production

Jaguar Land Rover was beaten by a cyber attack. The complicated thing came when trying to reactivate its production plants

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In Solihullnear Liverpool and in its plant in Slovakia, it is usual to see how every minute some of the vehicles that mark the top of the British industry leave the line. Today those chains are still, and not due to lack of pieces or demand. A computer attack He has forced To Jaguar Land Rover to stop the production and to review its systems with magnifying glass. The image is not just that of some detained factories, it is that of a sector that discovers how vulnerable it can become. Chronology helps dimension the magnitude of the case. On August 31, Jaguar Land Rover arrested operations in his British factories as a preventive measure, According to Financial Times. Days later, the company reported that the restoration of the systems would require more time than expected, with October 1 as a new horizon. The aforementioned medium, however, points out that the interruption could be extended for several months, leaving the production chains on the air. What do we know about the attack. The first thing that confirmedThe company was that their systems had been compromised and that some data were affected, although it pointed out that there was no evidence of theft of customer information. In parallel, a Telegram channel spread messages attributed to Lapsus $, Shinyhunters and Scatrtred Spider, with screenshots and the statement of having accessed the company’s source code. However, this type of displays should be taken cautiously. Specialists cited by The Wall Street Journal They estimate that each day without production is about seven million dollars in sales not made. The company has chosen to continue paying its workers despite the fact that the plants remain closed, a measure that mitigates work voltage but increases financial pressure. The result is an invoice that grows day by day, even before evaluating the technical damage of the attack. Domino effect. Beyond the factories, the crisis is transmitted to the workshops and suppliers that supply Jaguar Land Rover. Some 100,000 people work in that gear that delivers pieces to the exact rhythm required by the assembly line. Every day without production complicates the treasury of small and medium enterprises, which depend almost exclusively on keeping the connection with the JLR plants open. Safe against cyber attacks. According to Reutersthe company did not close a policy to cover losses and costs derived from a computer attack. It was being intermediate by Lockton, a global insurance broker. This suggests that JLR was without specific coverage when the incident occurred. The British government has been dragged into the crisis. Two ministers held meetings in JLR to analyze how to reactivate production. In parallel, the Executive considers an unusual plan: to acquire pieces of suppliers to support their treasury and place them in the market when production starts again. The sector, however, questions how to decide what to buy and where to store the components, which leaves the proposal in an exploratory phase. Will sales be lost? Despite the break, the company is not completely unfit. The aforementioned American newspaper indicated that their country’s dealers had an inventory equivalent to 113 days of sales, one of the highest levels in the sector. That mattress can absorb part of the commercial impact in the short term. The problem appears if unemployment extends until November, with losses of 3.5 billion pounds in revenues (about 4,009 million euros). Jaguar Land Rover’s crisis is not limited to a manufacturer stopped by a computer attack. It exposes to what extent the modern automotive depends on digital systems that can become invisible until the day they fail. In a sector accustomed to measuring every second of production, a blockade like this not only paralyzes factories and suppliers, it also introduces a new variable in the equation, resilience against threats that no longer arrive from markets or road, but from a system. Images | Loris Marie | Martin Katler In Xataka | China has the largest censorship system in the world. Now he has decided to export it and sell it to other countries

Netflix premiered the first scene generated with AI in an original production, and nobody realized: the moment has arrived

