the opportunity to announce that in 2026 its platforms of artificial intelligence (AI) latest generation They will use photonic interconnections to reach higher transfer speeds between GPU clusters. Most of the designers and manufacturers of integrated circuits are working on the development of silicon’s photonic. Douglas Yu, a TSMC executive with responsibility in the field of systems integration, explained In September 2023, what disruptive capacity has this technology: “If we manage to implement a good system of integration of silicon photonics we will trigger a new paradigm. We will probably be placed at the beginning of a new era.” Nvidia has just taught her letters Before moving forward we are interested in intuiting with some precision what we are talking about. The photonic silicon is a discipline that in the field that concerns us seeks to develop the technology of this chemical element to optimize the transformation of electrical signals into light pulses. The most obvious field of application of this innovation is the implementation of high performance links that, on paper, can be used both to solve communications between several chips and to optimize the transfer of information between several machines. Advanced packaging technologies with which the main semiconductor manufacturers work, such as TSMC, Intel or Samsung, can benefit a lot from a communication mechanism between very high performance chips. And the big data centers in which it is necessary connect a large number of machinesalso. However, there is a particular discipline that has a projection of the future overwhelming and the one that would be wonderful about the advantages proposed by the photonic silicon: AI. CPO technology reduces energy consumption to just 9 watts per port This is precisely Nvidia’s commitment. In the clusters of the thousands of GPU they must work in unison, so it is essential to connect them using high performance links. It is possible to solve this challenge using traditional copper cables or optical modules, but these two solutions introduce very important inefficiencies in the infrastructure. The most problematic are the loss of energy and bottlenecks. Data transfer can consume up to 30 watts per port, which increases the dissipation of energy in the form of heat and increases the probability of a failure. In addition, latency limits the scalability of clusters as the GPU number of data centers increases. To solve these inefficiencies NVIDIA will integrate the optical components that require photonic interconnections In the same encapsulated switching chip. This technology is known as CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) and reduce energy consumption to only 9 watts per port. In addition, it minimizes signal loss and improves data integrity. It looks really good. NVIDIA has confirmed that it will integrate CPO technology into its Quantum-X infiniband and Spectrum-X Ethernet interconnection platforms during 2026. However, there is something important that is worth not overlooking: CPO will not be an extra. When it arrives, it will be strengthened as a structural requirement of the next generation of data centers for AI in a clear attempt to increase the competitiveness of hardware platforms for NVIDIA. Image | Nvidia More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | Intel and TSMC lead the revolution of photonic chips. His problem is that China has just done fully in this war

Huawei already has his best strategy to end Nvidia’s domain in China

In early 2025 NVIDIA had a fee in the Chinese chip market for artificial intelligence (AI) of nothing less than 95%. However, during the last weeks has dropped to 50%. This abrupt decrease is largely due to the export restrictions of chips for the The US government has imposedalthough it is also caused by the development of competition within China. Despite this unfavorable Nvidia scenario, it has something very important in its favor: CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture). Most of the AI projects that are currently being developed are implemented on CUDA. This technology brings together the compiler and development tools used by programmers to develop their software for NVIDIA GPUs, and replace it with another option in the projects that are already underway it is a problem. Huawei, who aspires to an important portion From this market in China, it has Cann (Compute Architecture for Neural Networks), which is its alternative to CUDA, but for the moment CUDA dominates the market. Huawei is going to position Cann as an open source tool kit This declaration of Li Guojie, a computer scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences that is considered an authority in China, Express clearly The important thing that are the tools that I have just mentioned in the ECOsystem of AI models: “China must develop an alternative system to achieve self -sufficiency in AI (…) Deepseek has had an impact on the CUDA ecosystem, but it has not overcome it completely because barriers persist. In the long term we need to establish a set of software tool systems for the controllables that exceed CUDA.” Xu Zhijun does not mention it expressly, but what his strategy pursues is to increase the competitiveness of the Huawei’s ecosystem This is undoubtedly one of the great challenges that China faces in this area, and probably its best option is Cann. During the last five months Huawei has launched two GPU for Ia Very competitive and is about to take a very important step: Cann will position as An open source tool kit. Its purpose is, According to Eric Xu ZhijunRotary President of Huawei, “to accelerate the innovation of developers and get the chips of the Asce Family to be easier to use.” Xu Zhijun does not mention it expressly, but what his strategy pursues in the background is to increase the competitiveness of the Huawei ecosystem attacking Nvidia where he is stronger. In addition, it has already begun to discuss with the main actors of the China’s AI industry, as well as with its commercial partners, universities and research institutions how Huawei should build their open source ecosystem. If this initiative thrives, and presumably will, it will represent a very important step forward on the road to China’s technological independence. Image | Hiilicon More information | SCMP In Xataka | Nvidia has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. His plan in China is in danger In Xataka | The US wants to end the chips for the Chinese that are sold abroad. And China knows how to defend oneself

