independent

Europe thinks that it is the one who wants to become independent from US technology companies. It’s actually the other way around.

by

We are going to have to make a dictionary when we talk about artificial intelligence. Yes generative artificial intelligence, general artificial intelligence, AI agents and Google has its Personal Intelligence. This service has been available for a few months in the United States and is now expanding to the rest of the world for users of the company’s suite. To all? Well no, not everyone, and Google leaves out the entire European economic area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. What does this do. First of all, Gemini Personal Intelligence is like an ‘entity’ that has an eye on all the Google applications that we use with our account. It is a connection between the entire ecosystem which has access to all the information from YouTube, Maps, Calendar, Drive, Gmail, Docs or Photos. The idea is that they know everything about you to help you with day-to-day requests. Google itself gives an example: Since I connected my apps through Personal Intelligence, my daily life has become easier. For example, two weeks ago we needed new tires for our 2019 Honda minivan. While waiting at the store, I realized I didn’t know the size of the tires, so I asked Gemini. Nowadays, any chatbot can find these tire specifications, but Gemini went further. He suggested two options: one for daily driving and one for all-weather conditions, with references to our family road trips to Oklahoma that I found on Google Photos. Then, he neatly extracted the ratings and prices of each one. When I got to the counter, they asked me for my license plate. Instead of looking for it or losing my spot in line to get back to the parking lot, I asked Gemini. It extracted the seven-digit number from an image in Photos and also helped me identify the specific model of the truck by searching Gmail. Just like that, we had everything ready. Everyone can appreciate how useful this is, of course. Because, furthermore, it is not free: you need to be on an AI Pro or Ultra payment plan. Europe, you are excluded, beautiful. But if you think that life can be solved for you like the person in the example and you live in Europe, you should know that you cannot access it. Google has made it very clear that the feature is not available in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Switzerland due to the strict privacy regulations that are found within the General Data Protection Regulation. It is one more service that does not reach European users due to these stricter privacy conditions and, in addition, they have not detailed any deadline so that we Europeans know more or less when it will be available in the region. If you read us from a Latin American country and you are interested in this software, good news, is available. Privacy. Regarding privacy, being something that we should take very seriously, it is curious how in the age of AI that privacy is eroded because the models have more and more data. We give a lot to this software and we don’t really know who’s watchingand Google wanted comment What is the privacy approach of your Personal Intelligence. According to the company, we can link and unlink applications from the ecosystem according to our preferences, but once we connect Photos, for example, you will have access to everything. They say that the photos in the gallery will not be used to train the model (here it is extremely sensitive because we each have personal photos on our mobile) and they take “measures to filter or hide personal data from the conversation.” They point out that “we do not train our systems to learn your license plate number, but to understand that, when you ask for it, we can find it.” Regarding health, a sensitive topic that is topical due to what El Salvador has done, they assure that “Gemini tries to avoid making proactive assumptions about sensitive data such as your health, although it will analyze that data if you ask it.” ¿Pressure? In any case, and what Google’s Personal Intelligence has to offer draws more or less attention, it is evident that carrying out a global launch of this magnitude without waiting to ‘sort the papers’ to launch it in Europe is also a declaration of intent. Europe is at a time when it is seeking its military sovereignty, aerospace and technologicalareas in which depends largely on the United States. We are building our infrastructure and systems, and not launching something like this in Europe is one more way of putting pressure on the organizations that, very actively, sand have positioned about the treatment of our data by these large companies. Image | Google (edited) In Xataka | Sometimes erotic AIs are AIs. And sometimes, they are a man from Kenya who charges two dollars an hour

Europe seeks to become independent from Microsoft Office. Your alternative is already here, but not without controversy

