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the Webb telescope has just clarified a key doubt

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There are asteroids that go almost unnoticed and others that force us to look at them much more carefully. 2024 YR4 belongs to that second group. When it was discovered at the end of 2024, the first calculations of its trajectory still had enough margin of error to contemplate a very small possibility of impact with Earth. That scenario was soon ruled out, but, as ESA explainsthe case remained under follow-up for a different reason: a doubt was left open about the Moon which was not resolved until new observations arrived. Impact risk. With data available since spring 2025, trajectory models indicated that the asteroid had about a 4% chance of hitting the Moon on December 22, 2032, an estimate that NASA placed at 4.3% in its previous calculations. It was not a high percentage, but it was significant enough for the teams dedicated to monitoring near-Earth objects to follow it with special attention. Furthermore, we are talking about an object of about 60 meters. How Webb came into play. To clear up that doubt, something more than the usual telescopes was needed. An international team of astronomers identified two very specific windows in February 2026 in which the James Webb Space Telescope could try to detect the asteroid, which at that time was just an extremely faint point millions of kilometers away. It involved using one of the most complex scientific instruments built to date to locate an almost invisible object and measure its position with the necessary precision to project its orbit almost seven years into the future. Key piece. The observations were made on February 18 and 26, 2026 with the camera NIRCam of the James Webb telescope. From these images, astronomers compared the position of the asteroid with that of the background stars, whose coordinates are known with great precision thanks to ESA’s Gaia mission. ESA adds a relevant detail to understand why this went ahead: the planning and analysis was coordinated with ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center, NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies and the Webb mission team. With this new data package, the orbital models were adjusted enough to close the mystery. James Webb analyzed the position of the asteroid in relation to the background stars The flyby distance. With the new calculations, monitoring teams can now estimate quite accurately what the asteroid’s passage through the lunar environment will be like. According to NASA, it will pass on December 22, 2032 about 21,000 kilometers from the surface of the Moon. That range is enough to eliminate the impact scenario that had been on the table for months. In other words, the object will continue on its way through the solar system without hitting either the Moon or Earth. Surveillance doesn’t stop. Programs such as ESA’s Space Security or NASA’s tracking systems continue to detect and analyze near-Earth objects to anticipate any possible future threats. The logic is simple: the sooner a potentially dangerous object is identified, the more room there will be to study its trajectory and assess the real risk. In this case, the result has been reassuring, but it also illustrates, as ESA insists, what planetary defense means in practice when a doubt is resolved with more data and better measurements. Images | THAT In Xataka | We have been burning space junk for years to get rid of the problem. It turned out to be a bad idea

Navantia has just received a key piece to achieve it

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If one looks at the evolution of conventional submarines, there is one constant that repeats itself: the race to stay underwater as long as possible. It is not just about speed or weapons, but about autonomy in immersion, a factor that directly determines the discretion of the platform and its patrol capacity. When a submarine has to interrupt that cycle to ventilate, manage gases or refuel, its operating margin is reduced. For this reason, much of the engineering behind the new submarines focuses precisely on solving that problem. And that is where the technology that Spain is integrating comes into play. in the S-80 program. The jump of the S-80 submarine. Amper, through its engineering subsidiary Proes-OSL Iberia, delivered to Navantia the carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂) catalytic reactors for the submarines S-83 “Cosme García” and S-84 “Mateo García de los Reyes”. These devices are part of the atmosphere revitalization system, integrated into the AIP compartment. According to the company itself, the project started in 2022 and the equipment has already received official certification from Navantia after completing the corresponding technical verifications. A key piece. The delivery announced by Amper has to do with a very specific element of the submarine’s technical ecosystem, the system responsible for maintaining the interior atmosphere within safe parameters during operation. Revitalization of the atmosphere in the submarine. The reactors developed by the company allow the controlled elimination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the compartment where the AIP system is integrated. The technology uses a catalytic combustion process that purifies these gases and helps maintain breathable air on board. In detail. The S-80 incorporates an AIP system developed by Navantia called BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology). This system produces hydrogen on board using a reformer that uses bioethanol stored on the submarine. This hydrogen is then combined with oxygen in a fuel cell that generates electricity to power the ship’s systems during the dive, an architecture designed to extend operational autonomy without depending exclusively on batteries. What it means to stay underwater for weeks. Navantia explains that the BEST AIP system is designed to allow conventional submarines to remain submerged for prolonged periods in different environmental conditions. In that scenario, the unit reduces the need to interrupt its immersion cycle to manage power or interior atmosphere. Navantia links this greater autonomy with an expanded patrol area and with a “zero Indiscretion Coefficient”, a term it uses to describe a decrease in the probability of being detected during the mission. modern submarine. The design of the S-80 responds to the idea of ​​a modern ocean submarine capable of operating on long missions. Navantia describes the platform as a highly automated system that can be operated by a crew of 32 sailors, with eight additional spaces for on-board personnel. The ship is approximately 80 meters long, about 7 meters in diameter and has a submerged displacement of close to 3,000 tons. In addition, it can exceed 19 knots underwater speed and reach depths greater than 300 meters during operation. Apparently it is just one more component in the long list of equipment that makes up a submarine. However, systems like these are part of a much broader logic within the S-80 design. Each of them contributes to sustaining the operation of the submarine for longer periods without the need to modify its diving profile. As subsequent units in the series integrate these developments from their initial configuration, the S-80 program will show the extent to which these technologies can translate into greater operational autonomy underwater. Images | NAVANTIA In Xataka | The war in Iran is about to begin a suicidal combat: there are missiles, drones and kamikaze ships in the most fearsome point on the planet

