future

Meta and Google talk about nuclear fusion for the future; The short-term reality is that they are pulling natural gas

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Silicon Valley has an undeniable gift for selling the future. If one listens to the great technological leaders, Artificial Intelligence will soon be powered by energy sources worthy of a science fiction novel. Goal just signed an agreement to obtain solar energy directly from satellites in space, while figures such as Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, They assure that nuclear fusion It is the great “silver bullet” that will save the sector. However, it is enough to look down from the stars to the earth to find a much smokier reality. To feed the insatiable “energy monster” that AI has unleashed, big technology companies are turning to the technology of the past. As explained from Axiosthe race to dominate artificial intelligence is accelerating at such a dizzying pace that the industry’s ambitious climate goals are taking a discreet backseat. Today, the world’s most sophisticated cloud is being built on a foundation of fossil fuels. The numbers speak for themselves. Far from nuclear fusion laboratories, the actual infrastructure being built in the United States tells a story based on natural gas. Meta’s case is perhaps the most graphic, as detailed in Bloomberg, US utility Entergy Corp. has had to increase its capital spending plan by almost a third, reaching $57 billion, to build 10 new natural gas plants dedicated exclusively to powering the new data campus Hyperion of Meta in Louisiana. This gigantic complex will require more than 7 gigawatts of power, the equivalent of the output of seven large nuclear reactors. Google, the historic champion of clean energy, is not far behind either. An investigation by the market intelligence firm Cleanview has brought to light Google’s partnership with the company Crusoe Energy to develop a huge data center in Texas named “good night“. The project includes a 933-megawatt gas plant built outside the traditional electrical grid. The end of the green utopia? The environmental impact of this installation is not minor, how to explain Guardianthe plant will emit up to 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. To put it in perspective, this exceeds the annual emissions of the entire city of San Francisco or is equivalent to putting 970,000 additional gasoline cars on the roads. Given this, Google’s official position is cautious. Chrissy Moy, company spokesperson, does not deny the project before the mediaalthough it clarifies that, although they are linked to the campus, they still “do not have a contract in force” to acquire energy from said gas plant. How have they developed in oil pricethe origin of this sudden gas rush is that data centers are putting local power grids under unprecedented pressure, causing consumers to bear the cost of this increased energy competition. To overcome the slow expansions of the public network and the endless waiting lists for permits, Wired points out that data center developers They are choosing to generate their own energy “behind the meter” (off-grid). And in that fast and private strategy, gas is king. Their green mask falls off. This is a serious blow to Silicon Valley’s green image. As you remember GuardianGoogle was once a pioneer in promising net zero emissions by 2030. However, the company itself has had to admit that its carbon emissions have increased by 48% in the last five years due to data centers. Now, those environmental objectives have been internally downgraded to the category of climate moonshots (speculative projects very difficult to achieve). The underlying problem is purely physical. As he reflects Impakterenergy—not chip shortages—is emerging as the real bottleneck for AI. Traditional renewable sources are intermittent, and large language models require devouring electricity 24 hours a day. A systemic problem that is already raising blisters in Washington. The return to natural gas is not an isolated anecdote of a couple of companies. There are currently about 100 gigawatts of gas-fired power in development in the United States destined for data centers alone. Microsoft just signed a deal with oil giant Chevron in Texas, and permits for OpenAI’s Project Jupiter in New Mexico suggest it could emit up to 14 million tons of greenhouse gases annually (triple that of Google’s project). Faced with this fossil avalanche, Democratic senators such as Whitehouse, Van Hollen and Heinrich have sent letters demanding formal explanations from leaders of Meta and OpenAI for putting the country’s climate commitments at risk. The industry defends itself by arguing that it is a necessary evil. Cully Cavness, president of Crusoe, explained that natural gas it is a critical “bridge” and the only power source available today capable of scaling at the pace AI demands. Next-generation clean alternatives will take decades. Meta’s promising agreement to receive solar energy from space will not have a pilot satellite until 2028and its commercial viability is not expected, at best, until the 2030s or 2040s. The same happens with commercial fusion reactors: they will not dump a single watt into the grid well into the next decade. The great paradox of AI. Business magazines celebrate the financial success of this revolution. In their profiles of the most influential companies, TIME relates how Google, under Sundar Pichai, has reached a $4 trillion market value driven by its advances in AI, while Mark Zuckerberg celebrates record ad revenue on Meta by promising systems that will soon “understand the unique personal goals” of each user. Silicon Valley promises that this same Artificial Intelligence will one day help us solve humanity’s great challenges, including climate change itself. But the current paradox is inescapable: in the real world of 2026, to train the most brilliant and avant-garde artificial mind ever created, human beings still inevitably need to set natural gas on fire. Image | Photo by Tasos Mansour on Unsplash Xataka | Solving the mystery of the red balls on high-voltage cables: a simple way to save lives

The animal testing of the elixir for future warfare has been a success. Now the most difficult thing remains: making it work in humans

