industry

The industry has stopped manufacturing for people, it does it for machines

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On October 1, 2025, the average price of two 8GB DDR4-3200 modules was $60. Today that price is 110 dollars. Things are worse for DDR5 memory: at the beginning of September the average price of two 16GB DDR5-4800 modules was about $100, but now the price is approaching $250. In just a few months those prices have skyrocketed and we know perfectly well who is to blame: the AI. what has happened. He who warns is not a traitor: at the beginning of October we were talking about how A perfect storm had brewed with AI and data centers. This storm was going to cause notable increases in the prices of NAND and DRAM memories. And indeed those prices have skyrocketed in an astonishing and worrying way. The average price of DDR5-4800 2x16GB modules has multiplied by 2.5 in less than two months. Source: PC PartPicker 307% more. The consulting firm TrendForce, specialized in this type of market analysis, indicated this week how the price of DDR5 memories has increased by up to 307% since September, but the worst thing is not that: the worst thing is that these prices are going to continue rising and it also affects DDR4 modules, although somewhat less (“only” 158%). In fact, in a graph they showed how two 8 GB DDR4-3200 modules had gone from $30.55 to $34.42, 12.67% more expensive… than a week ago. More information. The well-known website PCPartPicker It offers among its services an analysis of the price evolution of different components. The graphics of DRAM memories were quite boring because they were almost always relatively flat, but now they have gone crazy and very unfun. In all types of memory analyzed, the increase in average prices confirms the TrendForce data. The curve is more worrying for DDR5 modules, but it is clear that all are affected. NAND are going the same way. NAND memories have the same problemand that will make SSD drives also increase in price. The demand for data centers is causing end users to suffer the direct consequences, and prices are expected to grow significantly. Khein Seng Pua, CEO of Phison—one of the largest manufacturers of this type of chips— warned that “recently all NAND companies have begun to increase their sales prices by around 50 or 75%” and warned that all this will make “the supply of NAND chips very tight for many, many years.” Or what is the same: prices that will rise but will not fall in the medium (or long term). A vicious circle. The news is terrible for those who were thinking of updating their equipment with more RAM or more storage capacity. The upward trend in prices will not relax at least in this quarter, and may continue for much longer due to this AI fever. Data centers need AI GPUs, AI GPUs (often) need HBM memories, and HBM memories cause manufacturers to put RAM on the back burner. Bad time to upgrade or build a PC (or maybe it’s a good time). It’s a vicious circle that will make upgrading or building a PC right now a bad deal. But of course, it can also be seen from another perspective: maybe waiting is even worse and this is “a good time” or at least, “the best of bad times” in the medium term. Of course the threat is there. Most expensive smartphones and laptops in sight. Of course this can also directly affect the new smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops that appear on the market from this moment on. Price increases in components clearly impact the manufacturing costs of these devices, and it would not be strange to see significant increases in all types of devices. In fact, Khein Seng explained that some manufacturers could decide to do a kind of “reduflation” of their products by lowering specifications in order to maintain sales prices. Image | Andrey Matveev In Xataka | Samsung has its biggest competitor at home. His future with chips depends on his rivalry with SK Hynix

Luxury was the last industry where Europe, because it was Europe, had a competitive advantage in China. Until now