US agents denounce that it is failing in a key point

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Social networks have been using automated systems for years to try to detect some of the most serious crimes that circulate on the internet. Among them is child sexual exploitation, a phenomenon that forces platforms, regulators and security forces to monitor enormous volumes of content every day. The promise of these tools is clear: identify potential cases sooner and make the work of agents easier. However, some specialized teams in the United States maintain that the volume of notices they receive from Meta platforms has skyrocketed and that a significant portion of them do not provide useful information for action. Clash between scale and utility. In a lawsuit underway in New Mexico, prosecutors maintain that Meta did not adequately disclose what it knew about the risks minors face on its platforms and that it violated state consumer protection laws. According to the Associated Pressthe indictment also argues that the company presented the safety of its services in a way that did not correspond to the risks faced by children and adolescents. The case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits filed in the United States against large technology companies for the effects their services may have on minors. Meta rejects that interpretation. In his speech before the jury, the company’s lawyer Kevin Huff defended that the company has reported the risks associated with the use of its services and that it has introduced different tools to detect and eliminate harmful content. According to the Associated Press, Huff insisted that the central point of the case is not to prove that problematic content exists on social networks, but rather to determine whether the company hid relevant information from users. Researchers on the front line. Those who have provided figures and concrete examples of this problem are agents who work directly in investigations of child exploitation on the Internet. In the United States, those tasks fall largely to the network of units known as Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), a program that brings together police forces at different levels and is coordinated with the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute crimes committed against minors in digital environments. Its agents receive notices about possible cases from different sources, including the technology platforms themselves. During the trial, some of these agents have described how they are experiencing the increase in ads from Meta platforms. Benjamin Zwiebel, ICAC special agent in New Mexico, explained in court that many of the notices they receive are of little use in advancing an investigation. “We get a lot of advice from Meta that is just garbage,” he declared, according to The Guardian. His words reflect a broader concern within these units: the volume of alerts has skyrocketed, but not all of them contain the information necessary to identify a suspect or initiate police action. Poor quality. In some cases, reports sent from the platforms include data that does not describe criminal conduct. In others, they do point to a possible crime, but they arrive without essential elements to continue the investigation, such as images, videos or fragments of conversations that allow those responsible to be identified. Without this material, agents have few tools to advance the case or request new proceedings. Some agents have also noted that a portion of these notices arrive with incomplete or partially removed information. The mass reporting machinery. Behind this increase in notices there are several factors that help to understand why the volume of reports sent to the authorities has skyrocketed. In the United States, technology companies are required by law to report any child sexual abuse material they detect on their services to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), an organization that acts as a national center for receiving these notices and subsequently distributes them to the corresponding police forces. Agents cited by The Guardian also point to recent legal changes, such as the Report Act, which came into force in November 2024, as a possible factor that would have increased the number of notices sent to avoid non-compliance. Meta says he’s doing the opposite.. The company rejects the idea that its systems are making the work of the authorities more difficult and maintains that, on the contrary, it has been collaborating for years with security forces to detect and prosecute this type of crime. A Meta spokesperson stated that the United States Department of Justice has recognized on several occasions the speed with which the company responds to requests from authorities and that NCMEC has positively evaluated its notice notification system. According to the company, in 2024 it received more than 9,000 emergency requests from US authorities and resolved them in an average time of 67 minutes, a process that, it claims, is accelerated even more when it comes to cases related to child safety or the risk of suicide. Meta also notes that it reports to NCMEC any material that may be linked to child sexual exploitation and that it works with that organization to help prioritize the notices, including by labeling those it considers most urgent. a real problem. Regardless of what the jury in New Mexico determines, the case reflects a tension that goes beyond a single company or a single state. Digital platforms operate on a global scale and use automated systems to detect illicit content in volumes that would be impossible to review manually. However, the experience described by some agents shows that increasing the number of tips does not always translate into more effective investigations. Images | Dima Solomin | ROBIN WORRALL In Xataka | Dario Amodei founded Anthropic because OpenAI didn’t take the risks of AI seriously. Now you are going to give in to those risks

