market

China conquered the European cheap tire market. The EU has just put the brakes on it

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The European Commission has approved antidumping tariffs definitive rates on tires for passenger cars and light vans from China, which range between 4.3% and 45.3% depending on the manufacturer. The measure comes after an investigation opened in November last year and adds another blow to the growing trade tension between the EU and Chinawhich already affects multiple sectors, including (and one of the most famous), that of electric cars. What has happened? The European Commission maintains that Chinese tires were entering the community market at artificially low prices, a practice known as dumping, and assures that this has harmed the European industry in the sector, which employs more than 80,000 people in 14 EU countries, according to has explained the institution itself. In detail. Tariffs are not the same for all manufacturers. Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Group, a producer focused on more economical tires, receives the highest tariff45.3%. Another 64 companies (including Chinese factories of brands such as Pirelli, Goodyear, Continental or Sumitomo) will have to pay 24.4%. The most striking case is perhaps that of the South Korean company Hankook, which manufactures in China but has escaped with a tariff of only 4.3%, since its researchers concluded that its tires are sold at much higher prices than those of its Chinese competitors and that their impact on the European market was less. Why does it matter? The European market for tires of this type moved more than 18,000 million euros in 2024, with a consumption of about 330 million units, according to data of the European Commission. Of them, almost 93 million came from China, which represents a market share of 28%, a percentage that has been growing strongly from 18% in 2021, according to collect Carscoops. The Commission itself states that indicators such as sales, employment or profitability of European manufacturers showed “a clear negative trend” during the period analyzed. Between the lines. More than 90% of imported Chinese tires are concentrated in the cheapest segment of the market, the so-called “tier 3”, according to data of the Coalition Against Unfair Tire Imports, the association of European manufacturers that filed the initial complaint. This organization assures that the dumping margins detected ranged between 41% and 104%, and that Chinese prices were below European prices by between 30% and 65%. To calculate whether there was dumping, the Commission needed to compare Chinese prices with reliable “reference” prices. The problem is that, according to Brussels, prices within China do not serve as a reference because the State has too much influence over companies in the sector. Therefore, the Commission has decided to use Turkish prices as a proxy to make that comparison. This decision has not pleased the Chinese producers or the South Korean companies Kumho Tire and Hankook, which they argue that Türkiye is not a valid example either, since it imports steel from Russia. The Commission, however, has rejected this argument and has maintained its choice. What China says. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce before the EU has warned that tariffs could place an additional cost burden on the automotive sector. In a statement Quoted by the South China Morning Post newspaper, the organization points out that tariff differences between manufacturers “may have implications for the competitive position of companies operating in the same market”, including European and Asian companies with plants in China. What does it mean for the pocket? According to calculations According to the German media Automobilwoche, tariffs are applied to the import value of the tire, not its final sales price. In 2024, this average value was 30.30 euros per unit. With the 45.3% tariff, the extra cost would be around 13.70 euros; with that of 24.4%, about 7.40 euros. Adding VAT, the increase for the buyer could be between 9 and 16 euros per tire, before the stores apply their own margins. And everything indicates that the entry segment will be the one that will notice the impact the most. And now what. This measure does not close the chapter between the EU and China in this sector. And there is also a parallel investigation for possible illegal subsidies to Chinese manufacturers, also focused on tires, whose conclusions are expected in December of this year. Citi analysts, cited by SCMP, consider that tariffs can help stabilize the European tire sector and anticipate a positive reaction on the stock market for manufacturers such as Goodyear, Michelin, Continental and Pirelli. Cover image | François Genon and Robert Laursoo In Xataka | The camera that watches you while you drive is already mandatory in new cars. And no one guarantees what happens with that data.