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For decades, China was known as the country where the world’s luxury products were made, not where they were designed. The “Made in China” lived years associated with mass productionto the workshops that supplied Europe and to the supply chains that kept the pace of the sector alive. The great Western houses dependedand still depend— of its manufacturing capacity. But what almost no one saw coming is that that same country, which built the industrial muscle of global luxury, would begin to develop its own brands capable of not only imitating, but directly competing. A market that no longer responds to the previous rules. According to data published by Bloombergspending on Western brands within China has slowed down in a huge market—around $49 billion—while several local firms are growing with a strength that surprises the industry itself: Laopu Gold, artisanal aesthetic jewelry, has multiplied by ten its online sales in just two years, compared to the 57 million of Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the most recognized names in Western fine jewelry. Songmont, specialized in bags with clean lines and minimalist design, is close to 90% growth in e-commerce. In contrast, Gucci’s drop in the same channel exceeds 50%. Mao Geping—a local brand with a strong Chinese theatrical aesthetic— doubles income by Bobbi Brown on the platform. And all this happens while giants like LVMH or Kering are experiencing sharp declines in the stock market compared to their highs in 2023 and 2021 respectively. As Chosun Biz points outmany consumers who previously reserved their large purchases for foreign brands are now choosing local firms. A simple phrase, but one that reveals a profound cultural change. Luxury is no longer defined only by Europe. The transformation is not explained solely by the economic context, because otherwise the phenomenon would be limited. However, local brands are succeeding because they offer something that the young Chinese consumer recognizes as their own: an aesthetic and a cultural story that does not seek to appear Western. There are different examples, such as Songmont building its brand around “oriental beauty” and designing spaces inspired by calligraphy. To Summer creates fragrances with ingredients that are part of Chinese sensory memory—tea, osmanthus, preserved citrus—and presents them in Jingdezhen porcelainindisputable reference of the country’s ceramics. ICICLE bases its entire design on principles of harmony and simplicity rooted in local philosophy. This approach connects with a generation that no longer considers European logos as automatic symbols of taste. They look for beauty, yes, but a beauty that belongs to their culture. Luxury Society adds that local brands They have become experts in building coherent, deep brand universes full of cultural references that are natural, not forced. Meanwhile, foreign firms have been trying to adapt for years, often with superficial interpretations of Chinese symbolism. The rise of national pride. EITHER guochao, born as a movement roots that vindicate the aesthetics and identity of the Asian giant. A term that has become a purchasing criterion for many young people. It is not about rejecting what is Western, but about valuing what arises in the country’s own companies. Western houses try to adapt. The big foreign brands have begun to react. Digitalizing document a change in the way in which Louis Vuitton, Prada or Loewe relate to Chinese culture: they no longer only launch thematic collections on Lunar New Year, but they open stores that interpret local architectural languages, collaborate with artisans of intangible cultural heritage, produce content about Chinese cities and organize parades in enclaves that dialogue with the country’s history. The reality is that they have to respond to an increasingly demanding market and a consumer who has reduced his enthusiasm for luxury in the midst of an uncertain economic climate, marked by youth unemployment and the fall of confidence. The point is that, although Western localization is increasingly sophisticated, Chinese brands have an advantage because they start from a native understanding of their own aesthetic. They are not imitating the global language of luxury: they are proposing a new one. From followers to creators. The ecosystem is reminiscent of the process that Japan experienced decades ago. As some analyzes showfirst came the fascination with European luxury, then an economic crisis, and finally the rise of local brands that redefined modern Japanese aesthetics. China is going through a similar cycle, but with a level of global ambition that Japan did not have from the beginning. Furthermore, the picture is complicated by another key movement: according to Luxury SocietyChinese luxury spending has not disappeared, but has shifted abroad following the post-pandemic reopening. Japan is now one of the favorite destinations, where up to 80% of customers in some luxury stores are Chinese, it also happens in Singapore and Thailand. This makes the sales decline within China seem more serious than it is. Even so, at home, the preference for local brands is a cultural phenomenon, not a situational one. Can Chinese luxury consolidate itself as a global competitor? The potential is there, but the challenges are great. According to figures cited by Bloombergno Chinese brand in the sector has yet exceeded 0.5% global share or 10 billion yuan in annual revenue. The growth of recent years starts from small bases and there is still no truly global Chinese brand. The economy doesn’t help either. Consumer confidence is fragile and an important part of the local boom depends on a cultural pride that could fluctuate if the domestic situation worsens. The brands themselves recognize, in interviews collected by the same medium, that they need international talent and expansion outside of China to consolidate themselves. However, their advantage is powerful: they dominate the supply chain, manufacturing and, now, increasingly, aesthetics. The case of Shajuanstudied by researchers at Fudan University, shows how vertically integrated brands can control design, production and narrative more effectively than many international firms. A new global aesthetic emerges from China. The Asian giant is no longer just a key market for Western luxury; It is a creator of trends, … Read more

When you bought a car you were supposed to control it 100%. The industry has managed to make us lose our desire

