favor

has AI in its favor

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During the first two months of 2026, China exported integrated circuits worth $43.3 billion, according to SCMPwhich represents an increase of 72.6% compared to the same period in 2025. This information comes directly from Chinese customs records, so it is presumably reliable. However, the most astonishing thing is that all of this country’s exports has grown by 21.8% during January and February, so it is evident that the semiconductor industry has been stimulated with much more intensity than other sectors. This behavior largely responds to the very high demand for chips for artificial intelligence (AI) that extends across a good part of the planet. The US and its allies have worked hard over the past five years to prevent China from achieving the photolithography equipment of the Dutch company ASML that it needs to manufacture cutting-edge chips, which has caused the country led by Xi Jinping to be forced to achieve self-sufficiency throughout the semiconductor production chain. Domestic demand has stimulated the growth of the Chinese chip industry in recent years, but the figures I have collected in the first paragraph of this article show that external demand is also very strong. Huawei, Moore Threads either Cambricon Technologies They are some of the Chinese companies that already have AI GPUs with competitive features, so it is reasonable to assume that these chips are being acquired by foreign companies that are most likely having difficulties accessing the solutions that the Taiwanese company TSMC produces for NVIDIA or AMD. Mature chips remain one of the pillars of the Chinese industry SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp), the producer of integrated circuits most important in the country led by Xi Jinping, has the capacity to manufacture 7nm semiconductors. And maybe also 5nm. In this process it uses the UVP lithography equipment that it purchased from ASML before the US and Netherlands sanctions prevented it from acquiring more units of these machines, but to produce these chips, as we have explained In other articles, you are using a technique known as multiple patterning. Presumably SMIC doesn’t make 7nm chips on a large scale. And possibly a good part of them are bought by Huawei This strategy broadly consists of transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. The problem is that it has an impact rise in the cost of chips and a decrease in production capacity, although it works. In practice this means that SMIC presumably does not manufacture 7nm chips on a large scale. And possibly a good part of them are bought by Huawei. In that case it is reasonable for us to ask ourselves what type of integrated circuits are being mass produced by Chinese manufacturers. And the answer is very revealing: these are chips derived from mature integration technologiesusually 28 nm or less advanced. After all, the semiconductors that we mostly find in electronic devices, household appliances or cars, among other products, have been produced using them. Many Chinese chip manufacturers, such as Hua Hong Semiconductor, China Resources Microelectronics or Guangzhou ZenSemi, are manufacturing 28 nm integrated circuits or with even more mature technologies. And the Beijing Yandong Microelectronics (YDME) company is going to build a 4.6 billion dollar plant expressly to produce 28nm semiconductors on 300mm wafers. It is evident that these companies would not focus on the manufacturing of mature chips in this way if it were not a profitable strategy, and, above all, necessary to sustain the Chinese integrated circuit industry at a time as critical as the current one. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | SCMP In Xataka | China is preparing for the worst scenario: it fears that the US will prevent TSMC from delivering chips for cars and smartphones