The OECD has found a burden in the Spanish labor market: we do not earn enough

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It doesn’t fail. Every time I go shopping at the supermarket I come across someone who complains about the price of fruit, of the eggs or the unattainable that the salmon has set for the little that the salary rises of the humble workers. That buzz now has international support. The report has just been published ‘OECD Employment Outlook 2026’ which analyzes the labor market of the member countries and, among praising the Spanish labor market, has left us with a small barb: low salaries continue to be Spain’s weak point. A report that puts figures to the discomfort. The Paris-based organization analyzes the occupational health of the more than 40 member countries every year. In 2026, the organization recognizes important advances in the Spanish labor market: more employment, less temporalitya stoppage that goes down little by little. But when it comes to the salaries section, the tone changes. According to OECD data, real wages, after inflation, remain 2% below where they were at the beginning of 2021, just before prices soared. That is, in terms of purchasing power, salaries are worse than five years ago. This percentage places Spain among the three countries with the greatest drop in purchasing power since the pandemic, only behind Italy and Australia. Much of Europe has already recovered its purchasing power after the post-pandemic downturn, but Spain continues to lag behind. The minimum wage rises, the rest stagnates. It is worth stopping to analyze salaries in Spain because during the last five years not all salaries have evolved the same. The minimum wage has been going up for years by decree and this 2026 reached the 1,221 euros per month3.1% more than last year. Since 2018 it has grown more than 60%. This salary increase, the only one that is in the hands of the Government, has protected those who earn the least. The problem is what happens above that mandatory minimum that remains in the hands of companies. While the minimum has been advancing, the average salary has barely movedand the distance between the two narrows, causing more and more employees to approach that income floor, so that an employee with several years of experience can charge just a little more than a young man in his first job. Increase in real wages according to the OECD. Spain in the tail group It’s math. The INE data confirm that the labor cost per worker rose 4.9% in the first quarter of 2026. However, if this figure is crossed with an inflation that is around 3%, the real margin of improvement that remains is small, and for a large part of the workforce, the increase in their purchasing power is almost non-existent. “Although real wages grew by 2% during the last year, they are still 2% below their level in the first quarter of 2021, which places Spain among the OECD economies where they have fallen the most since the Pandemic,” the international organization warns, highlighting Spain’s wage stagnation. Why don’t salaries start? The OECD points to an old acquaintance to justify this stagnation: productivity. Spain has hardly improved its productivity figures for a decade and that limits how much a salary can rise without the company losing margin. “Given that labor productivity growth has stagnated over the last decade, and in a context of renewed short-term inflationary pressures, real wages are anticipated not to rebound throughout 2026 and 2027,” the OECD report indicates. The positive side is that, although the situation has stagnated in recent years, Spanish companies have become less reactive to the ups and downs of the economy. The proportion of companies that have laid off their employees despite changes in the economy has increased from 8.9% at the end of 2019 to 4.3% in the first quarter of 2026. The organization attributes this decline to the application of the labor reform in 2022. “The reform has driven greater recourse to permanent contracts: the proportion of workers with temporary contracts fell from 24.8% in the first quarter of 2022 to 14.8% in the first quarter of 2026, although it is still higher than that of most OECD countries,” the report states. Unemployment, the wound that does not close. The other burden that the OECD points out in the Spanish labor market is more than well known, but no less serious. Spain remains the second country with the highest unemployment rate of the entire OECD, more than double the average and only behind Finland. According to the unemployment data of the Ministry of Labor, in May it fell to 10.3%, reaching 2007 levels. It is an improvement, yes, but from a very high starting point. Behind that figure there is also a factor of geographical inequality. The difference between the regions with the most and the least unemployment reaches 15.5 points, well above the OECD average. Looking for work in Melilla is not the same as in the Basque Country, and that gap It is also transferred to the income of each household, according to the report itself. In Xataka | Working does not get you out of poverty: three out of four workers have not improved their purchasing power in two years Image | Unsplash (Ru Dur, Mitchell Luo)

We have turned the absence of demands into the most expensive good on the market. And we call it silence