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An owner of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N recently discovered that he couldn’t perform one of the most basic maintenance tasks on his electric car: changing the brake pads. The reason has nothing to do with how complex or not the task was mechanically, but rather with Hyundai’s proprietary software and the professional-level credentials necessary to access it. The episode has reopened the debate on the repairability of electrified vehiclesin an era in which we increasingly need professionals specialized in software and electronics in workshops, and carrying out maintenance on our own is increasingly more complicated. The underlying problem. Brake pads are wear components that any car needs replacing periodically, although in electric vehicles they last longer thanks to the regenerative braking. On most cars, this job can be done at home with more or less basic tools and moderate mechanical experience. However, the Ioniq 5 N incorporates an electronic parking brake that must be fully retracted by a computer to allow changing pads, and then recalibrated to adjust to the thickness of the new parts. What it cost the owner. According to shared user SoultronicPear on Reddit, no conventional diagnostic scanner worked on his 2025 Ioniq 5 N. After trying several options, he purchased a subscription to Hyundai’s J2534 software (costing $60 per week) and an approved adapter (about $2,000). Still, the system didn’t work. After contacting the software developers, he discovered that the Windows version was not updated for the 2025 models, while official dealers use a completely different program based on Android. a barrier. When I finally received the updated version of the software, a new obstacle appeared: the system requested credentials NASTF (National Automotive Service Task Force), a US organization that validates professional mechanics and regulates access to sensitive vehicle functions in the country. According to TheDriveHyundai’s technical documentation states in red that “access to two-way tests and special functions requires NASTF Diagnostic Professional or Vehicle Safety Professional credentials.” Therefore, the owner could not access this adjustment firsthand. Hyundai’s position. The middle consulted to the firm, which defended its procedure arguing reasons of security and functionality. “The official repair procedure requires placing the rear calipers into service mode using our Global Diagnostic System or the J2534 app. This ensures proper functionality and customer safety,” a spokesperson explained. The company he added that it is exploring ways to make routine maintenance easier by “balancing convenience with security,” and that its official tool is available for anyone to purchase, although it is worth mentioning that its price is around $6,000. Beyond legality. Technically, Hyundai does not violate the laws of law to repair because it offers access through systems compatible with the J2534 standard, not only through proprietary equipment. However, what has always been a task accessible to individuals with moderate mechanical knowledge who wanted to do it on their own, has been relegated exclusively to professional workshops, at least in this case. A growing problem. Although the case focuses on Hyundai, the Korean brand is not the only one that makes repairs on modern vehicles difficult. The electrification and digitalization of automobiles is creating new barriers for owners and even independent workshops, who also cannot access these functions. For many enthusiasts, this takes away autonomy over their own vehicles and creates confusion, especially for something that should be as accessible as routine car maintenance. Cover image | Tekton In Xataka | In 2001, Renault launched a car ahead of its time: it was a miserable failure that now has another chance

The automobile industry in China has broken a new record, and sales in Europe have not been the only ones that have contributed

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The Chinese automobile industry has reached an export value of 798.39 billion yuan (about 96.9 billion euros) in the first ten months of 2025, according to data of the country’s General Customs Administration. It is about an increase of 14.3% compared to the same period of the previous year, and this is one more example of China being one of the main vehicle exporting powers in the world. And it is that besides Europethere are already other markets of great interest for the country. A sector that drives foreign trade. While China’s total merchandise exports grew by 6.2% In this period, the automotive sector almost tripled that rate of expansion. Mechanical and electrical products accounted for more than 60% of the country’s exports, with automobiles and semiconductors as the main drivers of this growth. In October alone, vehicle exports rose 34% year-on-year. The role of electric and hybrid. Behind these figures are brands such as BYD, SAIC and Chery, whose electrified models have conquered new markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Although the Customs Administration has not broken down the types of vehicles exported, sector data suggests that electric cars and plug-in hybrids are largely responsible for this boost. China is moving its production towards higher value-added segments, and the automobile is a key piece of that strategy. Who buys Chinese cars. ASEAN (Southeast Asia) remains China’s largest trading partner, with a total trade volume of 6.18 trillion yuan (up 9.1%), according to the General Administration of Customs. The European Union followswith 4.88 trillion yuan and a growth of 4.9%. The figures once again highlight how emerging regions and traditional European markets continue to absorb a good part of Chinese automobile production, although with different dynamics. The weight of private companies. Private Chinese companies have also played a determining role in this growth. According to the official dataaccounted for 21.28 trillion yuan in foreign trade (imports and exports combined) during the first ten months of the year, an increase of 7.2% year-on-year. And in addition to the companies that have state protection, there are also private companies that are experiencing great growth thanks to their international expansion. Warning signs on the horizon. Despite the good time, October has marked a turning pointas China’s total exports fell 0.8% year-on-year, the first setback in several months. Some analysts attribute this decline to an already very high comparison base, since 2024 was a record year. Also to fewer working days due to holidays and, above all, to weaker demand from the West. In fact, trade with the United States fell 15.9% in the first ten months of the year, according to the same source. What’s coming. Automobile exports are expected to close 2025 above 2024 levelsalthough probably at a more moderate pace. Demand from abroad is beginning to cool and trade restrictions in some markets, such as Europe, are tightening for China. Even so, the country’s automobile sector continues to demonstrate a capacity for growth greater than the rest of its manufacturing industry. It remains to be seen how long he can keep up the pace. Cover image | Michael Fortsch In Xataka | I have tried the BYD circuit in China: an underwater YangWang, a 29 meter dune and a car that turns by itself