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It seems that it was eternity when we were amazed with the images of Dall · E 2. ‘The girl from the pearl’ reimagined. An avocado in a spoon therapy. It was 2022, and the artificial intelligence Openai left us speechless with each new occurrence. In seconds, anyone could generate images that previously required technical knowledge and many hours of work. What seemed like a visual curiosity was only the beginning. Then the synthetic voices arrivedthe videos generated and, later, the tools designed directly for professional productions such as Sora either Gen-3 alpha. The scene of a building falling in Buenos Aires marks a milestone for AI His appearance raised new ways to create, but also old doubts about the future of creative work. And, as expected, they soon arrived at the great stages. This week its use has been confirmed In one of the most important series of the year in Netflix. Confirmation came directly from Ted Saraonds, Netflix executive co -director, During a talk with investors. “We are still convinced that artificial intelligence represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make better movies and series, not just cheaper,” he said. As he explained, they are already seeing concrete results in the phases of preview and shooting planning. But the most striking happened during the production of ‘The Eternaluta‘. In one of the key sequences, creators wanted to show A building collapsing In full Buenos Aires. To achieve this, the creative team worked together with the Eyeline Studios innovation group, using tools promoted by generative. The result was not only visually shocking: that sequence was completed ten times faster than with traditional effects and with a cost that, according to Saraonds, would have been unfeasible with conventional methods for a series of that budget. And it is not an isolated experiment: it is the first scene generated with AI that reaches the final footage of an original Netflix production. “The creators were delighted with the result. We were delighted with the result and, more importantly, The public was delighted with the result”Saraondos finished off. According to the Executive: the generative tools are not displacing the creators, but expanding the screening possibilities on the screen. Beyond the technological milestone, ‘the Eternaluta’ has also been a resounding success for Netflix. According to Forbesthe Argentine series reached the number one position of Netflix global for non -English speech series on April 30, date of its premiere, with 10.8 million views and 58.3 million hours reproduced in its first seven days. Based on the iconic graphic novel by Héctor G. Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López, the story takes place in a Buenos Aires swept through a toxic snowfall that ends the population. From there, a Fight against an alien invasion that puts collective resistance. Production opted for virtual production techniques to create hyperrealist and interactive funds that immerse the viewer in a post -epocalyptic city. The use of generative allowed to go one step further and achieve a result that, until now, was only available to projects with the highest budget. What is clear is that this does not stop. In just a few years we have gone from generating curious images with ia to see how those same technologies begin to be part of the final footage of first level productions. ‘The Eternaluta’ is just a first step, but a significant step. It remains to be seen what other series or films will follow this path, How will it affect industries such as the video game And, above all, what will be the position of the creators in the face of this paradigm shift. There are still many questions without answering: from the use of human works to train generative models to copyright, through the real impact on creative employment. Cases such as the National Electoral Institute of Mexico, accused of using the voice of José Lavat without authorizationoriginal narrator of ‘Dragon Ball Z’, or The protests of the audiovisual sector in HollywoodThey show that we are still trying to dimension the impact of this technology. Images | Netflix In Xataka | It is not you, YouTube is filling with more and more ads. Especially if you see it on a smart TV

In Castilla-La Mancha there is an unexpected crop that lives a record campaign and quadruple production: the pistachio