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In 1667, the French doctor Jean-Baptiste Denis performed one of the first transfusions of history using lamb’s blood on a human patient, convinced that it could calm his behavior and save his life. The experiment generated such controversy that ended up being banned in several countries for decades, leaving a lesson that has accompanied medicine since then: when it comes to replacing blood, each advance opens a door… and also a risk that is difficult to foresee. An experiment that redefines war medicine. A lot has happened since that test by Denis, but now it is making strong noises again with the development of a powdered blood substituteone that marks one of the most ambitious advances in military preparation for future conflicts, where conditions no longer guarantee rapid evacuations or immediate access to hospitals. In this context, the idea of ​​transforming blood into a portable and stable resource ceases to be science fiction and becomes a solution, or perhaps an operational necessity. They counted on Insider that, for the Pentagon, what is at stake is not only improving logistics, but changing the way soldiers’ lives are saved in environments where every minute counts and medical infrastructure may not exist. The “elixir” that seeks to change war. The program powered by DARPA has managed to turn a complex concept into a potentially revolutionary solution: a powdered blood substitute that can be stored, transported and activated in a matter of seconds. This system is presented as an alternative to the current model, where fresh blood is limited, perishable and difficult to move in combat zones. The key, they say, is in its operational simplicity: mix the contents with sterile water and have a vital resource at the exact moment it is needed. Success in the laboratory. The initial results have been promising enough to generate expectations within the military and scientific field. After demonstrating its viability in controlled environments and later in animal models, the project has overcome one of the most complex phases of biomedical development. In other words, the advance suggests that the concept works in biological termsopening the door to real applications in scenarios where conventional transfusions are not possible. The great challenge. There is no doubt, despite of the advancesthe final jump remains the most difficult of all. The next step is to overcome the regulatory processes and demonstrate that the system is safe and effective in humansa long path that involves clinical trials, medical validation and approval from regulatory bodies. In fact, this is where many promising developments stall, not because of a lack of technology, but because of the complexity of ensuring that they work in real conditions without unexpected risks. A necessity. They counted in their report in Insider that interest in this type of solutions does not arise in a vacuum, but as a response to a profound change in the nature of conflicts. Conflicts have shown that air superiority no longer guarantees rapid evacuations, and the wounded can be trapped for hours without access to advanced medical care. In these contexts, the immediate availability of blood becomes a critical factor that can make the difference between life and death. Limitations of the current system. In the absence of alternatives, the armed forces have resorted to methods such as emergency transfusions among soldiers, known as “living blood banks.” Although effective in specific situations, these solutions depend on the availability of donors and cannot scale in scenarios with multiple casualties. Again, this highlights the need for a more robust solution, capable of responding to high-intensity situations without relying on improvised resources. Beyond science. The future of this technology announced by DARPA depends not only on its medical effectiveness, but also on its economic viability. The production, distribution and adoption of synthetic blood require significant investments in a sector where margins are traditionally low. Without a sustainable model that incentivizes companies and hospitals, even the most promising advances can remain in the experimental phase, never reaching the battlefield. Be that as it may, the objective set is more than ambitious: to turn development into an operational tool before end of the decade. To achieve this, almost nothing: coordinate science, regulation and industry in an accelerated process that avoids the usual blockages in such complex projects. But if successful, this sort of modern “elixir” could redefine war medicine, bringing the ability to save lives directly to where it is needed most. Image | DARPA In Xataka | Four years later, the Ukrainian war is the first war in history where humans are spectators In Xataka | In 1914, submachine guns forever changed the way war was waged. In 2026, it’s algorithms’ turn

from manufacturing cars to 1,000 police robots that are, really, a seed of the future