Nexperia had the entire European automotive industry in check. We have good news

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The Dutch Government is prepared to suspend the control it exercises over the semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia if China again allows the export of its most critical chips. According to sources Bloomberg, the Chinese government has already lifted the veto, so the move would end a conflict that threatened to paralyze automobile production world. The agreement on the table. According to Bloomberg, Dutch authorities were “prepared to revoke the ministerial order that gave them veto power over key Nexperia corporate decisions” as soon as next week. The condition: that the resumption of shipments of components from China be verified in the coming days and that the financial disputes between Nexperia and its Chinese operations be also resolved. China lifts veto. Just like assures In the middle, China has once again allowed Nexperia to export its semiconductors, paving the way for the Netherlands to suspend its powers over the Chinese-owned company. Chips have already started shipping again from Nexperia’s Chinese operations, officials from several auto companies confirmed to Bloomberg. The first shipments are already underway. Aumovio SE, a components maker that supplies Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW, has shipped Nexperia semiconductors and components containing them after receiving an export license from China this week, according to declared its CEO Philipp Von Hirschheydt to Bloomberg. The manager added who informed him that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce lifted the export ban on Nexperia this Friday. “It will take some time before all procedures and processes return to normal,” the CEO warned. There is still the possibility of disruption in the next four to six weeks, but “if everything I know today is correct, we are not going to be affected,” he said. How it all started. The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, activated a law dating back to the Cold War in September to take temporary control over Nexperiaowned by the Chinese technology group Wingtech. The reason was concern that Wingtech was weakening the company and putting the supply of vital components at risk. The Dutch government flagged some of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng’s decisions as representing “misuse of financial resources for the personal enrichment of the CEO,” according to account Bloomberg. Wingtech denied these allegations. In response, Beijing imposed restrictions on exports of Nexperia products from China, which accounted for about half of the company’s pre-crisis volumes. Why does it matter? Nexperia makes power control chips used by large manufacturers such as Volkswagen. Until the conflict is resolved, European car manufacturers face production stoppages imminent as their reserves are depleted. Just like account Bloomberg, Honda Motor has already been informed of the resumption of chip shipments by Nexperia in China, so the Japanese carmaker plans to normalize its affected production during the week of November 21, according to its executive vice president, Noriya Kaihara. On the other hand, Bosch, one of the largest component suppliers in the world, also is receiving chips from Nexperia from China, according to sources close to the media. However, the media reports that until this Friday morning there were still production interruptions in several Bosch plants that manufacture automotive electronics. The situation remains tense. Despite positive signs, German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen is preparing for production interruptions, including temporary layoffs, as a precautionary measure. “It is unclear to what extent and at what speed deliveries from China could resume,” declared a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. “The situation remains very tense throughout the industry.” Signs of distension. The Dutch Government declared this Thursday that it expects Nexperia’s Chinese unit to resume chip supplies in the coming days. “Given the constructive nature of our discussions with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands is confident that chip supplies from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperia customers in the coming days,” Karremans said in a statement picked up by Bloomberg. Wingtech shares rose almost 10% in Shanghai after the news. European automakers and their suppliers also gained on the news, as Volkswagen shares rose as much as 2.7% in Frankfurt, while BMW rose as much as 2.5%. Shares of Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis also rose, according to the middle. What’s coming now. Resolution of the dispute will depend on effective verification that shipments resume and resolving outstanding financial issues between Nexperia and its operations in China. If these conditions are met, the Dutch Government could revoke his powers of intervention next week, putting an end to a crisis that has put the entire supply chain of the European automotive sector in check. On the other hand, the future of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng remains uncertain following his suspension as CEO of Nexperia by an Amsterdam court on October 7. Cover image | Arthur Wang and Nexperia In Xataka | The EU wants to connect Madrid with Paris by AVE in 2035. Or in 2042 if you ask France

The industry became obsessed with training AI models, while Google prepared its masterstroke: inference chips