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Rolls-Royce has an engineering department dedicated exclusively to calibrating how much silence should enter the cabin of a Phantomand what exact type. Not absolute silence, which they found creates nausea and disorientation, but a specific silence: an almost imperceptible residue of engine sound that confirms to the occupant that the power is still there. Only he has decided not to bother him. They call him “engineering silence“and costs almost more than the engine. This gives us a clue as to where the shots are going: silence has never come free. The mansions have walls of one and a half meters, the gardens served as an acoustic barrier and the operas are built so that not even half a creak reaches the neighboring box. The fact that silence is a luxury is not new, it is history, what is new is that it is no longer necessary to buy land to achieve it. Now silence is manufactured. And like any manufactured product, it can be sold, packaged and improved in the next version. Silence has been a side effect of privilege: the rich living away from the noise because they could afford the land and the distance. Now we move to silence as a product designed by sound engineers. The active cancellation headphonesone more simile xatakerothey do not eliminate noise but rather shape it. They generate the reverse wave calculated exactly to cancel out the frequencies of the airplane or the noise in the cafeteria. It is the same logic, but in reverse, that Volkswagen and other manufacturers use when They pump through the speakers a synthetic engine roar so that a stealthy electric car sounds like it has another engine. We make fake noise for those who want to feel powerful and fake silence for those who want to feel safe. In both cases, what you pay for is not the sound or its absence, but the feeling of having control over it. But the silence of a Rolls-Royce and the silence of an unanswered call have something in common that goes beyond sound: they are both, in reality, absence of demand. And control, not silence, is what has become a premium item. The most expensive version of acoustic disconnection is not not hearing the noise on the street, but not even having to respond. The assistant that filters calls, the agenda that decides who deserves your attention and who doesn’t, the possibility of sending someone off with a “my team will contact you” without it sounding like an excuse. This is not sold by Apple, Bose or Sennheiser. It is bought with power. The noise, meanwhile, has stayed exactly where it was: in those who cannot afford to avoid it. The silent carriage of the AVE because the rest is not and no one expects it to be, the neighbor messing around with the drill at odd hours, the bank notifications that you cannot silence in case a danger signal appears at some point, the hum of work WhatsApp groups (another epidemic) who assume that you are available on a Tuesday night, because answering quickly is an obligation for those who do not have the margin not to do so. The silence has been gentrified. Even something else: it has been converted into a subscription. And like any subscription, as soon as you stop paying, the noise returns. In Xataka | There is a generation working for free as a documentarian of their own life: they are not influencers but they act as if they were. Featured image | Xataka

AI is generating a labor market at two speeds: those who win and those who are left behind

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We have been hearing for years that AI is going to reconfigure the labor market and we have more and more data on how that change is going. PwC has just made public its new barometer global analysis of AI in the labor market in which, after analyzing more than 1 billion job offers in 27 countries, they reach several very interesting conclusions. Two speeds. One of the findings of the study is that AI is helping to create two categories in the labor market. On the one hand there are the so-called “professionalized roles” which are professions that can use AI as support, but require that the human be the one who does the fine work, such as specialist doctors, architects or recruiters. On the other hand, there are “democratized roles” that are positions that AI has facilitated, that is, that a non-expert can do it or that AI can directly do much of the work. This is the case of customer service, first-level technical support or administrative positions. According to the report, professionalized positions are growing much faster than democratized ones, with twice as many positions offered and 42% more salary growth. In Xataka OpenAI assures that AI has not had that much impact on employment. Anthropic believes just the opposite and therein lies the problem Productivity boom. There is a growing gap between companies that know how to make the most of AI and those that don’t. Between 2018 and 2025, productivity growth among companies in sectors less exposed to AI has increased by 24%, while those most exposed reach 34%. Within this group, they have detected that companies that use AI most intensively have managed to boost their productivity by up to 163%, five times more than the average for the rest. In addition to being more productive, these companies are also increasing their workforce, up to 52% compared to 36% for less pro-AI companies. Knowing about AI pays better. The barometer has detected that the pull of AI also affects salaries. The pay gap between those with specific AI skills and those without has increased to 62%, up from 57% last year. In addition, jobs in specific areas such as machine learning or prompt engineering are growing eight times faster than the general labor market (69% compared to 9%). The number of offers for jobs related to AI is already double what was seen in 2024, especially in sectors such as technology, media, telecommunications and professional services. {“videoId”:”x806n3d”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”TECHNOLOGY and THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE – Insert Coin with Manuel Hidalgo”, “tag”:”employment”, “duration”:”1806″} Junior who look senior. Another finding of the study is that entry-level or junior positions now have higher requirements. The offers analyzed tend to require typically senior skills such as judgment, leadership and creativity. Specifically, PwC says that the jobs most exposed to AI are seven times more likely to require these skills in entry-level roles, and that vacancies for these junior-senior positions have grown by 35% since 2019, while the rest of the junior roles have decreased by 10%. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | Spain has just put numbers to the impact of AI on the labor market: 2.3 million jobs will change forever (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news AI is generating a labor market at two speeds: those who win and those who are left behind was originally published in Xataka by Amparo Babiloni .