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The pistachio is more than a tasty dry fruit. It is also a millmillonary business and in full expansion that, according to The forecasts Data Bridge will exceed 5.8 billion dollars worldwide in less than a decade. In Spain (especially Castilla-La Mancha) Farmers They have noticed of that potential and are dedicating hectares and more hectares of field. Now the Castellanomanchegas cooperatives leave us a clue for how forceful that expansion is being: they expect this campaign to be their production spray records, multiplying by four The results of last exercise. One more test of the Pistachization of the fields. A fact: 8,900 tons. If the forecasts of the sector are met, 2025 will be a good year for the Spanish pistachio. Well no, great. At least if we talk about production. On Wednesday agro-food cooperatives Castilla-La Mancha (an organization that brings together almost 600 organizations of the region) revealed that this campaign expects to reap some 8,900 tons of fruit, which would far exceed the production level of last year and give a new sample of the accelerated rhythm to which They expand The pistachmen for the Castellanoleon field. Does it increase so much? Yeah. According to the agency Agrícola those 8,900 tons would quote the production of last year, which encrypts in just over 2,200. Moreover, community cooperatives already speak of “the greatest registered pistachio harvest to date” in their territory. They also hope that much of the fruits will be “high caliber and quality” and leave ecological farms. The Government of Castilla-La Mancha Calculate That in 2023 the dry pistachio harvest with shell reached 5,580 T in its territory, almost 75% of national production. Even taking that data as a reference, higher than 2024the increase provided by farmers for the current harvest would be remarkable. Why is it important? So it reveals to us about the sector and how it expands in the region. It is not strange that the volume of production dance from one campaign to another, sometimes increasing and in others decreasing. Just a year ago, for example, Castilla-La Mancha cooperatives were waiting for a “prick” in the amount of fruit collected (in November the forecasts pointed to about 4,900 tons of dry pistachio) due to the window character of the trees. Even so that cooperatives foresee that production quadruples this campaign, leaving a result that is promised historical, reveals an increasingly evident trend in Castilla-La Mancha: the growing weight pistachio plantations in the region. Figures on the margin, arrives with a walk through the Province of Toledo To observe how hectares of land that until recently they were dedicated to cereals or grass have been converted into plantations focused on the pistachio. Another figure: 64,400 hectares. The organization has shared Some figures that help to better understand that expansion. According to the spokesman of the Sectorial Commission, Ignacio Lobato, the surface of pistachio planted in Castilla-La Mancha has reached this year the 64,400 hectares. Of these are “in production” 16,400, the vast majority (12,215 ha) in dry land. In fact, the harvest increase this year is explained by the “input into production” of 5,550 ha. “This expansion of the surface in production represents a significant increase of 40% compared to the previous year, which is estimated there were 11,700 ha in production,” insists The professional group. It is not an exclusive phenomenon of the Manchega region. Recently Agroptium published A report That the increase in the surface dedicated to cultivation in Spain as a whole: from 15,000 ha in 2016, it went to 70,000 in 2022 and almost 78,500 in 2023. Earrings of Castilla-La Mancha. The forecasts of Castilla-La Mancha import because the region has managed to make a fundamental foothold in the pistacher sector nationally and internationally, even sneaking Among the main ones Pistacheras del Mundo areas. The data of the autonomous government show that the region brings together around 80% of the total area dedicated to pistachio plantations in the country and that at least 2023 concentrated almost 75% of the production: 5,580 t of dry fruit with a shell of the 7,550 t shelter of the whole of Spain. Images | Jake Belluci (Flickr) In Xataka | Dubai chocolate fever has had an unexpected effect: it has dynamited the world pistachio market

The production of Russian drones was so huge that Ukraine has opened them looking for clues. The surprise is China