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In recent years, what was truly relevant was training AI models to make them better. Now that they have matured and training it no longer scales as noticeablywhat matters most is inference: that when we use AI chatbots they work quickly and efficiently. Google realized this change in focus, and has chips precisely prepared for it. Ironwood. This is the name of the new chips from Google’s famous family of Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). The company, which began developing them in 2015 and launched the first ones in 2018now obtains especially interesting fruits from all that effort: some really promising chips not for training AI models, but for us to use them faster and more efficiently than ever. Inference, inference, inference. These “TPUv7” will be available in the coming weeks and can be used to train AI models, but they are especially aimed at “serving” these models to users so that they can use them. It is the other big leg of AI chips, the really visible one: one thing is to train the models and quite another to “execute” them so that they respond to user requests. Efficiency and power by flag. The advance in the performance of these AI chips is enormous, at least according to Google. The company claims that Ironwood offers four times the performance of the previous generation in both training and inference, and is “the most powerful and energy-efficient custom silicon to date.” Google has already reached an agreement with Anthropic so that the latter has access up to one million TPUs to run Claude and serve it to its users. Google’s AI supercomputersand. These chips are the key components of the so-called AI Hypercomputer, an integrated supercomputing system that according to Google allows customers to reduce IT costs by 28% and a ROI of 353% in three years. Or what is the same: they promise that if you use these chips, the return on investment will be multiplied by more than four in that period. Almost 10,000 interconnected chips. The new Ironwoods are also equipped with the ability to be part of joining forces in a big way. It is possible to combine up to 9,216 of them in a single node or pod, which theoretically makes the bottlenecks of the most demanding models disappear. The size of this type of cluster is enormous, and allows for up to 1.77 Petabytes of shared HBM memory while these chips communicate with a bandwidth of 9.6 Tbps thanks to the so-called Inter-Chip Interconnect (ICI). More FLOPS than anyone. The company also claims that an “Ironwood pod” (a cluster with those 9,216 Ironwood TPUs) offers 118x more ExaFLOPS FP8 than its best competitor. FLOPS measure how many floating-point math operations these chips can solve per second, ensuring that basically any AI workload is going to run in record times. NVIDIA has more and more competition (and that’s a good thing). Google chips are a demonstration of the clear vocation of companies to avoid too many dependencies on third parties. Google has all the ingredients to do it, and its TPUv7 is proof of this. It’s not the only oneand many other AI companies have long sought to create their own chips. NVIDIA’s dominance remains clearbut the company has a small problem. In inference CUDA is no longer so vital. Once the AI ​​model has been trained, inference operates under different game rules than training. CUDA support remains a relevant factorbut its importance in inference is much less. Inference focuses on obtaining the fastest possible answer. Here the models are “compiled” and can run optimally on the target hardware. This may cause NVIDIA to lose relevance to alternatives like Google. In Xataka | When you’re OpenAI and you can’t buy enough GPUs, the solution is obvious: make your own

Germany wants to end the plug-in hybrid scam. Your industry is at stake

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We do not know how much plug-in hybrids consume and it is not very clear what they pollute. We do not know because it is very difficult to understand how the driver of a vehicle of this type behaves and, intrinsically, it is just as difficult to replicate these conditions in a laboratory test. That is why plug-in hybrids consumed just one liter of fuel according to official approvals. That’s why they now consume much more. And that is why for entities like Transport&Environment, they are cars that They consume seven times more than they say. All of this has put in the spotlight a technology that looks like the perfect bridge to jump from combustion car to electric. With plug-in hybrids that travel more than 100 kilometers in purely electric mode, the solution seems perfect for those clients who they do not dare to take the step to a pure electric car. With Europe determined to make the jump to the electric car and some clients who do not fully embrace this new paradigm, Germany has chosen to position them as the logical evolution. To convince the rest of Europe, he wants to put a stop to those who use the plug-in hybrid as a pure combustion vehicle. And why do you take this step? Because your industry is at stake. More combustion please Just a few days ago, Germany and Italy presented themselves to Europe as the guarantors of the combustion engines from 2035. In front they have Spain and France who have teamed up so that we forget about this type of mechanics from 2035 if they are not neutral in carbon emissions. This would leave out plug-in hybrids. The plan goes through a review of objectivesan analysis of how the European Union is adapting to the new regulations. A process that Germans and Italians want to take advantage of to modify the regulations already approved. Germany’s latest proposal has been launched from the VDA association (Verband der Automobilindustrie), which encompasses German industry manufacturers. These manufacturers, including those who said they would make the leap to electric cars even before 2035 (such as mercedes either Audi) are now committed to maintaining combustion engines. They assure that there is not enough demand of electric cars to guarantee production and anticipate massive layoffs if the jump to “neutral in carbon emissions” is made. What is now proposed is to keep plug-in hybrids alive in exchange for the driver being obliged to recharge the car in a specific kilometer cycle. Although it has not been specified how long that number of cycles would be, the punishment has been proposed: limiting the power of the car. Technically, the car would have a software that counts the number of kilometers that the vehicle has not been used in purely electric mode. At a certain point, if the car is not recharged, the vehicle’s power is limited as a clear reminder that the time has come to plug in the car. The obvious intention is to prevent someone from buying this type of car and never using the car in electric mode. Although from a purely economic point of view it doesn’t make much senseright now in Spain if you buy a plug-in hybrid you can receive a minimum of 2,500 euros discount with the MOVES III Plan (if the car does not exceed 45,000 euros before VAT is applied) but counts as an electric car if the range is greater than 90 kilometers, increasing the aid to 4,500 euros discount and 7,000 euros if a vehicle is scrapped. In addition, many cities have advantages such as free parking in zones with limited hours, entering the interior of the ZBE or using the lane Bus-HOV despite only having one passenger inside. In return for maintaining combustion engines, Germany wants to put a stop to traps that operate in a similar way to AdBlue, for example, which prevents starting a diesel car whose tank is completely empty. It is not the first proposal to arrive for plug-in hybrids either. On other occasions the possibility of fence cities using GPS so that this type of automobile can only operate in completely electric mode within the city or very specific places in it (schools, hospitals…). This is something that can already be done and German manufacturers such as BMW has been mounting it for years with options in the browser that allow you to move only in electric mode within the municipalities and they save battery (or even produce it by converting the car into an electric generator) if passing through a city is contemplated on the route. Photo | bmw In Xataka | That people don’t charge their plug-in hybrid cars is not good for Toyota: so they have decided to change our habits with an app