by

For a few months now, and seeing how the situation is, in Europe a feeling of change has awakened about the technology we consume. Movements have appeared among users to abandon software and hardware from American companiesbut that is something that is also impacting governments and among own European companies. And something that seems minor, but is not at all, is the European software A-Team that has come together to create Euro-Office, the alternative to Microsoft Office. And it hasn’t started off on the best foot. Euro-Office. The name couldn’t be more apt, but something must be said: it doesn’t come out of nowhere. This is an initiative that was born as a fork direct from OnlyOffice. Android users Do you know what a fork is? and, basically, it is taking another software… copying it. The desired changes are made and it is launched independently. Since it is usually free or open source software, there are no problems creating a new version. The software will not be a standalone thing, but rather a package consisting of a text editor, spreadsheet, PDF editor and a presentation tool. Support includes formats such as DOCX, XLSX, PPTX and ODF versions. Come on, it wants to be an alternative to Office, but also to Docs and any other suite. Where does it come from?. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the project is that it is not an initiative of a university, a startup or a specific country. The project was made public a few days ago and has nsuch powerful ombres behind such as IONOS, Nextcloud, Eurostack, XWiki, BTactic, Soverin and OpenProject, among others. In fact, it seems that Proton is also out there (which apart from its own suite, has cloud storage systems, email and VPNbeing one of the strongest alternatives to the Google suite). And the common narrative is that it is a European ‘front’ to reduce dependence on American suites in sensitive environments. Because yes, when a Government, for example, saves documents in the cloud of Google or any other foreign company, who is to say that there is no access. This is what the text editor looks like Digital sovereignty. As I said at the beginning of the article, Europe seeks sovereignty in different areas. In technology, they want to become a power in chip manufacturing (they already have part of the way done by having ASMLthe company more cutting-edge when it comes to creating machines that allow advanced chips to be manufactured). They also want to stop depending on NASA or SpaceX for space exploration, so we have gotten into that race. And in the digital sovereignty becomes independent from American and Russian services. For this reason, Euro-Office is considered from the beginning as a service integrated into the GDPR that is not subject to external jurisdictions such as the US CLOUD Act and that is integrated into public administration, education, government-regulated companies, critical infrastructure, health or education. For everyone. And since changing so much is complicated, the intention is to make the transition as simple as possible for users. This is where maximum compatibility with Microsoft formats comes into play, but also a familiar interface so as not to generate friction. And, above all, it was born with the desire to focus that independence on software. Because until now we had LibreOffice and OnlyOffice, but what is sought is to stop waging war on their own and for all European organizations to go in unison The controversy. Here may be the question, and also the controversy. If there was already something, why spend time developing something else and not use that already existing alternative as the “official” one? Well, according to the promoters of Euro-Office, because collaboration with OnlyOffice was not viable. They quote the Russian roots of the project (although the headquarters are in Latvia) and decisions such as the withdrawal of functions in the mobile app as some of the reasons why the fork was the last, but necessary, resort. From OnlyOffice hold that Euro-Office violates certain terms of its license, citing intellectual property theft and copyright infringement. And it has not stopped at “well I’m angry”, but something more: OnlyOffice has accused Nextcloud of trying to sign its staff to take them to the EuroOffice project. Next steps. The commotion goes further because it has been pointed out that, if it is a fork of an app of Russian origin, they do not know to what extent Euro-Office can introduce yourself as something “purely European.” But, in any case, it is evident that there is a growing interest in becoming independent from non-European technology and this suite has a version 1.0 planned for this summer. The preliminary version It’s already on Github. The most complicated thing remains: moving the very heavy transatlantic that is the public organizations of the different European countries that want to join this. Also see how they convince those who already use European suites such as those from The Document Foundation -LibreOffice- or the British Collabora to switch back to Euro-Office. In Xataka | Schrödinger’s Office: at this point it is impossible to know if Microsoft keeps it alive or if everything is AI and Copilot

Until 1868, an “independent” microstate inhabited the Iberian Peninsula between Portugal and Galicia: Couto Mixto