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The situation It is not new In Ukraine. In the past they have opened Russian Shahed and other intercepted models to find out what was behind the device. Thus they found some paradoxes of the war, such as the fact that Moscow drones carried a wide variety of components of the United States or of kyiv’s allies. However, from a while to this part, Russian production was so immense that suspicions began. Someone else should be behind, and a document has just revealed it. Made in China. First it was Intelligence of Ukraine. Russia is managing to maintain and expand its weapons production despite Western sanctions, and is achieving it thanks to the constant supply of electronic components and materials from Chinaaccording to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions, in a context of intensification of Russian attacks with missiles and drones. The recent appearance of Manufactured parts In China in Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones recovered in Kyiv, added to previous reports on the involvement of Chinese companies in the Russian military supply chain, it reinforced what Ukraine qualifies as a Alcanza trend In Chinese technological support to Moscow. Vlasiuk warned that Beijing is not only expanding its logistics role, but already replicates US technologies, which increases its ability to support the Russian military complex. The document that certifies it. From the first bars of the large -scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has urgently sought forms of strengthen your arsenal of drones, key in the new paradigm of asymmetric war that is fought both in the front and in the sky. An essential part of that answer It has been Aero-Hita little known firm based in Khabarovsk, at the eastern end of Russia, which has emerged as one of the main drone manufacturers of the country thanks to a dense network of covert cooperation with Chinese companies. That is precisely what has been revealed thanks to documents obtained by Bloomberg. The medium counted a few hours ago how, despite Western sanctions, Russia has managed to channel components, technical knowledge and sensitive technologies From China Through intermediary companies, agreements in special customs areas and personal relationships with actors linked to both the industry and the Russian state apparatus. One of the Russian drones pieces shared by Ukrainian intelligence Strategic link. Aero-Hit’s production focuses on The Veles modela low -cost and high precision FPV drone that has already been deployed in military operations in zones Like sweaters. The United States Treasury Department itself sanctioned the company For the use of these drones against Ukrainian objectives, confirming their role in the Russian war machinery. The development of Veles has been reinforced by collaborations with Autel Roboticsa Chinese drone manufacturer that officially denies any link with Russia since 2022, but whose technology is repeatedly mentioned in the internal correspondence of Aero-Hit and in joint investment plans for more than 90 million dollars. A letter. According to a June 2025 letter published By Bloombergboth parties had restored technical contacts and negotiated the localized production of the model AUTEL EVO MAX 4Tan initially civil drone that has demonstrated high efficacy in combat thanks to its resistance to electronic interference. This process would not only imply integration into Russian systems, but also direct transfer Firmware, purification methods and repair capabilities, which reinforces the strategic value of the agreement. Khabarovsk: Moscow-Pekín axis pole. The epicenter of this operation is The city of Khabarovska few 30 kilometers from the Chinese border. There, since 2022, agreements have been woven between the Komax company (Property of the exagent of the KGB and occupation senator in Jersón Konstantin Basyuk) and representatives of the Chinese government, including officials in the Harbin Free Zone and the prestigious Harbin Technology Institute (HIT), a university linked to the Popular Liberation Army and sanctioned by the United States for developing advanced weapons. Between 2022 and 2023 They formalized plans To create an assembly plant with customs tax advantages, including sending 100 drone kits From China and official visits to Factories from Shenzhen, including the headquarters of Autel Robotics. The initiative received high-level political support, with meetings between Russian officials and Chinese executives during the Chinese-Russia Business Forum of 2024, and was cataloged as “priority” By Yury Trutnev, special envoy of the Kremlin for the Far East. Intermediaries and camouflage network. Bloomberg underlined that Aero-Hit, officially registered after these contacts, has undercover its relationship with China through a intermediary networkwhich includes fictitious or camouflaged signatures under other activities (such as air catering companies, seafood distribution or real estate logistics) that serve to manage orders, billing and transport. More: Documents of March and August 2024 show Drones deliveries to units deployed in Jersón and official requests from the Russian Defense Ministry to acquire thousands of Veles units, together with antennas and accessories. Companies such as Renewsio-Invest and Shenzhen Huasheng Industry (both sanctioned by the United States) have been key in the supply of pieces and electronics from China, even after the new commercial restrictions imposed by Beijing in 2023. Although some Chinese firms retired from the project for fear of sanctions, others They occupied their placeguaranteeing the continuity of the supply chain. Ukrainian forces after intercepting a Russian shahed Official ambiguity and mutual benefit. Autel Robotics has insisted on deny any link With Russia or Aero-Hit since February 2022, claiming that it is a civil company without military licenses and with strict compliance policies. However, the Documents obtained They suggest that links could be mediating through individual engineers, subsidiaries or intermediary vendors. Beijing, meanwhile, argues that he has never delivered lethal weapons to no side in war and strictly controls two -use goods exports such as drones, although the real depth of Chinese government knowledge about these transfers continues without clarifying. The persistence of technological flow from China to Russia raises uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of the sanctions regime global and about the nature of the declared neutrality By the Government of Xi Jinping, at a time when the diplomatic pressure on Beijing intensifies. Prolonged war perspectives. Meanwhile, the Aero-Hit … Read more

Very few countries in the world are dedicated to the industrial production of avocados. Now an unexpected one has joined: Japan