The retail SSD market has all but disappeared. And it is not because users have stopped buying them

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Buying an SSD seemed, until not so long ago, one of those fairly simple decisions in the PC world: choose capacity, look at speeds, compare prices and little else. But the market behind this daily gesture has changed significantly. What we have seen in recent months is not a disappearance of the need for storage, but a much deeper strain on the supply chain. SSDs are still necessary, but an increasing share of drives that could previously end up in the channel retail seems to be finding other destinations before reaching the retail window. what’s happening. The clearest signal was put on the table by Nelson Duann, vice president of Silicon Motion, one of the major manufacturers of SSD controllers. In an interview with Tom’s Hardware during Computex 2026the executive summarized his reading of the market like this: “The retail SSD market has practically disappeared.” He was not talking about a specific drop or a minor adjustment, but rather about what happened during the first half of 2026, a period in which retail sales of SSDs fell significantly. The chain has moved. The key point is who is buying those units now. Duann explained that the controllers sold by silicon motion to module assemblers, that is, companies that integrate memory, controllers and other components to sell complete SSDs, largely end up in units destined for PC manufacturers. It’s not a minor detail: according to that reading, manufacturers like Acer, Asus, Dell or HP can’t get enough NAND or SSD supply directly from the big memory manufacturers, so they are turning to a channel that previously looked much more towards the end user. The pressure of AI. The background appears clearly in TrendForce data. According to the consulting firm, cloud service providers increased demand for enterprise SSDs in the first quarter of 2026 due to the need to build infrastructure for AI servers, with high-speed data transmission and enormous storage capacities. Added to that was another factor: the structural shortage of traditional hard drives pushed a significant portion of orders toward QLC enterprise SSDs. There are figures. TrendForce says the combined revenue of the world’s five largest NAND Flash vendors grew 83.7% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2026 to exceed $38.9 billion. The increase came in a scenario of strong demand and limited supply, with average sales prices above expectations. The distribution also shows the scale of the phenomenon: Samsung closed the quarter with 13.51 billion dollars, SK hynix Group reached about 7.53 billion and Kioxia reached 5.96 billion. The indirect winnerss. The hit to the retail storefront does not mean that the entire chain is losing at the same rate. Duann added that, in the past, most of these companies were focused on selling to the end user, but since the end of last year and through 2026 that dynamic has changed. Demand from PC manufacturers has strengthened and those suppliers are directing a significant portion of their production directly to them. For companies like Silicon Motion, which sell SSD controllers to these assemblers, the market continues to move, although it does so through another door. What the buyer notices. This industrial readjustment ends up reaching the user in a fairly direct way. As we have seen, the prices of consumer SSDs have increased significantly in recent quarters due to the priority that memory manufacturers are giving to the AI ​​sector. That is to say, the pressure does not stay in the data centers, it also filters down to the shop window and the computer that we end up buying. everything remains the same. TrendForce indicates that large NAND Flash suppliers will add virtually no new capacity during the year and that, due to AI-related demand, supply shortages will remain. Production will also continue to be heavily focused on server storage applications, with high-capacity QLC enterprise SSDs gaining penetration. In this context, the retail market is conditioned by an industrial priority that does not aim to change immediately. In summary. The retail SSD market has weakened not because the user no longer needs fast storage, but because the industry has changed its order of priorities. Available NAND is being disputed between data centers, large buyers in the PC industry and companies trying to respond to increasingly server-oriented demand. What once came more naturally to the showcase is now more likely to end up integrated into a new team or AI infrastructure. The SSD is still there, but the usual buyer is no longer first in line. Images | Western Digital + Photoshop In Xataka | SSD prices are so crazy that a 2TB drive for the PS5 costs more than the PS5 itself

Second-hand homes were one of the last refuges on the market. Now they are becoming a luxury