be in favor of putting more taxes

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In addition to being the CEO of NVIDIA (the most valuable company on the planet), Jensen Huang is in the top 10 richest people in the world according to Forbes. He has a net worth of $160.7 billion, a salary of $1.5 million a year (rose 50% last summer) with 49.9 million bonuses and 3% of his company’s shares. There it is nothing. As for properties, he owns a luxurious mansion on Billionaire’s Row in San Francisco and another, considered as your habitual residence due to its proximity to NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, in Los Altos Hills. In the first I had David Sacks as a neighbor and in the second the founders of Google. The use of the past tense is not a mistake: they have all moved away to avoid the tax on the rich of 2026. For the CEO of NVIDIA it is not a problem: ““I’m perfectly fine.” with California’s new multibillion-dollar tax. Jensen Huang is not alone. But they are an absolute minority In an interview with Bloomberg TV last Tuesday, Huang said that “We choose to live in Silicon Valley, and whatever taxes they would like to apply, so be it” and that he had not thought about moving even once and that, despite the fact that his company has offices in several countries: “we work in Silicon Valley because that is where the talent pool is.” This new law, which would go into effect on January 1, 2026 retroactively if it passes the vote in November this year, imposes a flat 5% tax on people with a net worth greater than $1 billion to fund health programs. Considering his Jensen Huang net worth, we are talking about a fiscal bite more than 8 billion dollars. Jensen Huang’s position is rare bird insofar as it goes against the trend of many other technology magnates, who have packed their bags to avoid tax burdens. But NVIDIA CEO is not alone: There are other millionaires who are favorable to paying taxes. Of course, they are a minority. Without going any further, one of the most famous defenders is Warren Buffet, who almost 15 years ago proposed the ‘Buffet rule’ arguing that it is unfair that he pays a lower percentage of taxes than his secretary. Bill Gates has also repeated a few times that taxes are raised on the rich and the tax burden on capital gains and inheritances is increased. Incredible as it may seem, the fervent defender of capitalism Mark Cuban has advocated for paying taxes as “the most patriotic thing to do.” And speaking of patriotism, there is even an organization known as “Patriotic Millionaires” where the Disney heiress or the philanthropist George Soros ask that their taxes be raised. By the way, the current president of the board is Morris Pearl, former CEO of Blackrock. The budding law is the new “well, I’m going to Andorra” As we mentioned in the intro, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have already migrated T-Rex LLC to Delaware, according to Business Insider. After, Page has acquired a residence in Miami following in the footsteps of Jeff Bezos, who we will talk about later. The Guardian collects the intention of Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel or investor David Sacks to move to other states with a more favorable tax policy such as Texas or Florida. For the majority of these businessmen, these types of taxes discourage innovation, cause capital flight or directly, they consider that the government wastes money on these types of social welfare concepts. One of the most critical tycoons with the tax burdens is Elon Musk, who moved his residence from California to Texas due to the tax pressure. For the CEO of SpaceX and Starlink, taxes on millionaires are stupid: instead they should invest in reaching Mars, declared for the public entity PBS. Jeff Bezos is much less controversial than Musk on his social networks, but his recent move to Florida (which lacks a state income tax) after several decades in Washington has been interpreted as a measure to escape taxes. Ken Griffin, founder of the financial company Citadel, has also gone to Miami after criticize the fiscal policies and security of Chicago (Illinois), his previous residence. Reid Hoffman​, founder of LinkedIn, who is a large donor to the Democratic cause, has recently spoken out against this Californian tax alleging which is poorly designed and harmful to innovation. In Xataka | Warren Buffett sold half of his Apple shares. You will now pay taxes equivalent to Spotify’s annual income In Xataka | SpaceX is on track to have more money than NASA. He has achieved this, in part, because he does not pay taxes Cover | NVIDIA