by

If you travel to Santiago de Rubiasa village in the municipality of Calvos de Randínin Ourense, you can enjoy a few things: good landscapes, good food, a Romanesque church with paintings dating from the 16th century and a bronze statueinstalled since April 2008 on one side of the atrium, which shows an old man with a mustache and shaggy sideburns, wearing a hat, cape and a cane. Next to it you will find a plaque that identifies it as Delfin Modesto Brandon. This Delfín Modesto was not an Indian who returned from the Americas with his pockets lined with money, nor a confused pilgrim on his route to Compostela. Nor a particularly popular neighbor or priest. If he is still remembered today in Calvos de Randín it is because he was the last of a long and interesting line of statesmen. Of course, of a different state to Spanish or Portuguese. In the 21st century we remember Delfín Modesto because he was the last judge with executive and judicial powers of Mixed Coutoa republic that for several centuries survived as an independent territory on the peninsula. Independent of the Spanish and Portuguese courts, with its own system of administration, rights and privileges. A true historical rarity, a political hiatus in the middle of Raya that managed to survive for nearly seven centuries and there are those who point out even as one of the first European democracies. Of Couto Mixto we know better its characteristics and how it was governed and ended than its origins. Its birth usually dates back to the 12th century, to the time of the Treaty of Zamorafor which Alfonso I of Portugal (Afonso Henriques) and Alfonso VII of León They achieved an agreement that is usually marked as the birth of the Portuguese kingdom. With this backdrop and taking advantage of the birth of a new and above all extensive border between both kingdoms, Couto Mixto was created, a small portion of territory located in the intermediate basin of the Salas River who managed to stay outside the designs of Spain and Portugal. That particular “microstate” was made up only three villas: Rubias dos Mixtos, Meaus and Santiago de Rubiás, where the locals decided to establish their capital and administrative center. Small but independent Couto Mixto was small, so much so that its extension barely reached the 27 square kilometers and it did not have more than a thousand inhabitants in its census. It was probably this peculiarity, added to the fact that the place was not especially prosperous or central, that allowed it to survive with its special status for several centuries without Spain or Portugal paying it much attention. And this despite the fact that the microstate was a real rarity on the peninsular map. Because of its characteristics. And for his government system. As remember Tourism of Galiciaan organization that today promotes the place precisely for its historical interest, functioned as a kind of “federal republic” with two great administrative figures: a representative of each of the three towns, which they called “home of agreement“, and a chief judge (“xuiz“) who was elected every three years and exercised the highest authority. Its inhabitants also enjoyed a series of rights that, at least in certain aspects, made them privileged. They could choose between receiving Spanish nationality, Portuguese nationality or renouncing both and remaining as a citizen of Couto Mixto. Furthermore, they were exempt from fulfill military service. The microstate I didn’t have to provide soldiersbenefited from an interesting tax exemption and boasted freedom of trade and cultivation. Another of its oddities is that the small “microstate” enjoyed the “right of asylum”, which was applied in all cases except those of blood crimes. If we add to that peculiarity that it welcomed the “Privileged Path”a road of about six kilometers that linked Couto with the neighboring Portuguese town of Tourem and it was exempt from military or fiscal control, it will be understood why over time it became an interesting point for smuggling and fugitives. No matter how small, cornered, and ancient Couto was, it was not destined to survive forever. A few centuries after being established, Spain and Portugal decided to shelve that territorial anomaly. The negotiations were fruitful in Lisbon Treatywhich in 1864 allowed both countries to definitively establish their common border. The pact defined the Raya from the mouth of the Miño River to the union of the Caia and the Guadiana. And it swept away the microstate, which was incorporated into Spain, deprived of its privileges. Perhaps the tiny republic no longer exists, but its memory remains. In the atrium of the church of Santiago de Rubiás, the nerve center of the old republic, where its inhabitants met to decide relevant issues for the microstate, it has been built since 2008. the statue of Delfín Modesto Brandonhis last judge. Inside the church there is also a replica of the ark that guarded the archive of the old republic, a chest that could only be opened with three keys, one for each “home of agreement“. Their neighbors continue to meet even today in the atrium to celebrate a symbolic act in which they name their honorary judges. In Xataka | When the USSR declared war, Finland decided to protect its roads in a peculiar way: with flying trees In Xataka | There was an advanced civilization high in the Andes that based its dominance on one thing: feces. In Xataka | In 1888 an English doctor dissected a corpse down to its nerves. And illuminated forensic science along the way Images| Wikimedia (map by José de Castro López (1863)), Portasxures and Wikipedia (Fabio Mendes)

Silver is completely out of control, so the solar panel industry has decided something: go independent