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When the real estate market gets tight, prices skyrocket and the imbalance between supply and demand worsens, one thing happens: buyers lose the few refuges they had left. In Madrid for example the ‘plan B’ Looking for a house on the outskirts, in towns like Alcobendas, Móstoles or Getafe, is becoming less and less ‘plan B’ due to the rising cost of m2 throughout the community. Another refuge that offers less and less consolation is the second-hand market, where prices are already rising faster than in the newly built housing segment. In fact, used homes are getting more expensive. faster than what happened in 2007, before the bubble burst. What has happened? That the ‘used’ housing market is increasingly tense. It is something that anyone looking for a home has probably experienced firsthand, but it is much better understood when consulting the latest statistics of the INE. They show how in a bullish scenario, marked by the general rise of prices, second-hand housing is becoming more expensive at a faster rate than brand new properties. Annual IPV rate. Total housing, new and second-hand. Percentage. What does that mean? As a good graph says more than a long explanation, the phenomenon is better understood with the infographic above, work of the INE itself. In it we basically see the evolution throughout the last months of the House Price Index (IPV), an indicator that tells us about variations in the cost of houses. If we talk about the general residential market, the IPV grew by 12.9% during the first quarter of 2026, but things change when we take out the magnifying glass and look at the differences between new and used homes. In the first case, that of brand new homes, prices at the start of the year increased by 9.1% compared to the same period in 2025. If we talk about second-hand properties, that percentage is however much higher: 13.5%. Does that mean used apartments are more expensive than new ones? No. It shows us that its market is overheating at a faster rate. And that in turn gives us a clue about where the market is tense. Can the focus be expanded? Yes. The increase in the price of the second-hand market is also clearer when we compare quarters instead of years or if we take a map of Spain and look at the different communities. In fact, there is only one where the price of new homes has risen faster than that of used homes during the first quarter of the year: the Canary Islands. In the country’s other archipelago, the Balearic Islands, the ‘photo’ is diametrically opposite. There the price of new homes rose by 2.5%, used homes by 15%. Territory Second-hand IPV 1st Q 2007 (%) Second-hand IPV 1st Q 2026 (%) National 13.0 13.5 Andalusia 15.4 13.6 Aragon 9.9 16.4 Asturias 16.4 14.8 Balearics 13.9 15.0 Canary Islands 14.2 10.6 Cantabria 12.6 14.5 Castile and León 11.6 15.8 Castile-La Mancha 15.7 11.6 Catalonia 11.6 10.8 Valencian Community 15.1 14.9 Estremadura 13.4 12.4 Galicia 13.2 14.1 Community of Madrid 11.5 14.7 Murcia Region 15.1 16.3 Navarre 11.2 12.8 the Basque Country 12.7 11.4 Rioja 9.9 15.3 What was happening in 2007? When we talk about the residential market and price increases, it is inevitable to think about 2007 because at that time Spain was immersed in an upward spiral that led to the bursting of the bubble. one year later. At that time (first quarter of 2007) the general IPV was slightly higher than now (13.1% compared to the 12.9% with which 2026 started), but new and used housing became more expensive at almost the same speed. Not today. What’s more, used properties are appreciating faster than 19 years ago. It is an important observation because it reflects the reality they live almost a dozen of communities in Spain, in which used properties are becoming more expensive today than in the run-up to the brick 2008. It occurs in the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and La Rioja, although the clearest case is Aragon. There the IPV of used homes was 9.9% at the beginning of 2007. Now that indicator has shot up to 16.4%. Are there more sources? Yes. The Ministry of Housing provides another study on the subject that is interesting. Every so often the department headed by Isabel Rodríguez publishes a report on appraisals and, although it does not differentiate between new and second-hand houses, it does differ due to their age: it distinguishes between those on the free market that are less than five years old and those that are older than that age, so it is likely that they have had several owners. This classification gives a very similar reading. During the first quarter of 2026, the appraised value of homes less than five years old (completed in 2021 at the latest) stood at €2,685.2 per m2, 12.8% more than during the same period in 2025. Older homes were appraised at €2,303.8/m2, but their rate of increase was also higher, around 13.8%. What are the causes? To understand the data from the INE or the Ministry of Housing, several keys must be taken into account. One, fundamental one, is the shortage of new construction, which remains at levels much lower than those managed by the sector at the beginning of the 2000s. In 2025 the housing stock barely added 94,800 properties more and, although in the last months of the year they began another 34,200 (free housing), the truth is that Spain continues creating new homes much more speed of what raises new buildings. The result: a deficit that the Bank of Spain estimates at 750,000 houses. For reference, of the 700,000 operations closed last year, eight out of ten (78.1%) featured second-hand properties. Meanwhile, the stock of new houses fell by about 6%. “Second-hand housing continues to gain value steadily, reflecting that demand continues to look for opportunities in any type due to the shortage … Read more