China no longer plays in its favor

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Apple has closed its fiscal fourth quarter of 2025 with $102.5 billion in revenue, surpassing the psychological barrier of $100 billion in a quarter for the first time. Earnings per share have reached $1.85, 13% more than a year ago. Wall Street expected less, so the stock is up 4% outside market hours It is the best quarter in Apple’s history. It is also the one that best exposes its dependence on China. Why is it important. Apple is already worth more than $4 trillion, the third company to reach that valuation after NVIDIA and Microsoft. Its results affect hundreds of suppliers in its production chain. But the growth of the iPhone, which still accounts for half of its revenue, has slowed. China is both a threat and an opportunity: If you regain traction there, the rally continue. If not, services will have to compensate more and more. And they are not infinite. Yes, but. ‘Greater China’ (a region that includes mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong) is the only region that has fallen compared to the previous year. Revenues in that market have been $14.5 billion, 4% less year-on-year and well below the $16.4 billion expected by analysts. Tim Cook has tried to soften the blow by promising that they will grow again in the first fiscal quarter thanks to the iPhone 17but the numbers sing: Apple is losing ground where it hurts most. Besides, Chinese brands are winning the battle of prestige on their own territory. Manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi or Vivo are no longer cheap alternatives and have started to position themselves as premium options, with special emphasis on the former. Apple is no longer the only status symbol in a market that manufactures many of its products. The money trail. The Services division has reached $28.75 billion this quarter, 15% more than last year. It is a historical maximum and the figure that really sustains Apple’s growth. In the full fiscal year, Services have exceeded $109 billion, another record. iPhone: 49 billion (+6%). Services: 28,750 million (+15%). Mac: 8,726 million (+13%). iPad: 6,952 million (practically flat). Home, wearables and accessories: 9,013 million (-0.3%). In this last division are Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, Apple TV… Services already represent 28% of total revenues but their very high margin compared to hardware means that they generate close to 50% of operating profit. Services, after all, do not require complex supply chains or rely on product cycles. In detail. The tariffs have cost $1.1 billion in the quarter and are expected to reach $1.4 billion in the next. Kevan Parekh, the chief financial officer who has replaced Luca Maestri, has projected revenue growth of 10% to 12% for the December quarter — the first of Apple’s fiscal year — with iPhone sales growing by double digits. Analysts expected only 6%. Cook has highlighted the “very strong demand” for the iPhone 17, launched in September alongside the iPhone Air. They have also mentioned supply constraints, suggesting that they could have sold more if they had been able to make more. The backdrop. Apple depends on China in two directions: As a consumer market. And as a production center. This double dependence is a geopolitical vulnerability that has become more evident with the trade war. The company has tried to diversify its manufacturing towards India and Vietnambut China remains irreplaceable in the short term. Meanwhile, in China, Apple is no longer perceived as the only aspirational brand. Local manufacturers have improved a lot in design, cameras and software, which leads to an improvement in perceived value. And they’ve done it while Apple navigated years of incremental iPhone updates. Featured image | apple, Li Yang In Xataka | Ode to rounded corners, the visual element that has proven Steve Jobs right once again

‘Chat Control’ votes tomorrow and Spain is in favor

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The regulation on child sexual abuse or CSAMalso known as chat control, was first promoted in 2022. With the aim of protecting minors, he proposed end the end -to -end encryptionwhat in practice would be A hard blow to the privacy of all citizens. Although the proposal It was rejected In 2023, now he is on the table again. What happened. The presidency of the European Union Council is rotary and changes every six months. From July 1 to the end of the year it is the turn of Denmark and One of his first decisions was to resurrect chat control. At least fifteen Member States showed their support, so it went ahead and the vote will occur tomorrow, September 12. If it is finally approved, it would come into force as soon as October of this year. Chat Control. It is how this proposal has nicknamed among the most critical sectors. With the aim of detecting possible child pornography material, you want to end encryption messaging that is currently standard in massive apps such as WhatsApp. Security experts and Citizen Organizations They have raised their voice against this measure for supposing a serious violation of privacy and opens the door to mass surveillance. The balance is inclined. Many countries have already shown their position in this debate. During the inciative Fight Chat Controlthere are fifteen member states in favor of approving chat control and seven countries that oppose their implementation. The majority party in Belgium described the proposal as “A monster that invades our privacy.” There are five other undecided states, but if the positions are maintained, Chat Control will be approved with 15 votes in favor and 12 against. Spain, in favor. It is not new. The position of the Government of Spain is favorable For a long time. In mid -2023, a document was leaked of the Council of Europe in which the response of the Minister of Interior Grande-Marlaska appeared, which considered “imperative that we have access to the data (…) It is equally imperative that we have the ability to analyze them, regardless of how large the volume is.” In addition, he openly said that he was in favor of preventing by law from end -to -end encryption. Images | Wikipedia, Pexels In Xataka | LaLiga has turned the start of the season into a digital nightmare: blocks everything to protect the football business

We have discovered a relationship between olive oil and risk of death by dementia, a point in favor of the Mediterranean diet