by

Solar energy, promised as the cheapest and most abundant source of electricity in history, has hit a geological and financial roadblock of critical proportions. The photovoltaic industry is suffering what the Financial Times has baptized like a Silver Squeeze (silver strangulation), a suffocating pressure derived from the dizzying rise in the price of this metal. Manufacturers, who have been fighting for years against slim margins, are now “feeling the heat” of a raw material that has become unaffordable, forcing them into a frenetic technological race to eliminate it from their products. This is not a simple market rally. What we are witnessing is a “perfect storm” where real physical scarcity threatens to slow down the energy transition. According to Bloombergthe rise in silver has hit some solar panel manufacturers that were already burdened by losses after years of brutal competition. After five consecutive years of deficit, silver is no longer just a safe haven asset to become the bottleneck of the green economy. The figures are dizzying. According to the Financial Timesthe price of silver has risen 300% in the last year, breaking the psychological barrier of $100 and currently standing at $112 per ounce. This increase is fueled by three fires: geopolitical fear of possible US military intervention, the voracity of the industry and the massive entry of retail investors, for whom silver is “the poor man’s gold.” This speculative appetite has skyrocketed prices by 60% since the beginning of 2026 alone. The magnitude of the increase in prices is such that from investment portals such as Investing News have reported record prices of $93.77 in mid-January, but market reality has exceeded forecasts in just weeks. But there are geopolitical actors pulling the strings behind this scenario. China, the largest global refiner, has imposed strict controls to export by 2026-2027, shielding its strategic resources for its own renewable energy and Artificial Intelligence industry. Added to this is that India and Russia are aggressively buying physical silver, draining inventories in London and Asia and causing real shortages in Western markets. Financial drain and existential threat The impact on the cost structure of a solar panel has been devastating. According to data from BloombergNEFsilver has gone from representing 3.4% of the cost of a module in 2023, to 14% last year, to an unsustainable 29% today. Silver has dethroned polysilicon and become the most expensive component in manufacturing. For the giants of the sector, this is raining in the wet. Titans like JinkoSolar, Longi and Trina Solar They are posting quarterly losses consecutive in the midst of a “vicious price war.” Factories operate at just 50% of their capacity and, in many cases, sell modules below production cost. Jenny Chase analyst cited by Financial Timessummarizes the situation without hot towels: “It is very painful for solar module manufacturers, who are already having a terrible time and are expected to report losses by 2025.” The problem is that companies have their hands tied in passing on these costs. As explained in PV Magazinedue to excess capacity and weak demand, it is “almost impossible” to pass on the entire increase in the price of silver to the end customer. Although Chinese manufacturers have recently tried to raise prices between 1.4% and 3.8%, these increases are minuscule compared to the 180% or 300% increase in raw material prices. The long-term consequence is what experts call “demand destruction.” If prices remain at these levels, silver use in the PV industry could fall by 20% this year, not only due to efficiency, but because the industry simply cannot afford it. The great substitution Faced with financial asphyxiation, the industry has accelerated what they call “thrifting”, a race against time to replace silver with cheaper metals. The favorite candidate is copper. According to Investing Newscopper is trading 22,000% cheaper than silver and is much more abundant, making it the great hope for saving profit margins. Faced with suffocation, the industry has accelerated the thrifting (material savings) to replace silver with copper, which is 22,000% cheaper. The large Chinese manufacturers already they have made a move. Longi Green Energy will begin mass production of cells using base metals (such as copper and aluminum) in the second quarter of this year. Trina Solar is developing copper contacts to reduce its dependence, and Aiko Solar has already begun producing completely silver-free cells. The Chinese industry, which is more intensive in the use of silver than the European one, lead this forced transition. However, the change is not easy. As they warn in PV Magazine warns that not all solar technologies are equally suited: while heterojunction (HJT) and back contact (BC) cells facilitate the use of copper, the current dominant technology (TOPCon) requires high temperature processes that make copper vulnerable to oxidation. Here lies the greatest risk of this flight forward. Copper oxidizes and degrades faster than silver. Bloomberg alert about danger of launching copper panels on the market without sufficient longevity tests. Customers demand 20-year warranties; If new panels fail within 10 years due to copper corrosion, manufacturers could face massive liabilities that would put them out of business. As one precious metals expert points out: “Going too far too fast can be risky.” A future of scarcity and recycling The pressure on silver doesn’t just come from the sun. At this point we introduce in the equation Artificial Intelligence. The data centers necessary for AI consume enormous amounts of energy, which triggers demand for solar installations and, therefore, money. It is a vicious circle where technology devours physical resources. Furthermore, the electric vehicle (EV) enters like another big predator: An electric car consumes up to 50 grams of silver, almost twice as much as a combustion car. It is estimated that demand from the automotive sector could triple by 2030. In this context of shortages, some companies are taking desperate measures. He Financial Times reveals that Samsung Construction and Trading has skipped the middlemen and signed a two-year direct agreement with a mining company to secure its supply. … Read more