The Spanish telecom market was quiet. Until Bertín Osborne arrived

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Spain already has your most patriotic telephone operator. It is called Española de Telefonía, its logo fuses the WiFi symbol with the horns of a bull and the colors of the flag, its slogan is “Things done well, things right” and its creator is none other than Bertín Osborne. And this is just the beginning. “Proudly Spanish and with the best coverage.” With this phrase (and with many Spanish flags) he welcomes us the Spanish Telephony websitethe new virtual operator that operates under the coverage of Movistar and boasts of being 100% Spanish. The most traditional teleco In case it was not clear, in the Who we are section, Española de Telefonía reminds us that they are “a Spanish company that pays its taxes in Spain, creates local employment and contributes to the development of our national economy. Every euro invested in our services remains in Spain.” They also presume that Your call center is located in Spain and is attended by “qualified Spanish staff” who “understand and share our values.” Of course, 24-hour attention is handled by an AI that we hope is also Spanish. They also promise a “clean and tidy installation” by their own technicians. On his Instagram account, Bertín Osborne has been promoting this new project and assures that it is founded by five businessmen “Antonio, Paco, Ernesto, Fran and Bertín, came together to offer a premium telephony service, for people who love their country, that is, Spain.” Mobile and fiber rates for patriots As it could not be otherwise, the rates all have the names of illustrious figures of our country such as Colón, Bécquer, Murillo and of course the Spain rate, which is its strongest bet. One detail to keep in mind is that the Colón and Bécquer rates say that the data is unlimited, but there is a limit of 120GB. SPAIN COLON BECQUER MURILLO calls Unlimited national Unlimited national and EU Unlimited national and EU Unlimited national and EU data 15GB Up to 120GB Up to 120GB Unlimited extras – – Antivirus, VPN and priority personal attention Antivirus, VPN, priority personal attention, advanced line management, call and SMS redirection included monthly price 7.50 euros 12.99 euros 19.99 euros 24.99 euros There are three fiber rates, they are named after Spanish cities and start at 29.95 euros per month. They all include a fixed IP and offer the option of installing a VPN for 5 euros per month. This is how the offer looks like: MADRID SANTANDER SEVILLE speed 300Mbps 600Mbps 1Gbps monthly price 29.95 euros 39.95 euros 49.95 euros Española de Telefonía also offers several combined fiber+mobile rates, for the most patriotic patriots. They are these: MADRID + Columbus SANTANDER + colón SEVILLE + Columbus Fiber 300 Mbps Mobile phone with unlimited calls and 120GB of data Fiber 600 Mbps Mobile phone with unlimited calls and 120GB of data 1Gbps Fiber Mobile phone with unlimited calls and 120GB of data monthly price 39.95 euros 49.95 euros 59.95 euros Beyond the packaging, if the question is whether Española de Telefonía offers something competitive, the answer is: no. Its most competitive mobile rate gives us unlimited calls and 15GB for 7.5 euros, but for example O2 has a rate with 50GB for 7 euros, and There are more operators that match and even exceed their proposal. As for fiber, Movistar itself offers the 300Mbps fiber for 19.9010 euros less than them. What Española de Telefonía does have, and that no other MVNO can easily replicate, is a logo with bull horns, an exacerbated love for Spain and above all for Bertín Osborne. If that is a sufficient purchase argument for you, you know where to call. Spanish people who understand your values ​​will assist you. Image | Spanish Telephony In Xataka | Angie Corine has made a name for herself in the Spanish rap scene with an unexpected commercial turn: she is right-wing

An unexpected salvation for the end user emerges from the memory market debacle: Chinese chips