The throne on the list of the most reliable cars of 2025 has changed. What does not change is Japan’s domain

Usually, after a house, The purchase of a car It is the second greater expense that we have to face. It is still something indispensable in the day to day of us, But with upward pricesit is necessary think very well what is bought. Apart from choosing a motorization model or personal tastes, it is always advisable to take an eye on the lists of the most reliable cars in the market. And the new analysis of Consumer Reports It is a great help to make that decision. Changes in the noble zone. Although they focus on the US market, there are common models in different territories and lists like the one we have in hand or JD Power’s are very interesting. They handle reports sent by thousands of consumers, analyze several key points of new cars and are so relevant that some of their findings They have forced brands to take action (such as the failure in the rotary engines of Mazda in 1973). Every year they make their list with the most reliable car brands, Those who go down the least for the workshopand in which they have just published they take reports from 2022 to 2024, as well as the first bars of 2025. Normally, it was a boring table, but in this year’s edition we see that Toyota and Lexus, who had been dominating for years, have lost one position each due to the rise of another brand that, to anyone’s surprise, remains Japanese: Subaru. Graph | Consumer Reports The tail does not change. The domain of the Japanese in the upper part is a constant in recent years, this reliability being one of the presentation cards held by cars in the ‘rising sun’. In the lower part of the reliability list there are also some position changes, but the names we see are the same (and the countries too). If the Japanese stand out above and in the middle part of the South Koreans like Kia or Hyundai, in the lower part those who dominate are the Americans. Jeep, GMC or Cadillac are not well stopped. Nor does the German Volkswagen (again) and the red lantern is Rivian. The one who became the Third most important car manufacturer in the world In the stock market, they collapsed in record time, losing 90% of its value in just three years. It is the brand that worst score takes this year’s list. And if you are wondering where Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Mitsubishi or Fiat are, from CR points out that they did not have enough data to be able to add them legitimately to the list. We will see if for the final report of the year contemplating everything 2025 changes the thing. What do they analyze. View the list, let’s see the data and conclusions of Consumer Reports. For this year’s report, they have asked their members about the problems they have had with their vehicles in the last 12 months. In total, data from more than 300,000 vehicles from 2000 to 2024 have compiled, but as we said, also with 2025 models that have had sufficient units on the street to be relevant to the compilation. They analyze 20 problem areas ranging from brakes to the engine, through broken embellishness, potential problems outside battery, transmission and problems that affect the electric and hybrids as the battery and load and create a score for each vehicle from 1 to 100. Hybrids stand out. As they point out, all that previous experience and the data of newer models have allowed this year’s list to be the most complete for hybrids and electric. They claim that they continue to improve, but that if there is a king on all electrified, they are the HEV hybrids. Jake Fisher is the technical director of Tests at Consumer Reports and points out that, although hybrids “remain extremely efficient in fuel consumption, they also offer reliability that is similar to conventional combustion cars despite their added difficulty.” He continues to affirm that “on average, they have a similar number of problems that cars propelled by a combustion engine” and comments that the most reliable models are from Toyota, Lexus, Kia and Hyundai, with cars such as Corolla, Rav4, Elantra el Sorento, Highlander or Lexus NX. But with reservations. It also points out that not all hybrids are the same and that Ford, for example, has a reliability problem with both the F-150 as with the F-150 hybrid. In addition, they strive to indicate that the most reliable of electrified are pure hybrids, since PHEV or plug -in hybrids They are less reliable. And, as a final recommendation, from the report they clarify that, although a brand can be very reliable, there are always models that stand out and others that lower the average. If we are interested in particular, it is worth looking for information from that and not getting carried away by the general reliability guides. And they say it with a specific model in mind: the TOYOTA BZ4Xbeing the one that lowers the score of the brand. Interestingly, it is the basis of Subaru’s single, and also lowers the average of this company. In Xataka | The German ITV has analyzed the reliability of the Tesla and has reached a conclusion: Dacia is above