which companies are winning in the great rearmament of Spanish industry

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Europe has entered a new era of rearmament. The Russian invasion of Ukraine reopened a arms race that seemed surpassed, and the governments of the continent have returned to look at their defense industry with urgency. In that map of reactivated factories, million-dollar contracts and multinational programsSpain occupies an important place. From Navantia to Indra, from ITP Aero to Escribano, the country has a network of companies that design frigates, radars, engines or intelligence systems for the most ambitious projects in Europe. This is the portrait of who is who in the Spanish defense, how much they really weigh and what role they play in the rearmament of the continent. Opportunities and challenges in European rearmament A study prepared by PwC For the employers’ association, TEDAE offers a precise overview of the industrial weight that defense has today in Spain. According to this report, published in 2024, the Defense, Security, Aeronautics and Space industries generated 21,919 million euros of GDP (1.4% of national GDP) and 260,049 direct, indirect and induced jobs. The document does not establish a ranking, but it does make it clear that the Spanish defense ecosystem is one of the most diversified in Europe. Reading it helps to dimension the magnitude of an industrial fabric that supports a good part of European rearmament. The momentum of the sector does not advance without friction. In an interview with El Paísthe president of Indra, Scribe Angelrecognized that Spain still lacks a giant comparable to Rheinmetall, Thales either Leonard. “We need a greater dimension,” he noted, adding that the objective is not to create a “national champion,” but to consolidate a fabric where companies cooperate and share capabilities. A vision that reflects both the ambitions and the internal tensions of the integration process in Spanish defense. Industrial reactivation is not enough on its own to guarantee sustainable defense. The Elcano Royal Institute warns that the rearmament effort It cannot be measured only in investment figures or signed contracts. In one of his recent analyses, he points out that “the revitalization of Spanish defense will only be sustainable if it is based on strategic and national security criteria.” To do this, it proposes reinforcing the so-called “strategic culture”, a long-term vision that transcends industrial logic and that makes it possible to clearly define what role Spain wants to play in the European security framework. “The revitalization of Spanish defense will only be sustainable if it is based on strategic and national security criteria” With this warning on the table, European rearmament is also understood as an exercise of concrete capabilities. Behind every contract, every European program, there are factories, engineering and shipyards that support the modernization effort. Spain is not starting from scratch: it has a network of companies that have grown in the heat of the great projects of NATO and the European Union. Some of them are public, others private, but they are all part of the same ecosystem that is once again gaining prominence today. The names that are defining the new defense industry in Spain Navantia It is the main reference of the Spanish naval industry and an essential piece in European rearmament. From its shipyards in Ferrol, Cartagena and Cádiz Ships have left for the Spanish Navy and for navies around the world, like the F-100 frigates or the Avante corvettes. Currently, it concentrates efforts on two strategic programs: the F-110 frigates, with a contract of 4,325 million euros, and the S-80 submarines. The F-111 “Bonifaz”, the first unit of the F-110 series, was launched on September 11, 2025 and the delivery of the first ship is scheduled for 2028. In submarines, the S-82, the second unit of the S-80 classes, He was sponsored on October 3, 2025. One of the frigates that bears the Navantia seal But there is more. With revenues of 1,528 million euros in 2024 and more than 5,600 employeesthe public company is committed to the model “shipyard 4.0” to modernize and thus respond to the growing demand for maritime capabilities of its clients. Indra acts as the technological backbone of Spanish defense: integrates C4ISR systems, radars, electronic warfare and simulation, and is the national coordinator in the FCAS program for the sensor and combat cloud pillars. His legacy in Eurofighter —with avionics, defensive aids and modernizations— is complemented by sustained defense contracting. Indra closed 2024 with 4,843 million in income and a portfolio of 7,245 million. To this he adds “combat cloud” demonstrators with the Air and Space Army. The PW800 engine is behind the first transatlantic flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel ITP Aero is the literal and figurative engine of Spanish defense. Specialized in design, manufacture and maintenance of turbines, is part of Europe’s most advanced programs, from the Eurofighter to the future FCAS system, where it leads in Spain the development of the new generation engine. In 2024 he allocated 102 million euros to R&D—55% more than the previous year—and closed the year with 1,612 million in revenue. Its industrial expansion includes the Ajalvir plantwith a million-dollar investment for maintenance of GTF engines, and the reinforcement of its Zamudio center. These investments consolidate its role as a strategic propulsion supplier in NATO and the EU. SAPA is the great Spanish specialist in armored vehicle mobility and one of the few European companies with their own capacity to develop new generation transmissions. Its technology equips to the vehicle 8×8 Dragon of the Army. Besides, has been selected by General Dynamics Land Systems to supply transmissions to US Army programs linked to the replacement of the Bradley (XM30), a long-term industrial agreement valued by the press at up to 5,000 million euros. Based in Guipúzcoa, the company works on hybrid and electric systems for military platforms, in line with trends. Escribano Mechanical & Engineering represents the most dynamic face of the new Spanish industrial fabric. Specialized in remotely controlled weapon stations (RWS), optronics and smart ammunition, the company has managed to position itself as a key supplier of … Read more