how to become independent from US gas

by

Europe has spent more than four years trying to close a dependency that made it vulnerable. At the end of January, he finally achieved it. The Twenty Seven They approved the total ban of Russian gas imports, both by pipeline and in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). A historic decision that becomes law a repeated political promise since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: never again entrust European heating, industry and electricity to Moscow. But victory comes with an asterisk. While Europe manages to disassociate itself from Russian gas, a new problem emerges on the horizon: the continent has gone, almost without realizing it, from depending on Russia to increasingly depending on the United States. An accelerated replacement. According to data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)imports of American LNG into the European Union quadrupled between 2021 and 2025, going from 21 billion cubic meters to around 81 billion. Last year it was confirmed that 57% of the LNG that arrived in Europe came from the United States. If all gas imports are added—both liquefied and by gas pipeline—the United States will already cover 27% of the total consumption of the European Union in 2025. And dependency threatens to increase. According to IEEFA projections, this share could approach 40% in 2030 if current contracts are maintained and plans to reduce demand do not prosper. The problem is even bigger with LNG. At this point, the United States could supply between 75% and 80% of all liquefied gas imported by the EU in 2030. This shift was not the result of a long-term strategy, but of an immediate need. After the invasion of Ukraine and the collapse of Russian flows, American gas came as a lifeline. LNG carriers leaving Texas and Louisiana helped avoid blackouts, stabilize markets and fill European storage in the most critical winters. “At the time, it seemed like a heroic solution,” summarizes Henning Gloystein, an analyst at Eurasia Group. quoted by The New York Times. “Now we are beginning to realize that we have replaced one massive dependency with another.” A very uncomfortable partner. So to speak in some way. The repeated threats of the American president about Greenland, its trade disputes with the European Union and his openly instrumental vision of energy trade They have set off alarm bells in Brussels. “The risk is not that the United States will cut off supply tomorrow,” several analysts explain. cited by The New York Times. “The risk is that it uses its dominant position to pressure, increase prices or condition.” Unlike Russia, the US gas sector is not controlled by a state monopoly, making an abrupt cut in flows less likely. But Washington could introduce export taxes, prioritize other markets or influence prices and contracts, which would have a direct impact on European consumers. Furthermore, American LNG is, according to IEEFAthe most expensive on the market for European buyers. This clashes head-on with one of the central objectives of the EU’s energy strategy: making energy cheaper to recover industrial competitiveness. Gas as a volatility factor. Increasing dependence on US LNG also exposes Europe to shocks that are completely beyond its control. In early 2026, an extreme cold wave in the United States caused a rapid rise in gas prices in the US market, where futures doubled in a matter of days. The effect was immediately transferred to Europe, where the price of gas exceeded 40 euros per megawatt hour (€/MWh). The situation is aggravated by low European storage levels, which have fallen below 45%, the lowest level for this date in five years. In key countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands, deposits are between 30% and 45%which leaves little room for new tensions. A speech that repeats itself. Aware of the risk, European institutions insist that dependence on American gas must be temporary. “We don’t want to replace one dependency with another,” repeats Commissioner Dan Jørgensen. “Our strategy is to grow in our own energy and, in the medium term, free ourselves from gas.” The approved legislation obliges Member States to submit before March 2026 national supply diversification plans, identify bottlenecks and notify all remaining contracts with Russia. The REPowerEU plan still has three pillars: short-term supplier diversification, reduction in gas demand and accelerated deployment of renewables. The problem is the calendar and Europe still needs gas today, even as it promises to stop needing it tomorrow. The North Sea as a European powerhouse. In this scenario, the European commitment to offshore wind acquires strategic weight. At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg, nine countries – including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark – they agreed to convert this region in the great clean energy hub of the continent. The plan it’s ambitious: Achieve 300 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050 and deploy up to 15 gigawatts per year between 2031 and 2040, with at least 100 gigawatts developed through coordinated cross-border projects. Offshore wind is no longer presented as an environmental solution, but as a matter of control. The North Sea Pact puts investments of up to one trillion euros on the table to turn this technology into the new axis of the European energy system. The industry commits to make offshore wind electricity cheaper by 30% by 2040 and to assume a central role in the European energy system. “It’s not just about the climate,” said Britain’s Ed Miliband in Hamburg. in statements reported by the Financial Times. “It’s about controlling our energy and not leaving it in the hands of dictators or petrostates.” The cracks in the system. Despite the independence speech, contradictions persist. Europe continues to sign long-term gas contracts with American suppliers, while denouncing the risks of dependency. Regasification and transportation infrastructures are at their limit in countries like the Netherlands, and interconnections remain insufficientespecially between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the continent. Furthermore, European unity is fragile. Hungary and Slovakia maintain their opposition to the veto … Read more

They are also the perfect experiment to become independent from Android

by

Vega is already official. Amazon presented its new operating system for Fire TV devices and Echo In an event loaded with news. Although we had been hearing rumors about this development years, it has now been when the firm has decided to make the leap. Among the devices that incorporate this operating system is the Fire TV Stick 4K Selectbeing the first of his family to leave Android. Although with him, Amazon leaves one of his main assets on the way: his application catalog. A change of views. Vega Os It is not a modified version of Android as Fire OS, but an Linux -based operating system built from scratch. This has an immediate consequence, and none of the applications that work on current Fire TV It will be compatible with Vega Os. Each developer will have to create specific versions of their applications for this new ecosystem. It is starting from scratch. A first step. Amazon’s bet looks for two clear goals. On the one hand, create cheaper devices. In this sense, Vega is lighter and requires fewer hardware resources than Android. The Fire TV Stick 4K Select works with only 1 GB of RAM, half than other 4K models, and yet Amazon promises that applications open remarkably fast. On the other, gain technological independence. Depending on Android means depending on Google, and Amazon has been looking for for years to control all the experience of its devices without intermediaries. Applications, Achilles heel. The greatest risk of Vega os that will have to face the end user is evident: an ecosystem of applications much more limited, at least for quite some time. At the moment, Amazon has confirmed Compatibility with services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Paramount+, YouTube, PLUTO TV or PLEX, but many other applications are missing that Fire TV users usually use. In addition, the company has confirmed that “only Amazon Appstore applications are available to download.” At first, this also seems to close the door to Sideloadingalthough in the case of a Linux -based system, we may not be late in seeing alternatives. How it works inside. From a technical point of view, Vega works radically different from Fire OS. As they have from AFTVNewsVega applications are, in essence, web pages, and the operating system acts as a specialized browser. This works perfectly for streaming applications, which on many platforms are already built with web technologies, but severely limits other types of apps such as more complex games or utilities. The archives of their applications will go from extension. ADB on Androidthe process will be more restrictive than in Fire OS. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select (last generation): Start reproducing 4K content in streaming, see hundreds of thousands of films and series episodes, and access free TV and live TV The price could vary. We obtain commission for these links Amazon does not leave Android (yet). The company has made it clear that Fire will not disappear. All current Fire TV devices will continue to work with the Android -based system and receive updates. In addition, Amazon has confirmed that it will continue to launch new Fire TV devices with fire and is even working on a New version based on Android 14. At the moment, Vega is an alternative, not a replacement. The business model behind. The interesting thing about Vega is not just savings in manufacturing costs. Amazon is building a completely own ecosystem where he controls every aspect of the experience. Here we talk from the hardware to the operating system, through the application store. It is a movement similar to Apple’s, but from the opposite end of the market, that is, offering cheap and accessible devices where Amazon can then monetize through content and services. In Spain it does not come with Vega os. The Fire TV Stick 4K Select will arrive on October 15, and It can already be reserved on Amazon at a price of 54.99 euros. At the moment, the device will arrive without Vega in the country, although it is possible that it will be included as future update. There is no specific calendar yet, so it only remains to wait. Given the technical characteristics of the device, possibly the public see more attractive to take advantage of the offers of the latest generation Max than to opt for this new option, especially if there are no vega in between. Cover image | Rubén Andrés In Xataka | When the algorithm does not give one and the platforms are more confusing than ever, it is clear that the streaming business has a problem