The US has had a grain for “Iran”. The United Kingdom does not allow its bombers to enter a secret island that is key to the attack

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Since the Cold War, many of the great powers have understood that modern wars do not begin when the first plane takes off, but when secures access to the bases from which it will take off. Sometimes the deciding factor is not so much firepower, but the key that opens or closes a key clue at the exact location on the map. That is happening right now on a lost atoll. A problem with name and surname. The United States has had a major problem for “the Iran thing” and it is not in Tehran, but in the Indian Ocean. United Kingdom refuses to authorize the use of Diego García Island and the RAF Fairford base for a possible air campaign against the Islamic Republic, alleging that it could violate international law if it is a preventive attack. Without that permission, Washington loses two key platforms to project its long-range air power, just when the president has given an ultimatum to Iran and has hinted that in a matter of days he could decide between an agreement or a military operation. The secret island that sustains long wars. It we count some time ago. Located halfway between the east coast of Africa and the west coast of Indonesia, The island was part of the Chagos Archipelago. During the 18th century, it was colonized by the French as an agricultural settlement. So they took the Chagossians, descendants of slaves from Africa and India, to the islands to work on growing coconut trees for the production of copra (dried coconut meat). Over time, the locals developed their own culture and dialect, known as Chagossian Creole. By 1814, after Napoleon’s defeat, The island came under British control as part of the Treaty of Parisintegrating into the colony of Mauritius. Throughout the 19th century, life on the island continued with a small population dedicated to agriculture and fishing, but things were about to change with the beginning of the new century. The agreement. During the Cold War, The United States and the United Kingdom sealed an agreement. Both nations saw the island as a strategic location for a secret military base in the Indian Ocean. In 1965, the British separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, thus forming the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which also includes the other 57 islands of the Chagos Archipelago. By 1966, he signed a secret agreement with the United States, allowing the construction of the “secret” military base. Key node. Since then, Diego García is anything but any base, because he is one of the more strategic enclaves of the Pentagon in the Indian Ocean. Its central runway, its port capable of hosting nuclear submarines and its logistics infrastructure allow strategic bombers to be deployed, maintained and rearmed in sustained cycles. Without going too far, last year it already served as a pressure platform when several B-2s arrived in a clear message to Iran, and precisely that type of deployment is what is now conspicuous by its absence. That there are no visible bomber movements towards the island reinforces the idea that the british veto is conditioning military planning. Without bases there are no prolonged campaigns. The geographical difference is abysmal and explains the tension. From Diego García to Iran there are around 2,300 kilometers, from the United States more than 6,000. That distance sets the pace of departuresthe wear and tear of the crews and the intensity of the offensive. For a one-night operation you can fly round trip from Missouri, as was the case in previous attacks, but for a campaign a week or more against nuclear installations, military commands and missile launchers, advanced bases are needed that allow constant sorties to be generated. In other words, without access to the island and Fairford, the role of the B-2, B-1 or B-52 is greatly reduced and the plan loses volume. A clash between allies. The disagreement is not only technical, it is deeply political. London maintains that supporting an attack could implicate it legally if it knows the circumstances of an action considered unlawful, and the prime minister has marked distances with the White House. Washington, for its part, has responded hardening the tone and linking the refusal to the dispute over the future of Diego García within the Chagos Archipelago, whose status and possible transfer to Mauritius have opened a diplomatic rift. Thus, what began as a legal debate has led to a strategic struggle between historical allies. The war that is amplified without the key piece. Meanwhile, the United States continues to accumulate fighters, electronic warfare aircraft and resuppliers in the region, preparing the board as if the military option was still alive and imminent. It turns out that the heart of a prolonged air campaign is not the F-22s in transit, but those strategic bombers operating from a secure and nearby base. Yes UK maintains the vetoWashington will have more distant and less efficient alternatives, which would force the scope and intensity of the blow to be redesigned. In short, in full escalation with Iranthe piece that could do it all more simple For Washington it is precisely the one that blocks the movement today. Image | Department of DefenseRoyal Air Force, US Air Force In Xataka | One of the most remote islands was taken 60 years ago by the United Kingdom and the United States. Since then, what happens there has been a secret. In Xataka | If the most advanced US nuclear aircraft carrier maintains its speed, it will reach its destination on Sunday. Not good news for a nation