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Today has been a completely different day from the others. Because frankly, the last thing I expected to see at a car show was a nearly three-hour presentation on a humanoid police robotbut here we are. The robot, however, is the least important thing, as we will see later. The clues that the robot would play a leading role were there, to be honest. After all, this same humanoid robot was on display at the Chery stand during the Beijing Motor Showbut of course, from seeing a robot displayed on a stand to understanding its purpose there is one step. Anyway, let’s go in parts. Just a few days ago, on April 17, Chery Group announced an agreement with AiMOGA Robotics to turn robotics into its new avenue for growth. The idea is simple: AiMOGA puts the expertise in robotics and Chery puts the manufacturing capacity, its experience with cars and the savoir faire in the international arena. The AiMOGA robot in the Chery showroom | Image: Xataka In April of last year, AiMOGA managed to ship the first 220 robots to more than 30 countries. These robots have their own name, by the way: Mornine M1. Today we have witnessed the signing of a commitment by different Chinese cities to deploy 1,000, which says a lot about how clear the government (which was present) is that there is a new field to dominate here. These robots are, let’s say, oriented to specific scenarios. Mornine is not a robot designed to make us a French omelet on a Tuesday night, but to control traffic, help with health care, etc. For now, at least. Detail of Mornine’s face | Image: Xataka The robot from behind | Image: Xataka If anyone is interested, they can buy their own Morine M1 robot at JD, the Chinese Amazon. Its price is 285,800 yuan, around 40,000 euros. If that seems like a lot of money to you, another option is his companion, the Argos robotic dog, which costs 15,800 yuan (around 2,000 euros at the exchange rate). Image | Xataka What is the robot like? It is a humanoid that is found at the most extreme point of the uncanny valley. The robot, feminine in appearance, is 1.67 cm tall, weighs 70 kilos, is capable of walking at one meter per second, pivoting 40 degrees and carrying up to 1.5 kilos of weight. It talks, sees (LiDAR, cameras and ultrasonic radar), moves its arms and has a goal: work. Mornine, as I said, has been developed with specific scenarios in mind. The most obvious is that of assistant and we have the clearest proof of it in the train stations and shopping centers of Wuhu, where it is already officially present. Today Chery has gone a step further, signing a commitment with several Chinese cities to deploy 1,000 robots on the roads. Robots dressed as police | Image: Xataka Because yes, Mornine is going to work as a traffic officer. As explained by Chery, Mornine will be able to detect violations, apply and explain the lawmanage vehicle flows, interact with drivers, etc. In fact, in a presentation they have suggested that it could be integrated with government systems to, for example, record violations as soon as they are detected. On paper and in the sample videos it sounds great, but honestly, I would like to see this robot in the middle of one of the main arteries of Beijing talking and interacting with the helmetless motorcyclists, the drivers who cross paths and the general chaos that prevails on Chinese roads. Beyond warning, the robot has no punitive capacity (or does not seem to have it), so it will be necessary to see if its practical application goes beyond the anecdotal. Ah, the irony | Image: Xataka In any case, there is something poetic about seeing human police officers stand next to these robots, which are dressed alike and mounted on a mobile base. Chery maintains that they seek to offer an alternative to professions for which there are no candidates, such as the aforementioned traffic agents, but what I see is different. It’s a robot taking a first step that, in 20 or 30 years, we will remember as the germ of something bigger. Because in this robot, whose movements are orthopedic and depend on a human operator to control them, I see something else. I see a China preparing for the future. I see a country that already anticipated the electric car and is now doing so with robotics. It also plays, yes | Image: Xataka A country with 5,000 years of history has all the patience in the world. Domestic robots will not reach society today, tomorrow or the next day. They probably won’t do it in this decade, but they will. Sooner or later, and being aware that this is a very techno-optimistic thought, domestic robotics will be a reality, and when it is, While the rest of the world takes its first steps, China will already know how to run. Literally. Xpeng is another local brand that has made its first steps in robotics, like Unitree or AgiBot. Tesla, with his Optimus, too. In fact, Chery has put Elon Musk and his goals with Optimus as an example to follow and beat. Hyundai, Honda have robotics projects. But China has something that the others don’t: total and absolute control of the supply chain. China is winning the electric car racethat is no secret, and it is sowing the seeds of victory for robotics. Today they are crude, somewhat clumsy designs, but a country that was able to invest 2,000 years and several dynasties in building a wall is in no hurry. They have all the time in the world to improve their robots, and not only that, but they are fast at iterating. Image | Xataka They are very patient, but they also react in the moment. They are slow and fast at the same time. That is something that … Read more

This is the silent crisis of the chip of the future

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While the world has its eyes on the race for traditional silicon and artificial intelligence, a silent crisis is brewing in the global technological bowels. The United States and Europe are investing billions to recover the sovereignty of microchips, but they have ignored a material that could put the future of robotics, defense and energy in check: gallium. Western blindness to an absolute monopoly. Gallium is not as high-profile as lithium, it is not even technically a “rare earth”—as the specialized publication China Talk—but it is of irreplaceable critical importance. While the US administration strives to shield its supply chains, Beijing has been moving its chips around the board with impeccable stealth. The data is overwhelming. China currently controls 99% of the global primary production of galliumwhile the United States stopped producing it almost four decades ago. The great particularity of this material, according to Geopolitical Monitoris that it is not extracted directly from a mine, but is a byproduct of the processing of aluminum and zinc. This makes it deeply vulnerable: its production cannot magically increase no matter how much demand rises. This dependency is not a mere theory. China has already started using this domain as a geopolitical weaponimposing export restrictions in 2023 and escalating to a complete ban on shipments to the United States at the end of 2024. From mastering the mineral to conquering the factory. The Asian giant’s strategy was not the result of chance. As pointed out China Talksince the early 2000s, China forced its aluminum producers to extract gallium, achieving self-sufficiency and global control of the raw mineral (what is known in the industry as a market upstream). But the real drama for the West is happening right now in the final products (downstream). China has given birth to the “TSMC of GaN”: Innoscience. This Suzhou-based company has burst the global market for Gallium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, sinking its American rivals – such as Navitas or EPC – by offering prices up to 50% lower. Such a collapse in prices is not magic. The secret lies in a lethal combination of state financial muscle and technical audacity. As revealed China Talkin its early years Innoscience It operated with negative gross margins of 266%, supported by more than $350 million in government funds. They were willing to lose money to gain the world. Added to this is its industrial business model. While Western companies are fabless (they design the chip but pay third-party factories, such as the Taiwanese TSMC, to assemble it), Innoscience manufactures its own chips. They were the first to mass produce 200mm wafers, allowing them to get 80% more components out at a fraction of the cost. Against this backdrop, the pattern that is drawn is chilling and mirrors that of the solar panel industry: European giants such as STMicroelectronics They have ended up surrendering to the superiority of Innoscience, injecting $50 million into the Chinese firm in exchange for access to its factories. Goodbye to traditional silicon. To understand the seriousness of the issue, you have to understand why silicon is no longer enough. As they point out from AZOM, Silicon is reaching its physical limits. Gallium Nitride (GaN), on the other hand, is a “broadband” semiconductor (wide bandgap). Compared to 1.1 eV for silicon, GaN has a bandgap of 3.4 eV, allowing it to operate at much higher voltages and temperatures without melting. Translated into simpler words: GaN provides greater energy efficiencythe devices do not heat up and allow the size of the components to be drastically reduced. That’s why our mobile phone chargers are now smaller but charge the battery in minutes. Beyond a phone. Gallium Nitride is the master pillar of critical technologies: AI data centers: These chips reduce energy losses by up to 30%, something vital in the face of the devouring electrical appetite of Artificial Intelligence. Electric vehicles: They are key for on-board chargers and converters, radically improving their autonomy. Defense and Military: Advanced radars, missile systems, electronic warfare and the 5G antennas that connect us all depend on GaN. A future dictated from Suzhou. The market is about to explode. From Geopolitical Monitor projects that the sector GaN semiconductor devices It will go from generating 3.06 billion dollars in 2024 to almost 12.5 billion dollars in 2030. And the lion’s slice seems to have a Chinese name. It is a fatal mistake to think that Innoscience He wins only because he is cheap thanks to the million-dollar subsidies from his government. As clarified China Talkthe company innovates at the highest level, designing chips across the entire voltage spectrum (from 15V to 1200V). Its quality is such that it has become the only Chinese partner of American giants like NVIDIA and Google to design the 800-volt power architectures that will power the “AI factories” of the future. The forecast is dark, but there is an ace up the sleeve. If the West does not react, Innoscience will go from having a dominant position to an absolute monopoly. If a new trade war breaks out, car, robot and data center manufacturers in the US and Europe will have to ask permission from a single Chinese company to be able to turn on their machines. Despite the pessimism, the battle is not entirely lost. Western companies and governments are testing various containment strategies: The judicial trench: Companies like EPC and Infineon They have sued Innoscience in the US for patent infringement, achieving some import restrictions. However, this is just a patch; The bans usually apply to loose chips, but not to final products assembled in China, and the Asians can redesign their models to bypass the ban. The technological leap (300 mm): The great hope is in changing the rules of the game. Texas Instruments (USA) and Infineon (Germany) are leading the move to larger, 300mm GaN wafers. They have the advantage that the highly specialized machinery to manufacture them is in German and American hands, heavily protected by export controls. Furthermore, at the basic … Read more