The US pressure forces China to independent its chip industry. These two projects are their best cards

by

China has no choice. Or develops its own manufacturing technology of avant -garde semiconductors or will lose its struggle for world supremacy With the US. No 100% Chinese advanced chips their military capacity, the development of their models of artificial intelligence (AI) and the competitiveness of their technology companies will resent in the medium term. Huawei and SMIC are manufacturing advanced integrated circuits, but use machines from the Dutch company ASML and a technology known as Multiple patterning that compromises its competitiveness. This scenario has caused the Chinese government support with very juicy subsidies to companies that have the ability to develop avant -garde photolithography equipment, such as SicarrierShanghai YuliangSheng, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (Smee), Huawei or SMIC. Time plays against this Asian country. How much later in having their own machines of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE), which are those used to make very high integration chips, more delayed will be in front of the US and its allies. 2026 will be a crucial year for China in the field of chips The Chinese Academy of Sciences is finishing what is undoubtedly The most ambitious project How many are developing the Chinese semiconductor industry. Thanks to this plan the nation led by Xi Jinping is about to reach a “Deepseek” in the field of integrated circuit industry. This simply means that it is preparing to reach a disruption that has the potential to place this Asian country at the same height as the US, Taiwan or South Korea. However, China’s strategy to produce avant -garde chips is very different from what their rivals have used until now. Each of ASML UVE machines incorporates its own ultraviolet light source, but the Chinese Academy of Sciences seeks to generate this important radiation to produce advanced chips using a syncrotronwhich is nothing other than a circular particle accelerator that is used to analyze atomic level the properties of matter, such as various types of materials, or even proteins. It’s called heps (High Energy Photon Source or high -energy photons source), it is in Beijing and we can see it in the cover photography of this article. Heps syncrotron has the ability to produce high power UVE light An important note before moving forward: the ultraviolet light (UV) is responsible for transferring the geometric pattern that contains the design of the chips to the Silicon wafer. This means, in broad strokes, that the UVE light has the ability to make possible the manufacture of integrated circuits with a greater resolution than the deep ultraviolet light (UVP) that use the previous generation lithography machines that China has in their hands. And a greater resolution in practice implies that it is possible to produce semiconductors with more transistors, and, therefore, more sophisticated and powerful. A priori we can think that a particle accelerator has nothing to do with the manufacture of integrated circuits, but we would be overlooking something very important: the Heps syncrotron has the ability to produce high power UVE light. In fact, it is a source designed to generate a large amount of radiation. China’s plan is to place around the particle accelerator Several semiconductor manufacturing plants to which the syncotron will deliver the UVE light in the same way that a power plant delivers electricity to its customers. That simple. The date on which China plans to start this megaphabrum of avant -garde semiconductors has not yet leaked, but it is already very advanced. However, China’s plans do not end here. In the middle of last March several Asian media collected a photograph taken at the Huawei Research Center in Dongguan, in the province of Canton, in which it appeared The prototype of a UVE lithography team Designed and manufactured entirely in China. Presumably this machine is similar to those produced by ASML, which invites us to anticipate that for 2026 the country led by Xi Jinping will have the ability to produce advanced chips on a large scale. This Chinese lithography equipment uses an LDP type ultraviolet source and not LPP class The leaks They assure That unlike the UVE machines produced by the Dutch company ASML, this Chinese lithography equipment uses an LDP ultraviolet light source (laser induced discharge), and not LPP class (plasma generated by laser). Presumably The development of this ultraviolet radiation emission source It is the milestone that has allowed Chinese engineers to develop a machine that Many experts did not see possible before five years in the best case. At the moment the most prudent is that we take this information with caution, but it seems solid enough to echo it. An interesting note is that on paper the LDP source is able to generate UVE light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm, so this Chinese prototype should be able to compete from you to you with ASML UVE photolithography machines. In addition, the leaks argue that China will begin the production of more test machines during the third quarter of this year with the purpose of launching the large -scale manufacture of these equipment during 2026. Image | Dr. Kim More information | Dr. Kim In Xataka | TSMC acknowledges that it has been considered taking its factories out of Taiwan. It is impossible for a good reason