Microsoft has just taken a key step in its technology to preserve data for millennia

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Saving data “forever” is one of those ideas that sounds simple until you look closely at the media we use every day. A file can be perfect today and become unreadable in a few years, or decades, due to degradation of the material or, directly, because the support ends up failing over time. Therefore, when we talk about preserving information for centuries, CDs, DVDs, hard drives or tapes are not a definitive answer. And it is precisely in that gap, that of a support capable of resisting without permanent care, where projects like Microsoft’s try to open a different path. Project Silica. This is where this Microsoft Research project comes into play, aimed at rethinking what it means to archive information in the very long term. Instead of relying on conventional magnetic or optical technologies, the system uses ultrafast lasers to modify internal properties of the glass and store data in the form of three-dimensional voxels, which can then be read using optical techniques assisted by machine learning, as detailed by Microsoft in a study recently published in the journal Nature. It does not seek to compete with SSDs or hard drives in speed, but rather to offer a material base specifically designed for long-lasting conservation. looking back. The Redmond giant has been working on this line for years, and one of its best-known demonstrations came in 2019, when he managed to save the movie ‘Superman’ complete on a glass shard about the size of a coaster. That test confirmed that three-dimensional storage within the material was not just theoretical and that, in addition, the support could withstand heat and water, and even demagnetization tests. What changes now is not the fundamental idea, but the degree of technological development that could bring it closer to real preservation uses. From the laboratory to common glass. The central novelty of the 2026 announcement is not only in the estimated longevity, but in the material used to achieve it. Previous research relied on high-purity fused silica, which was limited in cost and production, while the new study demonstrates the possibility of encoding information in borosilicate glass, a widely available and much cheaper material. According to Microsoft, this advancement directly addresses marketing hurdles related to the storage medium. Now, this does not mean that the technology is ready to be deployed, but it does reduce the distance between scientific experiment and real application. Simpler and faster writing. The work released this week introduces relevant changes in the way data is written and read. The team has introduced so-called phase voxels, which can be formed with a single pulse, and has refined the writing of the birefringent voxels to reduce pulses and speed up the process, including a “pseudo-single-pulse writing” approach. Added to this are parallel writing techniques to record multiple data points simultaneously and a simplified reader that now requires a single camera, with machine learning support for classification and interference mitigation. Detail of writing equipment during data coding with high speed multibeam laser pulses The figures. Technically, the system can reach densities of up to 1.59 gigabits per cubic millimeter, which translates to about 4.84 terabytes in around 300 layers inside a glass chip that is 12 square centimeters square and 2 millimeters thick. That capacity is roughly equivalent to millions of printed books or thousands of 4K movies. Of course, this is a capacity that does not go unnoticed. As we can see, rather than competing in speed, the interest is in how much can be preserved in a small space for extremely long periods. 10,000 years. The estimates come from accelerated aging tests in which etched glass plates are subjected to high temperatures to simulate the passage of time, a common methodology in materials science. The results of tests carried out by the research team suggest that information could remain readable for periods of more than 10,000 years under normal storage conditions, a longevity tremendously greater than that of current electronic media. Even so, these are projections based on experimental models, not direct verification on a historical scale. What’s next. We are facing a surprising technical advance, but the technology continues to depend on expensive equipment and writing speeds well below current commercial solutions, factors that determine its viability outside the laboratory. Added to this are challenges of large-scale production, future compatibility and adoption models in institutions that really need to preserve data for centuries. For now, Microsoft places Project Silica in the field of shared research, open to other actors developing specific applications. Images | Microsoft In Xataka | The first hard drives in history were gigantic. Then a miracle happened: miniaturization