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The DRAM memory industry is facing a profound structural transformation. Until October 2025 the price of memory chips evolved in a relatively stable way, but from that moment on began a dizzying climb which still continues. In fact, the consultant TrendForce expects the price of conventional DRAM to rise between 58% and 63% quarter-on-quarter before the expiration of the second quarter of 2026. And the artificial intelligence (AI) is behind all this. The three largest chip manufacturers of memory on the planet, the South Korean companies SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, and the American Micron Technology, They have reallocated about 70% of its production lines to high-bandwidth memories (HBM) to satisfy the currently insatiable demand of data centers specialized in AI. The consequences of this movement did not take long to appear: standard DDR4 and DDR5 memories and their derivatives, which are the most used in the consumer segment, immediately began to become scarce. And its price skyrocketed. In fact, according to the consulting firm GartnerRAM has gone from representing 16% of the total cost of a laptop to 23%. And it is possible that this escalation will continue to develop in the coming months. However, users can cling to the greatest stabilizing agent in the memory market today: Chinese manufacturers. This is the great opportunity for YMTC and CXMT Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) is one of the largest NAND chip manufacturers in China. Its global market share is approximately 13%making it one of the main competitors of Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, Kioxia or SanDisk. Its weight in the Chinese market is very great, especially because US sanctions They prevent American and South Korean memory manufacturers from selling their most sophisticated integrated circuits to their Chinese customers. On the other hand, Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is one of the Chinese companies specialized in the production of memory chips, and, like other companies in the country led by Xi Jinping, it has chosen to compete in this very attractive market by deploying a very aggressive pricing policy. CXMT in particular has increased its DRAM chip production capacity almost five times during the last four years, which has allowed it to increase its global market share until reaching a very worthy 7.6%. CXMT has chosen to compete in this very attractive market by deploying a very aggressive pricing policy. While large foreign manufacturers maximize their margins thanks to data centers and the rise of AI, Chinese manufacturers prioritize sourcing from local companies. This scenario allows the supply and prices of memory and NAND chips in China to remain relatively stable, remaining outside the strong premiums charged by the big three (Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix). This is the context in which the Chinese memory module brands Gloway and KingBank have recently announced new DDR5 modules that stand out for using SDRAM memory chips made in China. With a standard configuration of eight chips per module, these companies can produce 24 GB modules and group them into kits of two or four modules to achieve capacities of 48 GB or 96 GB, respectively. Chinese memory chips, particularly those from CXMT, have already begun to spread beyond China’s borders. Corsair has already integrated them into some kits of its Vengeance line, while HP and Dell have begun the process of homologating modules with CXMT chips for their products. This is good news for users, there is no doubt. Even so, we still don’t know if the use of CXMT DRAM will become widespread in response to AI-induced shortages. The market demands new players, wherever they come from, and if YMTC and CXMT are able to fill the gaps left by Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix, they are welcome. Image | Intel More information | Tom’s Hardware In Xataka | China needs to develop a new type of chips immune to US sanctions. And your scientists have just achieved it

This is the reason for its meteoric entry into the stock market

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SpaceX has gone public with a Public Offering of Sale (IPO) of 75,000 million dollarsequivalent to a valuation of $1.75 trillion. Basically, the highest in history. According to financial analysts at Wolfe Research, the stock’s price target should be $175 and rising. Basically, it has started its journey on the stock market in style. But why? It is clear that Elon Musk’s company makes a lot of money, but it also spends huge amounts. Still, the gains are clear and, according to experts, lie mainly in two issues. The role of reuse. If there is something for which is known SpaceX is undoubtedly for its pioneering role in rocket reuse. The company’s first large reusable vehicle was the Falcon 9. However, this one had a problem: only the first stage is reused. The second is lost with each launch, so it must be remade and therefore money needs to be invested in it again. This problem is solved with the Starship, since its two stages are prepared to be reusable. On flight number 11, in 2025, the entire ship was recovered for the first time. For economic purposes, this is one of the great advantages of SpaceX. And, according to point out from Investinga Falcon 9 launch for more than 100 tons of payload can cost about $14 million, while the same flight would only cost $3 to $5 million for Starship. The Starlink case. For financial analysts, Starlink It is another of the keys to the economic success of SpaceX. In 2024, for the first time, the result of its EBITDA less capex was positive. The first term refers to the operating profit of a company without taking into account investments. On the other hand, capex is the money that is invested. Therefore, the subtraction of both must be positive for there to be an economic return. Once the first positive figure is obtained, the difference can grow, as is expected to happen with SpaceX. In fact, it is estimated that by 2030 it could reach $90 billion in EBITDA. Very fast. This balance has been reached even before reaching the great growth phase derived from the increase in subscribers, so it is a very good sign for the company. Analysts disagree. Despite all of SpaceX’s initial success, most analysts agree that the claims of Elon Musk’s aerospace company are too high. The shares have come out with a selling price of $135, but other financial research groups, like Morningstarbelieve that they should not cost more than $63. This is because it is true that there are benefits to Starlink and that reuse will further increase the profit margin. However, SpaceX is still a company that loses a lot of money. The price of $135 per share would mean valuing the company at 92 times its last 12-month sales, a figure much higher than that of other companies. As an example, with Apple shares the company is valued at about 11 times its annual earnings. The differences are more than clear. Image | MagnificentHeisenberg Media In Xataka | Elon Musk knows that TSMC is overwhelmed: Terafab is his idea to completely change the global chip industry

Is it worth paying more for the most compact smart ring on the market?