Balatro has been the last great breath of fresh air in the independent video game industry. This is its history

by

At the end of 2021 a developer with alias “LOCTHUNK“He dedicated his three weeks of vacation to create a multiplayer card game that was based on the poker but went further and created as a Roguelike video game. He called it Balatroand after a year and a half of development he published a first beta version in Steam. Its creation began to call the attention of some increasingly important youtubers, and the snowball was getting bigger and bigger. So much so that in its final launch, on February 20, 2024, Balatro sold 50,000 copies in two hours. At the end of the localshunk day he had sold 119,000 copies of his game in Steam, with total revenues of more than one million dollars. Balatro’s popularity is still exceptional, although its launch was not exempt from problems. The European ages rating system, Pegi, described it as a game not suitable for children under 18. LOCTHUNK He complained of the unfair of that qualification: your card game It does not include bets Or transactions with real money, and finally got the qualification to be Pegi 12, that is, suitable for children aged 12 years old. Since its definitive launch, Balatro has made history. He was nominated for Goty 2024 (Game of the Year), in addition to winning several awards in the independent video game category. By January 2025 I already exceeded the Five million units soldFor example. The game, which was initially available on PC and consoles, ended up appearing for iOS and Android in September 2024. And in all that time, something surprising: Locothunk has managed to maintain its anonymitysomething he confessed had been a success for him. Maybe one day we know its true identity, but what is clear is that Balatro has ended up being a phenomenon within an industry little accustomed to the success of small independent productions. In Xataka | The most addictive game of recent times is ‘Balatro’: construction of decks disguised as a poker and with millionaire sales

There are European companies that want to become independent from the clouds of Amazon, Google and Microsoft: they will not have it easy

by

Cloud computing services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure have become fundamental tools for governments and companies of all sizes in Europe. Logic is simple: instead of investing in their own servers, they can access powerful technological resources under a payment model for use. It is a scheme that has given good results for years, but in recent times certain inconveniences have emerged. To the costs, which in certain cases are higher than expected, new concerns of geopolitical nature are now added. These concerns began to gain strength with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and are taking some actors in the old continent to consider a change of course. Europe begins to look beyond the United States A little over a week ago, about a hundred European organizations They signed an open letter Aimed at Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, already Henna Virkkunen, EU digital manager. They claim “Radical actions“To reduce the dependence on foreign digital services. The document urges to bet on local solutions, covered by hardware to cloud platforms. Practically in parallel, the Parliament of the Netherlands approved eight motions that ask the Government to replace the software and hardware of American origin for solutions developed by local companies. The intention is to sign new contracts with Dutch suppliers that offer equivalent services and, in a broader look, reinforce the country’s digital sovereignty through a national cloud based on local technology. In addition, as Wired points out, European suppliers such as Exoscale – a company based in Switzerland – are registering a notable Increase in demand of their services, promoted by customers who seek to move away from the American cloud giants. According to his CEO, Mathias Nöbauer, even in Denmark there are companies that are distanced by tensions between the Trump administration and the Danish government For the matter of Greenland. There are still no signs that European governments and companies are moving in mass to local alternatives is happening right now, although as we have seen, there are several initiatives underway and some actors taking the first steps. An exodus would be bad news for American technological ones, who have adopted several changes in recent times to protect European clients and prevent them from fleeing to other platforms. In this context, some foreign companies have begun to install servers within the European Union with the aim of ensuring that the data is stored in Community territory. At the same time, security systems have been implemented that limit access exclusively to the clients themselves. As we mentioned before, cloud services are the basis of many fundamental components that work without pause. A complicated task from where he looks at her Change the cloud supplier It is not a simple decision. Beyond whether it is an American or European platform, every migration process implies a high workload, possible interruptions in operations and meticulous planning. To this are added specific risks, such as the loss of data or compatibility problems between systems, especially when the architectures are not aligned. Even in ideal scenarios, where everything goes as planned, the process can be more than desired. The necessary time will depend largely on the size and complexity of the organization, as well as the services involved. In companies with critical operations, a provider change requires more than will: strategy, technical resources and sufficient margin to absorb any unplanned impact is needed. Images | Alexandre Lallemand | DC Studio In Xataka | In full tariff war, the EU has found a weapon to press the United States: soybeans