A Japanese toilet company has been manufacturing key parts in the chip industry for years. And now it is going to be key in AI

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Toto, world famous for their toilets with a trickle that we usually miss so much when we return from Japan, has been quietly manufacturing key components for the semiconductor industry for decades. Just like account Financial Times, an activist fund has focused on that part of its business, and the market is starting to pay attention. What has happened. Palliser Capital, a UK-based activist fund, has sent a letter to Toto’s board of directors arguing that the advanced ceramics the company works on are being ignored and underestimated by the market. The fund, which owns a stake among the 20 largest in the company, according to share from FT, calls Toto “the most underrated and overlooked AI memory beneficiary.” What is important. Toto is not just a bathroom company. Since 1988 it has been manufacturing the so-called ‘electrostatic chucks’ in series.‘ (electrostatic jaws), high-precision ceramic components used in the manufacture of NAND memory chips to hold silicon wafers during the production process, controlling temperature and avoiding contamination. This business, which they fit within their “advanced ceramics” division, already represents around 42% of the company’s total operating profit, according to data from Bloomberg. The connection with AI. He data center boom for artificial intelligence has skyrocketed the demand for memory chips. Companies like Meta, Amazon or large memory manufacturers (SK Hynix, Samsung, Kioxia) are accelerating their production to face a widespread shortage. That translates into more demand for the components that Toto manufactures. The company’s ceramic technology is also specially adapted for cryogenic etching, a process that is expected to gain popularity as memory chips become more complex and layered. Business tips. According to share The fund also criticizes that Toto is not explaining well to investors the importance of this segment and that the allocation of internal capital is not prioritizing this lucrative sector. The fund proposes that the company expand its ceramics business, sell cross-stakes in other companies and make better use of its 76 billion yen in cash (about $496 million). If Toto did all that, Palliser estimates the stock could rise more than 55%. The market had already started to move. Toto shares have accumulated a revaluation of more than 60% in the last year. Just like share Bloomberg, at the end of January, after the support of Goldman Sachs, which raised the value to buy pointing to the memory shortage as a tailwind, the stock rose 11% in a single day, its biggest rise in five years. Be careful with the warnings. The idea that Toto would have that competitive advantage before other competitors can be at that level comes from Palliser himself, who has an obvious interest in making that narrative credible. Tom’s Hardware points out that while electrostatic jaws play a real role in advanced manufacturing processes, whether that translates into sustained growth still depends in part on large memory manufacturers committing to expanding production and, for now, they are being cautious faced with the risk of oversupply if the AI ​​market cools. The phenomenon is not exclusive to Toto. Japan has a long history in chip production, which has led companies with very different profiles to develop businesses related to semiconductors almost without anyone noticing. Just like share Bloomberg, Ajinomoto, known for its broths and its mastery of umami, makes insulating films for chips based on its expertise with amino acids. Kao, a cosmetics company, has a silicon wafer cleaning business. The AI ​​business is revaluing companies that, a priori, had nothing to do with it. And Toto is the latest example of this. Cover image | Taylor Vick and Upgraded Points In Xataka | What future awaits artists with the rise of AI? In Ireland they see it so black that they are already preparing a basic income