China’s domain is spreading far beyond rare earths. Even where the US had no rival: the sea

While the United States is has launched yet to the search of those minerals and rare earths that China governs well above the rest of the planet, even with the pentagon and the Apple very Inverting a stratospheric sum, Beijing has been adding and building A small empire that begins to make many nations nervous. To Japan and Taiwan, who believed the seas as nobody: Washington. Maritime ambition. In a context of growing strategic rivalry with the United States, China has intensified their Naval operations long range as part of an explicit demonstration of its global ambition. Already We tell it: Between May and June, the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong They carried out combined exercises in waters near Japan, operating beyond the so -called “First Islands Chain” and entering the “Second Chain”, including Guam in Equation, an important military enclave United States. Nerves The presence of these two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific not only caused Concern in Japanbut also revealed the New scope of the Chinese Navy, which seeks train their units To operate independently, far from the continental coasts, both in peace and war times. The ability to perform air operations from ships in open sea (including Removal and landings of fighters and helicopters up to 90 times a day) provides China an operational experience that, although still incipient, anticipates a future use of these assets as force projection instruments beyond their immediate influence areas. Shandong Inroads under construction, in 2019 Aircraft carrier as a message. Beyond its military utility, Chinese aircraft carriers represent a powerful status symbol international. For the Government of Xi Jinping, the possession and deployment of these ships constitutes an affirmation that China has left behind the limitations of a regional power and progressly advanced towards the image of global power. Even though Three Chinese aircraft carriers current (the liaoning, the Shandong and the still inactive Fujian) operate with conventional propulsion and are below technologically of the Eleven nuclear aircraft carriers From Washington, his exercises are promoted in official media as an unequivocal signal of the country’s maritime rebirth. And one more when falling. In addition, the possibility that The fourth carriercurrently under construction, use nuclear propulsion and electromagnetic catapults indicates a gradual but ambitious evolution. Plus: The recent opening to the public Shandong in Hong Kongafter completing their maneuvers, reinforces that nationalist propaganda approach aimed at strengthening the legitimacy of Chinese leadership through military power. CNS FUJIAN Dispute for the Pacific. China’s aircrafts not only serve for training or to project distant influence, they also constitute a Operational tool Within the framework of Territorial disputes Activated in the Sea of South and Eastern China. Analysts agree that Beijing could use them to reinforce your claims in front of Japan, South Korea or Southeast Asian countries, or even to exert coercive pressure on Taiwan through A maritime block that prevents the flow of goods and communications. Although in a direct conflict with the United States the aircraft carriers would be vulnerable to missiles and torpedoes (and would probably have a limited role in a immediate confrontation by Taiwan), its value lies in the control of broad areas, surveillance, political intimidation and support for combined naval operations. As He pointed out A Japanese academic to NYT, these platforms allow pressure on both military and civil vessels, becoming a hybrid instrument of economic and military coercion. Evolutionary logic. From the Strait crisis from Taiwan in 1996, when the United States deployed two combat groups Of aircraft carriers to deter Beijing, China understood the need to develop its own naval response capacity. The starting point was the acquisition of the helmet of An old Soviet aircraft carrier In Ukraine, converted into the Liaoning and incorporated in 2012. Since then, the advance has been progressive but constant. The Shandong, released in 2017was the first built entirely in Chinese shipyards, while The Fujianeven in the test phase, it incorporates for the first time a system of Electromagnetic catapultkey technology to operate heavier and better armed aircraft. A long way. Despite these advances, experts like Narushige Michishita They warn in the New York Times That Chinese naval operations are still in a rudimentary phase, marked by a slow but disciplined learning curve. China prefers to avoid expensive errors and seeks, however, consolidate a coherent maritime doctrine and functional that allows, in a few decades, to compete from you to you with the great naval powers of the world. The Indo-Pacific Theater. Plus: the simultaneous display Of the Liaoning and Shandong in deep waters, it has a double value: it allows the Chinese fleet to operate in unknown environments and reinforces its capacities for future intervention scenarios in critical areas, such as the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf or even the Mediterranean. According to him Timothy Heath researcher of the Rand Corporation, the aircraft carriers will offer China the ability to project aerial missions in any balloon area Where your Navy sails, beyond the only foreign base that currently maintains in Yibuti. In that sense, the control of routes to the Middle East or the Strait of Malaca, vital for Chinese economic and energy interests, will probably be one of the Strategic objectives in the medium term. A symbols war. I remembered the Times that, as Beijing builds More warshipsconsolidated alliances with African countries and reinforces its port diplomacy in Asia and Africa, the Indo-Pacific converts On the board where a new naval power competition is outlined, with the aircraft carriers as a tool of that Geostrategic ambition. While the aircraft carriers do not guarantee maritime domain (especially in front of a power with Interdiction capabilities as the United States), its value lies both in its operational function and its symbolic weight. In other words, Beijing is no longer satisfied with defending their coasts, but with drawing routes on waters that, until recently, only dominated Your main rival. Image | RHK111, Tyg728, Ministry of National Defense The People’s Republic of China/ Li Gang/ Xinhua In Xataka | China … Read more