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Someone could think that everything is already said, all investigated, on one of the fundamental axes of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil. Nothing is further from reality: research on this food continues and continues to reveal striking aspects of the liquid. And as regards striking relationships, perhaps the palm is taken by the fact that they keep the consumption of this derivative of the olive and dementia. 28%. A study published a few months ago established existence of this relationship. Specifically, the analysis responsible for the analysis observed a 28% reduction in the risk of death associated with dementia between people who consumed at least Seven grams of olive oil per day, compared to those who did not consume this liquid or did it rarely. Until now, some studies They had indicated us an inverse relationship between the Mediterranean diet and the cognitive deterioration associated with age. From there, establishing relationships between different aspects of these variables can help us better understand the link between Mediterranean diet and healthier aging. Changing ingredients. In its analysis, the team also studied the effects of replacing different sources of fat. Through a substitution modeling, they estimated that replacing five grams of margarine or mayonnaise daily with an equivalent amount of olive oil could be related to a decrease in the risk of mortality associated with the dementia of between 8% and 14%. A similar analysis did not detect similar effects when these fats were replaced by other vegetable oils or butter. 92,383 participants. The study was conducted from the macro -conformation Nurses’ Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-Upwhich allowed to obtain Information about 92,383 participants. These filled surveys on eating habits every four years over a 28 -year period. The team divided these participants depending on their olive oil consumption: those who never consumed olive oil or did it less than once a month; who consumed up to 1.5 grams per day, who consumed between 4.6 and 7 grams per day; and a group for those who consumed more. The team extended its analysis over 18 years of the study and controlled aspects such as the general quality of the diet or the genetic predisposition to suffer from the disease. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Jama Network Open. What is happening? When establishing a causal relationship, it is always convenient to understand what mechanisms are operating behind this relationship between olive oil consumption and death risk associated with dementia. “Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and contains components with antioxidant activity that can play a protective role for the brain,” He explained to the environment UPI Anne-Julie Tessier, co-author of the study. In Xataka | Extra virgin olive oil is one of the purest products in the world. And it is also full of microplastics Image | Pixabay

Everything blew in favor of Xiaomi with its first electric car. Until his clients began to see the qualities of SU7

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A hood that does not work and some bumpers that deform with heat. More than a year after launching Your first electric carmonths after knowing all the details of Your most provisional version And, confirmed, a few days after it is revealed Your next electric SUVXiaomi is faced with his first major media crisis in his journey in the car market. Until now, the Chinese company had achieved surprise To everyone. The production of its first electric car I barely gave to meet all the demand. So much so that the producing plant where their cars come out has become A tourist attraction. When we were still rubbing our eyes, the Xiaomi Su7 Ultraan electric car of stratospheric benefits that exceeded those of the Porsche Taycan more powerful and that was sold at a price much lower than the German model. But the honeymoon is over. A few days ago Lei Jun, CEO of the company, said it was facing one of the toughest moments at the business level and personnel that he remembered. In recent weeks, news that have were just a grain of sand have been accumulating. Today they have a small mountain to save. A hood and some pieces that deform When Lei Jun referred to the fact that one of his worst weeks had passed at the head of Xiaomi, he referred, among other things, to the death of three people aboard his car. It is not entirely clear but it seems that the car caught fire after crashing when it carried the activated driving assistance system. Although a fatal accident is a crisis that all companies have to pass They put a car on the street or a Autonomous Driving Systemin China an investigation immediately began to know what had happened. Shortly after, the company itself began to capo the Xiaomi Su7 Ultra. Maybe for Avoid risksan update reduced by more than 600 hp the maximum power of Deportivo Electrico and it was warned that to unlock it, a test should be passed in a circuit. The complaints were so sound that the company reculled and unlocks the car again. Days later Xiaomi faced a new fire. Now he had more than 400 demands on the table because some of the first owners of the Xiaomi Su7 Ultra complained that the Specific hood of more than $ 5,000in reality, it was worthless. Despite promising that it served to get the heat from the front zone, its structure was useless before this task and requested the refund of the value of the car. From Xiaomi they have rejected this option and proposed to deliver to the buyers the original hood and those who kept it They would receive 20,000 credits In the brand store. However, many of them have refused to do so, claiming that the products have 60 days of withdrawal and that they want them to return the car’s money. In Carnewschina They explain that the question of deceptive advertising demand is being a thorny issue in China. Beijing regulators have already failed in favor of the company, noting that they have not incur It should be double because they were deceived. It is known that the company has stopped the deliveries of the sports electric car and that those who had a reserve made have been asked to contact the company. If not, the order would be suspended. Likewise, they have moved to those who reserve the car that the waiting times are no longer the same with what they had so far. Capós that deform and an alleged defamatory campaign In the middle of all this strip and loosen between consumers and company, in the last days images have been viralized that talk about the supposed poor quality with which Xiaomi cars are auctioned. With different images, some owners are pointing out that one of The car’s hood pieces are poorly tight and that, even, it can bulge as a result of heat. Accompanied by images that you can see in Carnewschinasome Xiaomi cars owners point out that this piece is misaligned with the lighthouse and that it can deform. The reasons to which it points are diverse, from a piece of worst quality than the rest of the car to a bad assembly or deformations due to extreme heat. At the moment, the company has confirmed that it will repair all the necessary interventions and has stressed that the Xiaomi Su7 Ultra is not affected because, according to the company, they use better quality pieces. In fact, the company has transferred to the owners the recommendation to stop the car in extreme climate situations and not take refuge under a tree in case of strong storms. In addition, they have a claim for these phenomena from the application itself. However, from Xiaomi they believe that the flood of news that has arrived in a few weeks is not accidental. The technological giant points out that he is suffering an attack towards his image to reduce the impact of the launch of the Xiaomi Yu7, an electric SUV that they will present on May 22. As reportedthere are 10,000 accounts in social networks that work with bots to defame the company through rumors or false information. Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, shared in his social networks the statement of the company’s legal team: “Internet is not a space without law. Xiaomi will decide legal measures to protect our legitimate rights against slander and malicious attacks.” Photo | Lei Jun on Twitter In Xataka | All cars depreciate immediately as soon as they leave the concessionaire. All but one: the Xiaomi Su7