The Auto+ Plan comes with less money, more demands and a key question to resolve

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Announced for January 1, it was finally in February 2026 when the Auto+ Planthe new aid system for electric cars with which the Government tries to promote the sale of cars with a Zero Emissions label, whether electric or plug-in hybrids. The new aid system comes with important new features, both in the amount that can be obtained and in the way that aid is delivered. Now, in addition, where the car will be made will be taken into account in order to qualify for the maximum possible deduction. This is all that needs to be taken into account. This is what the new aid for electric cars is like After a month of uncertainty, the Government has approved new aid for electric cars that relieves the MOVES III Plan and solves some of the problems that have been dragging on for years. The program has an amount of 400 million euros so, for now, it will only be available until this fund runs out. In it, as we will see, vehicles manufactured in Europe and those with the lowest price are rewarded. And to receive the maximum discounts it will be necessary to overcome different key points. What must be clear is that from the Ministry of Industry and Tourism has not been clarified exactly when the aid will be delivered to the client. The promise was that the discount would be applied at the time of purchase, eliminating the waits of up to 18 months who have come to live with the MOVES III Plan. However, this seems to be up in the air. And in its explanations, the Ministry points out that the aid “will be carried out in coordination with the Autonomous Communities and that “dealers, points of sale and renting companies will be able to help process aid requests” but nothing is specified about what will be delivered at that time. It must be taken into account that The concessionaires already indicated that they were not willing to advance the aid money. First of all, the basic points that must be clear are the following: The aid takes into account all purchases made from January 1, 2026 so those who have purchased an electric car in the first month of the year will be able to have access to them. Aid is only provided for purchases of Zero-emission vehicles. Aid is only provided to passenger cars (M1) whose maximum amount before the application of VAT is 45,000 euros. N1 vehicles (vehicles intended for the transport of goods that do not exceed 3,500 kg) have no purchase limit to receive aid L3e, L4e and L5e vehicles (mopeds) may not exceed 10,000 euros before taxes to receive aid. L6e and L7e vehicles (quadricycles) have no purchase limit to receive aid. The maximum aid for a car will be 4,500 euros. The brand will have to offer a minimum discount of 1,000 euros. It is not clear when the aid will be delivered to the client or how long it will take for the client to receive it. Once this is understood, the next thing to understand is that the maximum amount of aid is only received if a series of conditions are met. requirements. Thus, depending on the car purchased, percentages of the maximum amount will be covered and, therefore, only by meeting all the requirements will we be able to receive the maximum money delivered by the State. Category Maximum aid amount Vehicle type Percentage received based on price Manufacturing Tourism (M1) 4,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,250 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,125 euros) Maximum of 45,000 euros before taxes: Up to 35,000 euros: 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,125 euros) Between 35,001 and 45,000 euros: 15% of the maximum amount of aid (675 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (675 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (450 euros euros) Vehicle (N1) 5,000 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,500 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,250 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,250 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (750 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (500 euros) Moped (L3e, L4e and L5e) 1,100 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (550 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (275 euros) Maximum of 10,000 euros before taxes: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (275 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (165 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (110 euros) Quadricycle (L6e and L7e) 1,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (750 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (375 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (375 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (225 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (150 euros) Therefore, now to be aware … Read more

It is the key step in the “rebirth” of a company on the tightrope

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The United States is immersed in the war for technological independence. They aim to be sovereign and produce most of the key components of their technology, but they remain so dependent on the rare earth from china like from Taiwan for advanced chips. At the same time, the strongest Taiwanese company, is planting its flag on North American lands with TSMC. In this scenario, Intel has become the great hope of the American foundry. And they just announced that their Intel 18A plan is ready for action. Self-imposed goal. Intel has been going through the deepest crisis in its history for years. Unlike NVIDIA, Qualcomm or AMD, which design chips but are manufactured by others –TSMC mostly-, Intel designs and manufactures semiconductors (although it also outsources part of its production). It is, as it is known in the industry, a foundry, and after being devastated in the mid-2000s, they have seen how his rivals ate his toast. Both in semiconductor production and in their design and in the market. For this reason, in 2021 they set a goal: to develop five nodes in four years. This strategy, baptized as 5N4Ywas a move to restore the company’s position at the forefront of semiconductor manufacturing. In between, they have acquired ASML’s latest generation machines, they have positioned themselves as the local foundry for the US to achieve technological sovereignty… and they have needed an unprecedented injection of money from the US government. Intel 18A. But well, the plans seem to be coming out and, if in September 2024 Ben Sell, vice president of technology development at Intel, commented that Large-scale production of node 18A would begin in 2025now it is the company that has declared that they are ready to start mass manufacturing products based on that technology. The result is two processors with a very different approach. Panther Lake – It is the architecture of the Intel Core Ultra Series 3the first System on Chip from the American company created with this photolithography. They are chips created in a smaller size, which allows for greater density (30% according to Intel) and 15% greater performance per watt. It is focused on mobile devices and integrates both CPU and GPU. Clearwater Forest – It is the other current leg of Intel 18A, a processor for data centers hyperscale, cloud computing and AI training. It will be the heart of the Xeon 6+ processors and shares those characteristics of higher density, more performance and lower consumption. Technological avant-garde. Things seem to be starting to go well at Intel and the interesting thing is not that they are already preparing for large-scale manufacturing of these processors, but rather the technologies which, for the first time in a long time, will allow Intel to be at the forefront in its sector. RibbonFET – It is Intel’s first new architecture in more than a decade and is what allows improved performance per watt compared to the previous node used by Intel. It is an improvement over the Classic FinFETs. PowerVia – It is the true revolution: it is an architecture that separates the power supply from the processor lines to deliver it through the rear. Power flow is improved and delivery is optimized, allowing better power flow that increases the processor clock frequency while consuming less power. American foundry. This last technology is a pioneer in the sector and, in fact, it is expected that its main competitor, TSMC, will not have a response until the end of 2026 and Samsung its GAA in 2027. And that is precisely what is positioning Intel as a good option for the big technology whales. Because there is no point in having technology if you don’t attract attention, and here Intel has an advantage. Fab 52, the Intel plant in Arizona where these new chips are manufactured On the one hand, and obviously, technology. But on the other hand, and just as important, being an American manufacturing in the United States, with what this implies when it comes to get government favors. I know point that NVIDIA and Apple are in conversations with Intel to have a certain range of their GPUs and SoCs manufactured by them instead of TSMC. Because that commercial success is the last frontier and attracting whales is what will mark Intel’s destiny in a war that is no longer just about having the best technology, but also about where you manufacture it. Images | Intel In Xataka | The world’s technology industry practically depends on a single road: the one that leads to the Spruce Prine mine