I have seen the future of cars in Beijing and yes, it is electric (and very cool)

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I remember when I was in Dubai and I attended GITEXthe largest technology fair in the world with its 230,000 square meters of stands spread across several pavilions. That seemed absolutely unbearable to me, even having two or three days to visit it relatively calmly. It was something absolutely insane. Three years later I woke up not in Dubai, but in Beijing. And if the 230,000 square meters of GITEX were overwhelming, the 380,000 square meters of the Beijing Motor Showthe 1,451 cars on display, the 181 new cars, the 71 concept cars and the 200 press conferences are, directly, mission impossible. Chery Hall | Image: Xataka I would need a week to tour the two pavilions that shape this event, but I have only had a few hours. Not that I needed much more. Not only because 99% of the cars I have seen here will not arrive in Spain, that too, but because just take a look around the stands of Chery, Xiaomi, BYD, Geely, Changan, Nio, Xpeng and company to discover that the future of the automobile does not have a European sealbut a Chinese flag that is displayed with pride. AION i60 | Image: Xataka The clearest sign that something is changing and that the sector is evolving is expectation. I have attended countless technology events, from CES to IFA to MWC or GITEX. It had been years, many years, without seeing lines to enter a stand, to take photos of the latest product launched by a company. Here, well, this was the press conference of the Chery Group. Moments before the Chery press conference | Image: Xataka While consumer technology has become a commodity, as everyone has a cell phone, a laptop, a watch and headphones, the cars are transitioning. Talking about cars is, perhaps, an understatement, because what Beijing is teaching me is that the car is passing to be a gadget. It is no longer just a matter of consumption, finishes and bodywork. Here talking about a car means talking about connectivity, charging powers, ecosystem, infotainment. While technology is currently going through a period of relative stagnation, reducing innovation to incremental improvements in specific aspects, the driving force is quite the opposite. The sector is experiencing one of its best moments in terms of variety, capacity and technology. Jetour G700 | Image: Xataka The gasoline, or rather, the electricity that drives this evolution has a Chinese seal. I wonder, now that I see firsthand the power of companies like BYD, Chery, Nio and company, If no one thought of this when manufacturers sold their long-term capacity for short-term profits. Did no one think that China, which requires a partnership with a local partner and the transfer of intellectual property in exchange for being able to sell in its huge country, was going to hit the table one day? That, at some point, I would want to stop manufacturing for others to take what you have learned, improve it, optimize it and sell it herself? Arcfox S5, the premium range from Beijing’s BAIC | Image: Xataka Sure, outsourcing molding, part production, and engineering kept prices low and increased competitiveness in the past, but now the tables have turned. Now it is the Chinese brand that also accumulates years of expertise competing in a ultra aggressive market and electrified like the premises, which is capable of vertically integrating and controlling the entire manufacturing process, from the batteries to the last screw, and if it does not do so, it surely has a nearby company capable of providing every last cable. Because that is a huge competitive advantage.: If Europe or the United States wants a Chinese part, they have to wait for it to be shipped and it arrives. Days, at least. Those finishes? 🤤 | Image: Xataka If a Chinese brand needs it, I probably just have to cross the sidewalk or drive a few minutes to the manufacturer’s headquarters. That capacity, that good work, I see clearly as I walk through the infinite halls in the Hall. I see a BYD that fills an entire Hall 3 with its brands, showing off a 1,000 HP roadster like the Denza Z. Its finish has little to envy of any European car, although I doubt it will reach Europe. Denza Z | Image: Xataka Denza Z | Image: Xataka Denza Z | Image: Xataka I also see a spectacular supercar from their Fangchengbao brand capable of making anyone’s jaw drop. Anyway, what to say | Image: Xataka At his side, a Denza Z9 GT and a Fangchengbao frozen at -33 degrees serve the brand to boast of fast charging in extreme conditionsnailing to the millimeter the promise that the car, frozen, is fully charged in 9 minutes. I can think of few more risky demos. Yes, it’s frozen | Image: Xataka That is a live image of frozen car interior screen | Image: Xataka Then there is this car, also BYD, with a My Little Pony theme that I leave here for haha. Yes, it’s hair | Image: Xataka The tires, please | Image: Xataka Without words | Image: Xataka In the Chery hall, which has had the most crowded conference I have seen in years, the company’s executives explain their international vocation and their plans to continue extending their tentacles. And I must say that it is even dizzying. When a Chinese executive makes a presentation in English, it is not for pleasure. It is a declaration of intentions like the top of a pine tree. Chery has introduced the Omoda 4, the Lepas L6 EV and the Tiggo V (which can be transformed into a pick-up, convertible and SUV and which we will see here as an Omoda, Jaecoo or Ebro). The signature, furthermore, intends to bring its Lepas brands (more elegant cut) and Exeed (which will be Exlantix and will be sold as a premium brand) to Spain. Omoda 4 | Image: Xataka Lepas L6 EV | Image: Xataka Tiggo V … Read more