In favor and against an increasingly international and ‘desestationalized’ diet

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Yesterday There were creeks in the supermarket. Round, orange and bittersweet, the fruits of the loquat of Japan are one of those little miracles that gives us May. And I know it is an anecdote: a handful of thousands of tons of an absurdly seasonal product distributed by the supermarkets of five or six Spanish provinces. But it made me smile, first; And frown, later. Because yesterday, looking at those two bars in the middle of the ocean of fruits and vegetables, I realize that we almost always eat the same. Yes, a varied and balanced diet: provided we do not get out of the same 20 or 30 fruit and vegetable references. There is a battle in the world of distribution forever, let’s eat the same; so that our diet is the most standardized the same; so that there are no media in the supermarket. It may seem exaggerated, but there are examples to thousands. If we think about it, the idea of ​​being able to go down to the store and find avocados whatever the time of the year is almost magical. Avocado flowering in Spain It occurs in April. Also in March and May, but especially in April. The collection and marketing, on the other hand, goes from October to March. What happens in the spring and summer months? Where do the avocados that fill the shelves of the supermarkets come from? The answer is that of Peru. Of other sites, but fundamentally from Peru. The market and globalization has achieved something incredibly difficult: to be able to have seasonal products throughout the year. Sometimes, bringing them from other areas of the world (as in the case of avocado); Other times, looking for macrovarities that allow their cultivation throughout the year. That is what happens with potatoes (extra -time, early, half -season and late) and tomatoes. The Jungle Law. In this sense, international trade and international coordination select products with the ability to generate sufficient demand to ensure its supply during the year is profitable. As not all products allow it, nor all consumer groups are large enough: the current result is that many traditional products can only be found at the local level and those of great consumption The shelves of the supermarkets fill half the world. In our pantry there is a fierce knife fight from which only the most suitable products for these plethoric market societies come out. Is such a standardized diet ‘a good idea? Without a doubt, it has positive things. For the love of God, we can eat avocados at any month of the yearHow are you not going to have positive things? For thousands of years humanity has had to eat what it touched, but now we are very close to simply eat what we feel like. And that, even in a subject so crossed by cultural, social and personal factors Like food, it limits the future of gastronomy: it unifies it little by little, it makes it less diverse and more insecure. But, without a doubt, more appealing: a breakfast buffet in a hotel of many stars: the best – the most popular – of each kitchen in the world. While science fiction writers imagined a future with astronaut food, A kind of Soylent with steroids. What we are discovering is that the diet is changing, yes; But towards the promise that in the end We will all eat more or less the same. Image | NRD In Xataka | How, when and why the tomatoes will know Tomato again?

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