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The market of wearables in format of smart ring It is in a moment of maturation and one of the undisputed kings of the sector, Oura, has made a move. With the recent launch of Oura Ring 5the company seeks to protect its throne against some increasingly aggressive rivals. However, the Oura Ring 4 It is still a very powerful option in stores and often has good offers. If you are thinking about making the leap to invisible technology, we analyze in depth what changes, what remains and which of the two models best adapts at your finger and your budget. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links OURA Ring 4 Smart Ring The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Technical sheet of both Oura smart ring models feature oura ring 5 oura ring 4 thickness 2.28 mm (40% more compact) 2.88mm broad 6.09mm 7.9mm weight Between 2 and 2.69 grams Between 3.3 and 5.2 grams materials Aerospace Titanium Titanium sizes available From 6 to 13 From 4 to 15 autonomy Between 6 and 9 days Between 5 and 8 days Water resistance 100 meters (IP68) 100 meters (IP68) price (from) 429 euros 379 euros subscription 5.99 euros per month (mandatory) 5.99 euros per month (mandatory) The key differences to note Design: the Oura Ring 5 no longer looks like a device tech Without a doubt, the greatest evolution of Oura 5 It’s your “slimming“. Although the Oura Ring 4 was already stylish at the time, it still felt like a slightly thick or technological ring compared to a traditional wedding band. On the other hand, the Oura Ring 5 has achieved reduce its total volume by 40%. At only 2.28 mm thick, it is very discreet and blends perfectly with conventional jewelry. The largest size of the Ring 5 (2.69 grams) weighs less than the smallest Ring 4 size (3.3 grams). If it could previously be annoying to sleep with the previous model, the new one solves this problem completely. Of course, you have to be careful with the sizes. To achieve this size, Oura has had to sacrifice options. The Oura Ring 5 It is only available in sizes 6 to 13while the Oura Ring 4 ranges from 4 to 15. If you have very thin or very large fingers, the previous model is still your only option. Sensors and precision Both devices use LED light combinations (red, green and infrared) along with temperature sensors and accelerometers to monitor your health 24/7. The difference lies in the physical layout. By downsizing on Ring 5, the sensors now protrude less but they make better contact with the skin. Oura says that although the Ring 5 traces 12 signal paths (compared to the Ring 4’s 18), its new algorithms and improved component power offer even more accurate and stable heart rate and blood oxygen readings during nighttime movements. The software does not discriminate (for now) One of the most honest points from Oura is that the big software news reaches both generations. The ecosystem releases powerful tools such as Health Radar (designed with Resmed to measure nocturnal blood pressure and breathing patterns), the AI medical advisor Counsel Health and metrics for users using GLP-1 weight loss medications. So you won’t miss out on any of these health benefits if you decide to save and opt for the fourth-generation model. Autonomy: being more compact does not make it impossible for the Oura 5 battery to last longer It can be thought that a ring 40% smaller would house a tiny battery, but Oura has redesigned the battery to improve autonomy. The Oura Ring 5 promises between 6 and 9 days of actual usescratching an extra day of average autonomy compared to the 5-8 days offered by the Oura Ring 4. Both models They are loaded using their own basealthough the Ring 5 now has an optional very convenient aluminum travel case, sold separately. So… which model to choose The initial outlay of the Oura Ring 5 starts in the 429 euros for its standard finishes (silver and black), scaling up to 529 euros if you are looking for the new premium finishes like Deep Rose. For its part, the Oura Ring 4 is part of the 379 eurosa difference that usually widens when we find specific sales. In both cases, remember add the 5.99 euros per month subscription to unlock your metrics, which is mandatory on both generations. If you still hesitate between the Oura Ring 4 and the Oura Ring 5, here is the key to choosing. Buy the Oura Ring 4 if: You are looking for the best quality-price ratio: The software, graph and health analysis that you will see on your smartphone are exactly the same. You have an extreme size: If your finger requires a size 4, 5, 14 or 15, Ring 5 does not directly manufacture your size. You take advantage of an offer: If you find it discounted by a margin of more than 70 or 80 euros compared to the new model, the smart purchase is to go for the previous generation. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links OURA Ring 4 Smart Ring – Rose Gold The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Buy the Oura Ring 5 if: You are looking for maximum comfort: If you are a light sleeper or are not used to wearing rings, the Ring 5’s smaller millimeters and grams justify paying for the novelty. You want it to pass for real jewelry: Its aesthetics are impeccable and the internal sensors are barely noticeable when touched with your finger. You want to stretch the battery to the maximum: Its small extra autonomy guarantees you forget about the charger for more than a week. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide … Read more

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