rises 20% because the markets are rewarding its future, not its present

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On Thursday night, Intel released its financial results of the first quarter of 2026: the company has had net losses of 3.7 billion dollars on revenues of 13.6 billion. It seems like a dire outcome, but investors caused the stock to rise 20% in the hours after markets closed. The paradox is just an illusion, because this surprising response from the markets is a sign of the confidence that investors now have. they have in Intel. Bad numbers, but less than it seems. Analysts expected Intel to earn $2.5 billion this quarter, but the end result was just the opposite. In fact, it was $6.2 billion short of that hope. However, much of these losses are due to two separate factors: Mobileye: Intel bought this company in 2017 and when Mobileye went public in 2022, it was given an acquisition value. This quarter Mobileye’s capitalization fell and that has been reflected in Intel’s global losses. US Government: when the American government bought 10% of Intel via the Chips Act, part of that agreement included shares, and that financial asset has also lost value. In both cases, in reality the losses have not been money that Intel has paid, but rather an accounting variation in the value of those assets. But the real business is another story. Without those accounting charges, we are looking at the sixth consecutive quarter in which Intel beats its own revenue estimates. Not only that: the forecast for the second quarter is between 13,800 and 14,800 million in revenue, which clearly exceeds the 13,000 that the market expected. If Wall Street was optimistic, Intel is even more so, and that caused that 20% rise ““aftermarket” on the stock market: investors were not celebrating past results, but rather they bet on the futures. The numbers that matter. The PC chip division brought in $7.7 billion, 1% in a flat market. Data centers and AI grew 22% year-on-year thanks to demand for Xeon chips for inference: there Intel is still relevant and may become even more so. And then there’s Intel Foundry, the third-party manufacturing business that is the company’s riskiest and most strategic bet, and which grew 16% even though most of its revenue came from manufacturing its own chips. The ongoing transformation is there, but it’s still green, so hopes are high that both AI and Foundry will go further soon. The Yahoo! chart Finance makes it clear: from yesterday’s $66, today the stock will suddenly rise to around $85, a brutal rise. Waiting for node 18A. Optimism is also very focused on manufacturing node 18Awhich is technically comparable to TSMC’s 2nm process. The new Arizona factory is already up and running and the yields —the ratio of valid chips per wafer— is managing to be above Intel’s internal forecasts. There is a catch here: the only client of this node for now is Intel itself, and no large external company has signed contracts to manufacture with said technology. The evolution of that node is node 14A, and here there is good news for Intel, because Tesla has already placed orders. It is expected that this node will be able to attract more contracts in the second half of 2026 and that this will mean accelerated growth by 2027. But it is just that: a hope. Alliances help. In recent months we have seen how Intel has been gaining strength thanks to various alliances. NVIDIA bought about 4% of Intel in September 2025, and Google too advertisement a multi-year collaboration. Intel is also one of the partners in Elon Musk’s new megaproject, Terafab. The strategy of Lip-Bu Tan, the CEO of Intel, involves using capacity both internal and external to meet the demand. It’s an important message that shows the company is no longer insisting it can do everything alone. The geopolitical argument. There is a reason why the US government has 10% of Intel and why the Chips Act “funneled” billions of dollars to its factories. AMD designs cutting-edge chips but relies on TSMC to manufacture them. GlobalFoundries, the company that was born from the spin-off of AMD factories in 2009, has facilities in New York and Vermont but has specialized in mature nodes, those that go into cars, industrial equipment and defense chips, not in the frontier processors that AI needs. TSMC is building factories in Arizonabut it is still a Taiwanese company with its engineering concentrated in Taiwan American hope. These are the reasons why Intel has become the only US-based company that can manufacture chips in the most advanced nodes on American soil. If tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, Intel would be the only option to avoid Asian dependence. This does not guarantee that the business will work, but it does guarantee political and institutional support while this transformation lasts. But. All those hopes have to face current realities. The manufacturing plant business lost $2.4 billion (annualized it would be $10 billion). 18A yields are better than expected, but They are not without problems. and they are only being used by Intel itself. The company also faces AMD in the data center segment (not to mention NVIDIA and hyperscaler chips), and therefore still has enormous challenges to overcome. Image | Intel In Xataka | Bill Gates has X-rayed Intel. And his diagnosis is overwhelmingly accurate.