I have tried Apple Creator Studio and it is clear to me that Adobe has a problem. The key: its price

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Prove Apple Creator Studio It is relatively simple because, in one way or another, the subscription includes applications already known in the creative world. Apple has been smart and has come up with a package that allows access to Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro and Logic Pro. That’s for starters. And finally, more tools like Motion, Compressor, MainStage, and even AI tools in your office suite. In any case, the real value of the subscription is provided, at least for me, by Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro. Although my time as a TikToker is now a thing of the past, I still use photo and video editors for my things and my daily life and, after having been playing around with the apps included in Apple Creator Studio, I can only conclude that Adobe has a problem. One that costs 12.99 euros and that expands throughout the Apple ecosystem. This is not about YoTO. As much as one of the interesting additions to Apple Creator Studio is AI, the truth is that the utilities based on it, which are useful in some cases, take a backseat in practice. The key to the subscription is the price and the comparison with its direct rivals. And for example, a button: monthly price apple creator studio (Includes Final Cut, Pixelmator Pro and Logic Pro, among other apps) 12.99 euros Creative Cloud Pro (includes entire adobe suite) 118.96 euros Adobe photography (includes photoshop and lightroom) 24.19 euros adobe photoshop 26.43 euros adobe premiere 26.43 euros adobe audition 26.43 euros capcut pro 29.99 euros canvas pro 12 euros The separate purchase of all the apps included in Apple Creator Studio would amount to around 800 euros, but it is possible to access them for 12.99 euros per month. Not one of the rival subscriptions, not a single one, is capable of matching what Apple offers in price, features and simplicity. Pixelmator Pro | Image: Xataka In few contexts something else comes to light. The Adobe subscription that includes all its tools costs 119 euros per month. Almost ten times what Apple’s costs. The problem is that this subscription contains apps that not everyone will take advantage of. Anyone who wants to access Photoshop and Premiere has no choice but to go through either Creative Cloud Pro (119 euros per month) or combine photography and video plans whose cost would amount to more than 50 euros. The question is whether the 119 euros per month subscription offers the user 119 euros in value, because probably not. Anyone who wants to edit photos and videos probably has no interest in Audition, InDesign, or Fresco, so by choosing Adobe you will be paying more for tools you don’t use. Apple goes simple. Because Apple knows that this is not about great creators with teams behind them, but from aspiring/small influencerscreators who cook it and eat it. If you already have an iPad (undisputed king of the tablet world) or a Mac (historical favorite in the world of creativity), the integration, familiarity and communication between apps achieved by Apple is unrivaled, and neither is the price. Some of the Apple Creator Studio apps | Image: Xataka The apple firm has not warmed up by offering very niche products, quite the opposite. You have taken the four key tools that you know work, some AI tools for office automation, you have put them in the blender and served them to the user. Will there be cases in which Adobe is more worth it? Possibly at the studio or company level (or if you have a Windows PC, of ​​course), but at the user level and in the Adobe environment, CapCut and Canva in particular are against a rock and a hard place. AI Utilities. At the office automation level, I consider that a lot and at a very extreme level you have to use Pages, Number and Slides for Apple Creator Studio to be worth it to you. Beyond certain utilities such as rescaling a photo, accessing premium templates and generating images (with OpenAI models in the background, by the way), office automation remains more or less the same. It is not the strong point, of course, and if you use these apps for university work you can survive without the subscription without any problem. Here you can see the search by transcript. When searching for “iPhone Air”, Final Cut Pro returns only the parts where that word is mentioned | Image: Xataka Little lifesavers. Where AI does play, or can play, an interesting role is in editing. Apple’s approach is not so much to have the app edit for you, but to assist in the process. There are a couple of features that have caught my attention and I find particularly useful. They are not even half of those included and that puts another reality on the table to which we will return shortly. Search by transcript: If you have followed a script and you are clear about the phrase you are looking for, you can reach the exact moment by simply entering that phrase in the search engine. For a TikTok maybe not, but for a half-hour YouTube video, an interview or a podcast I find it super useful. beat detection: One of the first things they teach you when you edit video is to change shots to the rhythm of the music so that there is coherence and dynamism. Until now, the best guide was the peaks in the audio track. At each peak, plane change. Final Cut Pro is now able to flag those changes to make docking faster and more intuitive. I like it. Montage Creator: I don’t edit on iPad because the day they distributed patience I fell asleep, but having the ability to make quick montages by importing several video clips and an audio track seems quite useful to me, especially for typical reels or TikTok which are just resourceful shots happening to the rhythm of the music. For typical b-roll … Read more