The figures suggest that the domain of blockbusters in Hollywood is not over. In fact, it will go worse

In the post-pandemic Hollywood that we live, of completely consolidated cycles and trends, commercial cinema reigns at its expression: sequelae, remakes, reboots and blockbusters that do not leave space to medium and small movies. And although one might think that it is a passing situation with a visos to change, the truth is that such a panorama (at first glance, a transition state) does not stop consolidating. The figures. Let’s look at a few figures, which Pau Brunet gives in Your Newsletter Box Office Alchemy: During the first semester of 2025, the five highest grossing films in the United States have concentrated 82% of income. It is a rise in that domain if we compare it, for example, with 2019, when those five films generated 75%. At first glance the figures do not seem to indicate excessive growth, but let’s look at the rest of the movies. Top 6-10 represents 11.7% of the box office, a 35% drop compared to 2019. And beyond Top 10, the figures are abysmal: they represent 6.3% of the income, a 53% drop. That without counting the general fall of income (which shows that this domination of a few films is not the panacea): in these first six months, those first five films have generated 22% less income than in 2019. And what does it mean. That as much as we rabiem and kick because last year The ten most viewed films were all sequelsremakes, reboots and several fritas (not even ‘WICKED‘He escaped, being how is the adaptation of a musical inspired by a book that, in turn, is based on’ The Wizard of Oz ‘), is what works and is what the public demands. A few months ago We contemplated stunned How Disney Barría at the box office with ‘Lilo & Stitch’, and this week we have The premiere of ‘Superman’to which the first box office figures (at the time of writing these lines, the presale of Thursday) predict a great result. We can celebrate the success of unusual bets as ‘sinners’ (which Apparently it will not become franchise), But it is still a drop in the ocean, an absolute rarity in the current context. Problems for indies. Of course, this points to severe problems for the indie sector of cinematographic production, and that is increasingly cornering in the billboards. Brunet himself spoke In a previous newsletter of the aid that in Hollywood are taking place, by producers’ coalitions, to the cinema that does not have the support of the great studies. And this is going to be the only way for independent cinema, authentic basic oxygen for industry, continues to exist, because the dynamics of distribution have it marginalized. The rooms: horror, horror … The figures are clear, but you just have to go to any room to check the absolute domination of the cinema mainstreamto which the brutal is added Shortage of exhibition windowsin search of rapid benefits: after a few weeks in rooms the films go to PPV, and from there to streaming. And start again in a dynamic that not only burns products at infernal speeds, but also admits anything that is not blockbusters. The Terabusters. Brunet puts a name to this phenomenon: Terabusters. A step beyond the blockbusters, like Kaijus of cinema, the movies already They are not blockbusters, but events that bring together all the efforts of a producer for months … and hopefully return that effort in the form of dividends that allow them to finance the following monster. But you have to take care of the cinema base fabric, or the industry is in danger of devouring itself, or working only based on movies that we saw ten years ago (or less). Header | Warner In Xataka | There are many people who hate Santiago Segura movies. The problem is that they “save” Spanish cinema every year