‘Idiocracy’ was supposed to be a satire of a stupider future. The fear is that it is becoming real

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This week, Flamenca Stone shared a video on Bluesky with the comment “this is literally an ‘Idiocracy’ plot.” It is not the first time it has happened nor will it be the last. The 2006 film that went unnoticed in its day (more than sought after, to avoid lawsuits from the many brands that were satirized) has been generating that same recognizable chill for years, like a kind of perverse version of The Simpsons: You watch a satire and you don’t know if you are watching a documentary ahead of its time. 20 years of predictions. It took Mike Judge three years to get ‘Idiocracy’ released. When it did, it grossed just $495,000 in its first weekend. Fox did not organize press screenings, and did not even invest in trailers for television: it was too acidic and uncomfortable. The director of ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ and ‘Silicon Valley’ had constructed a satire about an America in the year 2505 where idiots had reproduced so much among themselves that the population was essentially composed of brainless people. A perfectly normal young man from the present wakes up at that time (yes, it’s the plot of ‘Futurama’, then recently canceled) and is celebrated as practically a genius. Idiocracy Today. Time has put it in its place and despite going unnoticed at its premiere, its edition in domestic formats first and its passage through streaming later (now you have it on Movistar Plus+) has given it a certain cult status. Let’s review some of the questions that were raised as part of an absolutely exaggerated satire (as shown by the fact that Judge decided to set it in no less than the 26th century) but that seem chillingly close in the current context. EITHER as the director himself said“I am no prophet. I was wrong for 490 years.” The spark of life. Let’s start, without going any further, with the use of soft drinks as irrigation water. In the future, the sports drink Brawndo has replaced water, which has caused crops to not grow for decades. “Brawndo has what plants need. It has electrolytes.” They tell the protagonist when he is surprised by the absence of water. Of course, no one knows what the hell an electrolyte is. Meanwhile, the reality: Trump thinks soda cures cancer because they kill the grass and therefore, possibly also kill the cancer cells. If you ask me, much crazier than ‘Idiocracy’, although the truth is that it is documented that more and more people They opt for sports or energy drinks when before they drank water. All brands. In the movie, the Costco chain has its law school. The country’s only telecommunications operator is called AOL-TimeWarner-Taco Bell-US Government, and the stripes on the flag are logos. Is especially significant (by visionary in pre-streaming times) the scene of the television screen: the program occupies a box in the center of the screen, surrounded by advertising everywhere. YouTube or any video streaming website looks similar. As for the presence of brands in public institutions or sponsorships of public spaces, it stopped being a dystopian issue a long time ago, eh, Madrid residents? Recognizable president. Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, former wrestler and president of the United States in 2505, enters Congress on a motorcycle, with an electric guitar, shooting into the air. His management capacity is zero and his charisma is overwhelming for a country of idiots. Actor Terry Crews He admitted feeling a chill when he started watching Trump rallies in 2016. Co-writer Etan Cohen he wrote on Twitter that same year who couldn’t believe the film had been turned into a documentary. In 2024, Hulk Hogan appeared at the Republican National Convention with a speech straight out of a wrestling promo. The similarities continue to this day, but we are left with Espinof’s reflection about the film: the logic of entertainment has completely colonized the political debate. Stop thinking by convention. The deterioration of language in ‘Idiocracy’ is part of society: words are replaced by pictograms and reasoning processes are diluted. Nobody remembers how to reason without a screen in front of you. In 2025, an MIT study warned that artificial intelligence tools can accelerate cognitive decline by mechanizing routine tasks and leaving only exception handling to the user. McGill University Research they point in the same direction with GPS and spatial memory: the more you use it, the less you remember how to navigate without it. Intelligence dies. In his analysis of an increasingly anti-intellectual society, Jot Down described how this increasingly established current no longer presents itself as ignorance but as overinformation: the illusion that accessing infinite data for short periods of twenty seconds is equivalent to learning. We live it continually: the algorithm rewards short formats, the echo chamber of social networks amplifies what you already believe with slogans. That “No to critical thinking” is the backbone of all of ‘Idiocracy’ and is the true subtext of the film. Nobody is perfect. ‘Idiocracy’ was wrong, of course, in its initial approach: the disaster began when the rich stopped having children and then the lower classes without basic education began to reproduce. An idea with dangerously eugenic overtones that fortunately the rest of the film does not affect and that has been completely overwhelmed by a non-negotiable reality: if the current world has shown us anything, it is that the billionaires around us are not, precisely, the sharpest pencils in the case. In Xataka | If the question is whether AI is already as good as human intelligence, the answer is: solve this puzzle