Is the AirTag 2 worth buying? Key differences from the first generation of Apple

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Now that Apple has launched the new AirTag 2it is good to ask yourself if it is really worth buying it or staying in the first generation. Therefore, in this article we are going to review the key differences between AirTag and AirTag 2. AirTag 2 design and precision AirTag (left) and AirTag 2 (right). Broadly speaking, the design of the AirTag 2 is the same as the first generation AirTag, although there is a small difference that allows us to differentiate them when purchasing them: the silkscreen on the AirTag is in lower casewhile on the AirTag 2 it is capitalized. But if there is a significant change between both generations, it is related to the search, especially in precision. Specifically, the new generation offers a elderly precisionwhich means that it can be found from a greater distance (50% more). Additionally, Apple Watch support is added. There is also a increase in sound volume that we can reproduce to locate it quickly. Two very similar prices Although initially the first generation AirTag was launched at an official price of 35 euros, over time it has risen to reach 39 euros. However, some supplier stores tend to keep it on sale for long periods of time, as is the case with Amazon, which right now has it as 30.99 euros (one unit) or by 89.99 euros (four units). The price could vary. We earn commission from these links On the other hand, the AirTag 2 is not too far from what we currently see in the first generation, since it has officially been launched at a price of 35 euros (one unit) or 119 euros (four units), something that is attractive if we want to have the improvements of the AirTag 2 for a price similar to that of the AirTag, at least if we buy a single unit. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Is it worth it? To assess whether it is really worth buying the AirTag 2, we can open three fronts. The first is if it is our first Apple locatorand in this case we may be interested in betting on the new, with the improvements that this entails, for a price very similar to that of the first generation. The second front is If we already have an AirTag. In this case, the differences really are not so great as to justify making the jump to the new generation, especially if the locator works perfectly. Finally, it may also be the case that you want buy the pack of four AirTag or AirTag 2. The new generation is also available in this pack at an official price of 119 eurosso if you want to have several Apple locators, it is worth opting for the previous generation pack, since its price is currently 89.99 euros. You may also be interested in these other locators SATECHI FindAll Key Finder with Apple Find My, Wireless Charging, Forgotten Alert with Powerful Sound, GPS Keychain Key Locator for iPhone 17 16 15 Series, iPad, Mac and More – Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links SATECHI FindAll Air Tag Card GPS for Wallets with Apple Find My, Forgotten Alert, Powerful Sound, Wireless Charging, Lightweight GPS Card, Wallet Locator for iPhone, iPad, Mac – Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Anna MartiApple In Xataka | The best Airtag for Android. Which one to buy? Tips and recommendations In Xataka | Apple AirTag, Tile, Samsung SmartTag and more: Bluetooth locator buying guide with recommendations and differences

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