First it was the automotive industry, now Europe is going to lose another of its star industries to China

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The lights at the LyondellBasell plant in the port of Rotterdam went out for the last time on a September afternoon. The factory, which produced propylene oxide — an essential raw material for foams, mattresses and auto parts — had just been dismantled. A silent symbol of a fading era. The plant, barely 22 years old, became another victim of a storm that is hitting the European industrial heart: expensive energy, Asian competition and disinvestment. Europe, once a world chemical power, has lost its industrial pulse to China. The perfect storm. The sequence began with the war in Ukraine. The Russian gas cutoff energy prices skyrocketed in Europe and exposed a fatal dependence. “Gas costs in the Netherlands were between 15% and 66% higher than in other European countries,” economist Edse Dantuma explained to NRC. However, the decisive blow came from further east. From that same period, an avalanche of Chinese chemicals began to flood the European market. “During the pandemic, China completed all stages of its chemical value chain without us realizing it,” Manon Bloemer explained.director of the Dutch association VNCI. “Later, with domestic demand stagnant, they began to export their surpluses,” he added. Europe was paying the most expensive energy in the world and, at the same time, facing the lowest prices in history. In the UK, Ineos—Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemical giant— was forced to lay off staff due to “very cheap” imports from China, made with coal and with CO₂ emissions up to eight times higher. The same symptoms are repeated in Germany. According to ICISGerman chemical production (excluding pharmaceuticals) will fall by at least 2% this year. Economist Christiane Kellermann, from the VCI, warned that “Capacity utilization remains low, even with plants closed. More production shutdowns are coming.” The end of a European era. For decades, Europe was the world’s laboratory. The petrochemical complexes of Rotterdam, Ludwigshafen and Antwerp symbolized the industrial modernity of the continent. But now, warns the joint study by Cefic and Advancythe European sector “faces a historic turning point: structurally higher costs, regulatory overload and investment flight threaten its survival.” According to this report, Europe has lost 30% of its chemical production in the last decade and new investments have been reduced to historic lows. In Germany, Strategy&PwC estimates that chemical investments They have fallen by 90% since seven years ago and profits have been reduced by 12%. Incoming orders are at their lowest level in ten years. “Deindustrialization is no longer a risk, it is a reality,” this research warns. “Neither Europe nor Germany benefit from global growth anymore. Investment decisions are made on other continents.” China, the new epicenter. Meanwhile, the Asian giant is investing on an unprecedented scale. According to Global Datathe country will account for more than 60% of the world’s new petrochemical projects until 2030, with more than 500 plants underway. Analyst Bhargavi Gandham explains that this boom responds to “a deliberate policy of self-sufficiency, supported by cheap financing, state planning and domestic demand.” From Roland Berger point out in a recent report: “China not only produces more; it has become the global price setter in multiple value chains.” The consulting firm identifies unprecedented levels of overcapacity: with such a surplus, China could supply the entire Western market and still retain idle capacity. China’s dominance in petrochemicals reinforces its strategic influence over critical industries—from batteries to fertilizers—a lever of industrial power that Europe no longer controls. Beijing is aware of the problem. According to Bloombergthe Ministry of Industry plans to convert or close obsolete plants more than 20 years old and promote the transition towards advanced chemicals, used in semiconductors, batteries or biomedicine. AND, as detailed by Reutersthe Chinese Government itself called this October to the main producers of plastics and fibers to stop internal “destructive competition” in products such as PTA or PET. But the result, for now, is that the Chinese excess puts pressure on global prices. And Europe, caught between its energy costs and its climate goals, cannot