We believed that data centers in space were a thing of the future. Kepler has already activated the largest orbital cluster

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For years, talk of data centers in space sounded like the kind of idea that always seemed a few years away. The conversation existed, of course, but almost always supported by long-term plans, ambitious announcements and an industry that had not yet shown much real muscle in orbit. That is why what has just emerged deserves attention. TechCrunch explains that Kepler Communications has already launched the largest computing cluster currently operating in space, a sign that this race is beginning to leave the field of promise to enter, little by little, the field of infrastructure. What has Kepler put into orbit. It is not a large facility suspended above our heads, but rather a distributed cluster made up of 10 operational satellites. Together they add up to around 40 Nvidia Orin processors aimed at Edge Computingconnected to each other by laser links. That set, launched in January of this year, as we say, is today the largest active computing cluster in orbit. The company itself also frames this network as a constellation designed to move data in space almost in real time. What it really is. So we are not facing a massive orbital data center that replicates the Earth model, but rather a distributed architecture that combines connectivity and processing in the full space environment. This difference matters because it allows us to separate two plans that are often mixed: one thing is the large-scale vision defended by actors like SpaceX or Blue Origin, and quite another is this first step, much more attached to immediate uses and specific needs of missions in orbit. The immediate business. If this orbital computing is starting to be interesting, it is because it addresses a fairly clear problem: it does not always make sense to send all the data to Earth to process it later. The initial value of these systems is in working with the information right where it is generated, something especially useful for more advanced sensors and for applications that require a faster response. Kepler also maintains that its network can serve as a basis for future processing and connectivity services between different space assets, and the media adds that the company already transports and processes data uploaded from the ground, as well as information collected by payloads hosted on its own satellites. Sophia Space. Here a startup comes into the picture that wants to upload its proprietary operating system to one of the satellites in the constellation and try to deploy and configure it on six GPUs spread over two ships. In a terrestrial data center that would be almost routine, but it would be the first time we would see something like this in orbit. For Sophia, in addition, the test has a clear risk reduction value before its first launch scheduled for the end of 2027. And we are not talking about a minor detail: the company is developing space computers with passive cooling, a way with which it seeks to attack one of the big problems in this sector: avoiding overheating. Kepler doesn’t want to be that. In the midst of so much noise around orbital data centers, the company itself is trying to position itself in a somewhat different place on the map. Your corporate presentation insists in a mission much more linked to communications, with a hybrid optical constellation designed to modernize the flow of data in low orbit and beyond. In this sense, it does not define itself as a data center company, but as infrastructure for space applications. The journey has begun. If this step by Kepler makes anything clear, it is that orbital computing no longer belongs only to the realm of great presentations. SpaceX wants to deploy a massive network of satellites for AI, Google prepares in-orbit tests with solar-powered chips and Blue Origin has announced a constellation of more than 5,000 satellites. In parallel, starcloud already launched a satellite in 2025 with an Nvidia H100 GPU and Aetherflux targets 2027 for its first node. Images | Kepler Communications | Sophia Space In Xataka | The mystery of the misinflated balloon: the more we calculate the size of the Universe, the less sense it all makes

The depressing future of cheap mobile phones, in two graphs that are a death sentence for the low-end