Europe’s access depends on the United States. ESA has presented a strategic plan to become independent

by

Guarantee the technological autonomy of Europe in space will be key in the rearma of the European Union. He ESE Strategic Plan For the next 15 years it has just made it clear. The document, entitled “Strategy 2040: raising the future of Europe”, establishes as one of the priorities of the space agency to strengthen autonomous access to orbit and independent from NASA. At what point is that. With an annual budget of 7.7 billion euros, the European Space Agency has a powerful scientific exploration program: it has just presented The first Euclid space telescope data set, He is on his way to Jupiter’s icy moons with Juice and Has Hera traveling to the Dimorfo asteroid as a spatial defense mission. ESA also develops the Galileo navigation system of the European Commission, which is more precise than the American GPSis behind one of the most advanced land observation programs that exist: the constellation of Sentinel satellites, which is part of the European Copernicus program. Also together with the European Commission, ESA just closed An agreement of 10,000 million euros (between public and private funds) to build the constellation of Iris2 satellites. The objective: reduce the strategic disadvantage of Europe in front of the Starlink constellation and the incipient Chinese constellations. Europe also has a wide network of observatories and the ability to communicate with deep space with antennas in Madrid, Argentina and Australia. In fact, one of the NASA deep space network stations (DSN) has A station operated by INTA in Robledo de ChavelaMadrid, from where he communicates with his Martian rovers and other probes. What depends on NASA. ESA does not have its own spacecraft to transport astronauts. From the veto to Russia and its Soyuz capsules, it depends exclusively on the Crew Dragon ships of Spacex to access the International Space Station, either in NASA long -term missions or in commercial missions of short duration of the AXIOM company. The same thing happens with the Artemis missions to the moon. ESA is one of NASA’s most important partners in its lunar program. Plans to carry up to 1,500 kg of load With each flight of the Argonaut lunar moduleand has contributed a key component of the manned ship Orion: the service module. However, NASA has prioritized the presence of a Canadian astronaut in the Artemis II mission and A Japanese astronaut In the future of the launning. The giant’s rear. While that collaborates closely with NASA in many important missions, such as the detection of objects close to Earth, James Webb space telescope or the mission of recovery of land samples mars mars sample return (Now in pause), Much of its infrastructure follows the rear of the American space agency. Especially in launching capacity. In addition to the best funded space agency (25.4 billion dollars of annual budget), the United States has the most buoyant and advanced private space industry in the world. Spacex puts 80% of the mass that is launched globally a year, and is the only company, along with Rocket Lab, which usually reuses its pitchers. In recent years, Europe has had to launch some of its most important missions (including Galileo strategic satellites) in Falcon 9 rockets of Spacex for an internal crisis of pitchers. The European plan. For all the above, added to the political context, one of the central objectives of the EES in its Strategy 2040 is to reduce the dependence of the United States in spatial matters. A good part of their future public contracts will be oriented to boost the growth and competitiveness of the European private space industry. The goal is to generate more than 250,000 jobs related to space in Europe. At the same time, ESA will take advantage of its research facet to collaborate more closely with European universities in the development of new generation technologies. For this they need to attract talent to the careers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, so it starts from the work will be inspired by young people with space missions and the communication work of their astronauts, Among them Pablo Álvarez and Sara García. Reusable rockets. European releases have been stagnant in an inefficient duopoly: heavy satellites are thrown with French Ariane rockets and light satellites do it aboard Italian rockets Vega. Ariane 6 and Vega C are barely beginning to operate normally after erratic years, but its disposable nature puts Europe in a vulnerable situation against Spacex and the US New Space. Things are going to start changing. The German company Isar Aerospace could become this March 24 In the first European company that launches a commercial rocket, the Spectrum, to the land orbit. The Spanish PLD Space hopes to do it at the end of the year with the Miura 5ura rocket. There are only two examples of the effervescent panorama of European microlanzores, but all have in common the support of the ESA and ambitious plans to turn their rockets into reusable. Pld ha announced even a manned ship called lynx. At the forefront. Recovering the lost terrain with its own reusable rocket ecosystem and manned ships is only part of the plan. ESA also plans to expand its satellite constellations, lead the world in the elimination of space garbage, participate in future orbital stations and lunar bases, and develop high thrust engines such as Spacex or Blue Origin, for which you have granted A contract to the Spanish company PANGEA AEROSPACE. He does not expect to have everything ready suddenly, but the strategic plan projects an increase in launches from 2030 and an increasing capacity to launch heavier loads at more distant orbits, without depending on foreign pitchers and without neglecting the development of other technologies, such as advanced communications systems and autonomous capabilities for asteroid surveillance. In short, give the 23 member states that finance ES an autonomous access to space. A matter of money. In return, the European Space Agency asks Europe for something very concrete: more money. Its budget is less … Read more

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.