compete. The old continent without defenses. “The system is like a Jenga tower,” Ronald van Klaveren told NRC. “Take away one piece and it holds. Take away three and it collapses.” Every closure in Europe endangers an entire ecosystem of factories connected by pipelines of steam, heat and raw materials. In Rotterdam, Chemelot or the Ruhr, the closure of a plant affects dozens of suppliers. In the industrial regions of the Rhine or Limburg, each blackout translates into hundreds of lost jobs and entire communities in decline, evoking the reconversions of the 1980s. Meanwhile, the political framework moves slowly. In the summer the European Commission presented its “Chemical Industry Action Plan“, that, according to Dutch industrialists“has good intentions but few concrete measures.” The industry is asking for three things: affordable energy, equivalent rules for imports and a competitive tax framework. In Germany, the Helaba bank warns of a “Chinese shock 2.0”: After China joined the WTO in 2001, its exports focused on toys and textiles; Today it competes in machinery, automotive and high-tech chemistry. “The result is enormous pressure on prices,” said economist Adrian Keppler. And in the UK, Ineos Acetyls director David Brooks was more direct for The Guardian: “The UK and Europe are sleepwalking towards deindustrialisation. If governments do not act now on energy, carbon and trade, we will continue to lose factories, talent and jobs.” What’s coming now? Europe wants to reinvent its chemistry, but it does not have the conditions to do so. The Cefic and Advancy report warns that 40% of European plants could close before 2040 if the transition to low-carbon materials and high-value products is not accelerated. To comply with the Green Deal, more than 2 trillion euros in investment would be needed until 2050, according to Consultancy. The problem is that no one wants to invest where energy costs more, the rules change every year and permits take months or even years. Some experts, as Alexander Baumgartner by Roland Bergerbelieve that the way out is to “abandon … Read more

Microsoft seemed to be the ‘paymaster’ of the AI ​​industry. His divorce from OpenAI is proving just the opposite

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OpenAI now has completed its transition to a for-profit organization after years after that, and Microsoft has in the process sealed the agreement that redefines their relationship. It maintains a 27% stake (valued at $135 billion) and also gains something potentially more valuable: autonomy to develop AGI on your own. Why is it important. Microsoft has gone from being a kind of AI “pagafantasy”, seeing how OpenAI was the one who took the spotlight day in and day out, with the only benefit of Azure rise; to become the player best positioned to dominate its infrastructure, its models and its commercial application. You have paid for access… and you have ended up buying independence. In detail. The new framework extends Microsoft’s intellectual property rights until 2032, including on post-AGI models. You will also be able to use some of OpenAI’s intellectual property to advance your own projects—albeit with computational limits—and collaborate with third parties. Before I couldn’t. Now yes. The panoramic. Microsoft stops depending on the rhythms, decisions and crises of OpenAI. It remains its main infrastructure partner (with an additional contract of 250,000 million in Azure, a quarter of a billion with a ‘b’ for ‘barbarism’), but it no longer needs to wait for Sam Altman to declare that it has reached the AGI. You can do it on your own. Or better yet: with others. The pact buries the clause that most irritated Satya Nadella: the one that prevented him from competing for the AGI. That limitation turned Microsoft into a kind of patron with its hands tied. It is now a co-owner, supplier and potential competitor. In perspective. The turn does not break the alliance, in fact it consolidates it: OpenAI gains freedom to raise capital, essential to finance his 1.4 billion plan in data centers. And Microsoft maintains preferential access to its models until 2032. Both companies, in any case, are preparing for the phase in which AI stops being software and definitively becomes infrastructure. In Xataka | OpenAI started out as open and non-profit. That company no longer exists, and Microsoft has gained from it Featured image | Xataka

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