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Quick, make a wish. The motive behind these lines is more difficult to see today than a four-leaf clover: the Realme C71 (which we tested less than a year ago) came on the market with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a RRP of 149 euros. A species in extinction, something impossible in 2026. We are facing a paradigm shift in the mobile industry. In recent years we have seen how manufacturers benefited from an excess supply of memories that made it possible to build combinations of RAM and storage at ridiculous prices. That era is over: a recent report from Counterpoint Research confirms that the cost of components is suffering its greatest pressure in a decade and the outlook is bleak: either brands sacrifice their profits or pass the cost on to the consumer. Or both and an extra: the entry range is disappearing in every sense. What has happened to the price of NAND and DRAM. The price increase in the first quarter of 2026 has been abysmal and without close precedents: RAM memory (DRAM) has suffered a quarterly increase of more than 50%. NAND Flash has seen an even more aggressive rise, exceeding 90% compared to the previous quarter As a picture says a thousand words, the graph prepared by Counterpoint Research: Source: Counterpoint Research Price Tracker Why is it important. This phenomenon is not a simple fluctuation or a temporary shortage, it is a structural change that puts the economic viability of many manufacturers in check. DRAM (speed and multitasking) and NAND (storage capacity) are essential in the user experience. Until now, scaling these memories was cheap, but not anymore. In the entry range, the cost of memory already represents almost half of the manufacturing “ticket”, sometimes exceeding the cost of the processor or the screen itself. With current profit margins, absorbing this impact is impossible: either the price is raised, or it is sold at a loss. The market has already revised downwards global shipment forecasts for 2026: Counterpoint estimates a drop of 2.1%, while IDC is more pessimistic and projects a decline of 12.9%, which would exceed the 12% contraction recorded in 2022. Context. The culprit has its own name: generative artificial intelligence. More specifically, the explosion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The data centers that power AI models are demanding memory on a large scale, thus becoming direct competition with mobile manufacturers for the production of Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. Capacity is finite and AI takes priority for reasons of profitability. If we also take into account that the latest generation processors manufactured in 2nm they have become more expensivewe have the perfect storm. Retail. The increase in the price of memory does not affect all mobile phones equally. This is how the weight of memory is distributed in the total cost of the device: The entry range ($200 or less) is the most affected. With a typical configuration of 6 GB + 128 GB, memories already represent 43% of the total cost of the device. An increase of 30 dollars per unit is estimated. In the mid-range (400-600 dollars) the combination goes from 25 to 36%, which can mean 60 to 80 dollars per unit. In the premium range (over 800 dollars), the increase is more diffuse and they are also exposed to double pressure, that of the most expensive memories and that of the processors, which translates into increases of between 100 and 150 dollars that we will begin to see reflected in the launches of the second half of the year. How will the user notice it?. Counterpoint has estimated these price increases between $30 and $150 depending on the range, but the cushioning is not always going to be so obvious and direct. In the entry range, where the margins are so small, another way out is to cut the catalog to a minimum. We will see manufacturers “killing” the base model to force the jump to the next price step, much smaller catalogs and, above all, technical stagnation. The old 128GB will return as standard and, in the worst case, we will see steps backwards with the use of slower and older memories (LPDDR4X) to try to save the furniture in the mid-range. In Xataka | Best mobile phones in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and seven recommended models In Xataka | Having an AI on my phone that works without an Internet connection is more useful than I thought: this way you can start it Cover | Xataka, Pepu Ricca

If the energy and technological future passes through “Electrostates”, there is one that has been living there for years: China

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As the world panics over the lack of fossil fuels, the numbers in the Chinese renewable sector they are vertigo. Shares in battery giant CATL have soared 29.5% on the Hong Kong stock exchange since the conflict began. For its part, electric vehicle leader BYD has seen its sales abroad skyrocket by 65% ​​year-on-year in the month of March. This wave of buying is not new, but it has accelerated dramatically: last year, Chinese exports of solar panels to Africa increased by 48%, sales of electric vehicles rose by 27%, and sales of wind turbines grew by almost 50%. Survival and a career already over. The global turn to renewables at this critical moment is not driven solely by climate promises, but by a need for “energy security”. Fuel shortages in Asia have led vulnerable countries to take drastic measures: Indonesia’s president has announced the construction of 100 gigawatts of solar power over the next two years, while the Philippines is offering state loans of up to $8,300 to install home solar panels. As an analysis by my colleague Javier Lacort points outthe West has been promising alternatives for years, but China “is not winning the battery race; it has already won it,” controlling more than 80% of global manufacturing. Companies like CATL and BYD have already announced or built 68 factories outside China, investing more money abroad than in their own country. The rise of the “Electrostates.” The global landscape is being redefined. We are witnessing a contest between the traditional “Petrostates”, led by the United States, and the new “Electrostates”, anchored by China, which supplies more than 70% of all the green hardware in the world. Excluded from the United States and Europe by protectionist measures, the Chinese solar industry has found its salvation in the Global South. Last year, Chinese manufacturers shipped 18.8 gigawatts of solar panels to Africa. Diplomatically and economically, the war will cement China’s superpower status. The disconnection of Middle East crude oil could even erode the dominance of the “petrodollar” and catalyze the beginnings of the “petroyuan”as countries like Iran negotiate the passage of ships in exchange for payments in Chinese currency. Side B. Despite this overwhelming dominance, Beijing’s path has significant obstacles. In Africa, although cheap technology is welcome, alarm voices are growing about the creation of a new “dependency syndrome.” Some experts lament that while African countries see China as a savior, Beijing considers them a “dump” to get rid of its industrial overcapacity. In the West, mistrust is even greater for reasons of national security. The UK recently vetoed Chinese manufacturer Ming Yang’s plans to build a wind turbine factory in Scotland, alleging risks of espionage or sabotage in critical infrastructure. At the same time, Donald Trump’s US administration has decided from the beginning to withdraw fiscal support for green energy and prioritize fossil fuels so as not to depend on supply chains controlled by foreign adversaries. China is not invulnerable either.. Despite its renewable leadership, the country still imports 78% of oil that it consumes, and the Persian Gulf supplies almost half of those imports. The rise in the barrel is causing havoc due to cost inflation in its vital steel, aluminum and petrochemical factories, reducing its competitive margins. A geopolitical choice. Precisely because this dependence on fossil fuels punishes everyone equally, the green transition has become a race of pure economic survival to shield national economies. The crisis triggered by the war in Iran shows that resilience is today the main driver of global change. As Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency points outclean energies will accelerate not only because of emissions, but because they are a “national energy source.” However, adopting this technology means choosing which side of the scale you want to be on. The energy transition is no longer a simple choice between fossil or renewable fuels. Today, the degree to which a country decides (or not) to rely on China will define its ability to decarbonize, making an environmental debate the most defining geopolitical decision of the next decade. Image | Unsplash Xataka | The country that controls the electric batteries of electric cars will control the future. And we already have a winner

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