This is how absolute domain has achieved

China dominates The lithium -ion battery market with an indisputable forcefulness. If we stick to electric cars the country led by Xi Jinping Fabrica 57% of batteries that these vehicles use. Catl and Byd are the biggest manufacturers of energy accumulators of the planet with A market share in 2023 34% and 16% respectively. And if we look at electronic devices equipped with batteries, your domain is equally forceful. The evolution that the lithium batteries industry has experienced in this Asian country is the result of a very ambitious strategy pergenerated by the Government a decade ago. In 2015 President Xi Jinping announced the plan “Made in China 2025”an initiative that pursued to take the country to a world leadership position in thirteen strategic technologies. In some of them, such as the production of medicines, large tractors, the manufacture of industrial machinery, the artificial intelligence (AI) or the robots does not lead, but has established itself in a competitive position. In batteries, however, he leads clearly. China’s success is the result of a well -measured strategy China has gone from having a share in the global battery market of 50% in 2015 to no less than 80% today. A decade ago his position was already good, but in 2025 his domain is absolute. Another fact that we are not overlooking is that the global production of lithium batteries in 2015 amounted to 42 GWh, while in 2024 this figure increased to 1,400 GWh. This growth is mainly explained thanks to the intervention of this Asian country. China is the largest electric car market on the planet, so its internal demand is able to sustain its battery industry alone In any case, the really interesting thing is to know what strategy has allowed the country of Xi Jinping to control such an important market in such a forceful way. As we can intuit, this success is the result of several factors. On the one hand China bet early on LFP batteries (Lithium Iron Phosphate), which use iron and lithium phosphate instead of cobalt and nickel, so they are cheaper and more safe, through subsidies of public vehicles. This happened in 2009. Years later, in 2016, the State subsidies prioritized the improvement of the benefits of these batteries, and therefore, They increased their competitiveness. This scenario allowed China to use patents derived from LFP technology in their free domestic market, which helped him gain experience and develop his production capacity. In fact, Catl, Byd and other Chinese manufacturers Batteries have put in recent years huge factories that have allowed them to develop the economy of scale producing a huge volume of batteries with an extremely competitive unit cost. In addition, China is the largest electric car market on the planet, so its internal demand is able to sustain its battery industry alone. However, beyond the support of the government and the ability with which China has managed to climb its production capacity, it is important that we do not overlook another factor: this country has access to raw materials in very advantageous conditions. The new lithium and iron mines under your control have allowed you to have great reservations of these chemical elements at a low price. In addition, its supply chain allows you to control, in addition to the extraction of raw materials, your refining and the assembly of all the components of the batteries, thus reducing the presence of intermediaries and the margins of external suppliers. From one thing we can be sure: at the current situation it is very unlikely that other countries will snatch market share to China in this industry. More information | Asianometry In Xataka | Historic record for China: its chips industry has produced in 2024 more than ever despite the sanctions

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.