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Tsutomu Uchida is 64 years old, is a retired entrepreneur and for a while now He spends hours working on a plot located in the Shizuoka districtwhere different cultivation techniques prove. So far unusual. The funny thing is that Uchida is not dedicated to Plant riceneither soy nor Mikana very popular citrus in the region. No. His interest has little to do with traditional vegetables. What is trying to grow since 2020 are avocados, a plant that wakes up more interest in Japanese agriculture. The reason: the market … and climate change. What happened? That in Japan, Rice landcherries and citrus, there are farmers who begin to Look with interest A new variety of crop, a very popular in other latitudes but that has so far had an almost testimonial weight in the country of the rising sun: avocado. And the most curious thing is what that curiosity is awakening. Beyond the growing Internal demand or the Production increase Worldwide, the factor that has led Japanese farmers to plant avocados is climate change. Shizuoka avocado. The news I advanced it A few days ago The Japan Times: More and more farmers in Shizuoka Prefecture show interest in avocados. The phenomenon is curious for several reasons. First, because the traditional cultivation of that region is another good, the Mikana citrus similar to mandarin. The second reason is that this interest It is promoted by local authorities. Shizuoka Prefecture has just activated a triennial plan that aspires, among other goals, to develop cultivation techniques and sales channels focused on avocado. With that purpose the institution plans to invest over the coming months 18 million yen (about 100,000 euros) in investigations to improve local production. Putting his head. If everything goes as planned, in three years you will publish a manual for farmers. It may seem like a modest initiative, but it is quite significant: Shizuoka is one of the main producing regions of Mikan From Japan and right now the avocado cultivation in the country is very small. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2022 there were hardly any 34 tons who came out above all from Saga, Ehime and Wakayama, territories that (exact!) have always stood out for their citrus. TEMPERATURES QUESTION. The most curious thing is that this growing interest in avocado is not explained only for its internal demand or market prospects. At stake there is another equal or even more relevant factor for Japanese farmers: climate change. Their effects already They let themselves feel in the Rice crops and They threaten to punish to much of the plantations of Mikan of the country while They favor to those of avocado, a tree originally from Mesoamerica. “We cannot simply advance complaining about the negative impact of change on the agricultural environment. We are trying to convert this adversity into an opportunity and make the most of it,” Recognize to The Japan Times Yuji Hirano, responsible for agricultural strategies in the government of Shizuoka. With that clear idea, the prefecture probes the pros and cons of betting on a dozen subtropical crops in the region. Among them there was one that stood out for their “pull” in the market and that could also be favored by the weather: the avocado. But … what are they based on? In forecasts that draw such a promising scenario for avocado as a funeral for the Mikan. In March the National Organization for Agricultural and Food Research (Naro) public A report in which he warns that the future of citrus in Japan “will depend largely” on greenhouse gas emissions while avocado suitable areas could expand its current size more than 2.5 times by the middle of the century. An uncertain horizon. Nikkei It goes further And he warns that climate change can make that at the end of the Japanese century find that 80% of the areas that are right now for the cultivation of tangerines cease to be. With the land suitable for avocado plantations, a subtropical fruit, the opposite would happen: they would multiply by 7.7. “Maybe you think that a temperature difference of 1ºC does not mean much,” Clarify Toshihiko Sugiura, from Naro. “But for him Mikan It makes the difference. “ Hence the scenario can vary greatly depending on what happens in the coming years. If for 2100 the temperature rise does not exceed 1.4ºC the country may keep 80% of the current surface destined for Mikan. If the increase is 4.3ºC as soon as any. However, and although the increase in temperatures may make it easier, the avocado is not guaranteed in Japan either: the winter cold waves would mean a serious threat. The other key: the market. The other factor that explains Shizuoka’s interest in avocado should be sought in the market. The Japan Times remember that today the fruit is much more popular in the Japanese fruit shops than a few decades ago. And the data show it. In 1988, only 3,400 tons were imported. In 2020 there were already 80,000. That boom coincided with an increasing exposure of the fruit in the country’s media, which began to highlight its nutritional value as “superfiment” rich in vitamins and fiber. Today the avocado is already integrated from the diet of many Japanese and it is easy to find in supermarkets, although the nation basically depends on imports. The vast majority (at least in 2020) comes from Mexico, where they start around 85% of importsand Peru, which brings together about 11%. National production is scarce and is sold at prices greater than foreign fruit. Images | Eddie Pipocas (UNSPLASH), 光曦 刘 (UNSPLASH) and Rui Hao Lim (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Japan is suffering a bankruptcy record from Ramen. And in part it is the result of the “1,000 yen barrier”

Hollywood is using AI in absolutely all aspects of films production. And it is fatal to hide it

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Each new news about the advances of AI in Hollywood is received with a mixture of expectation and fear. How many jobs will it cost? How much work will you save? Is it the result of a sensible analysis of the needs of the U industry Another form of producers to chain cuts In all the links of the chain? What we know is that this arrival is inevitable. What perhaps we did not know is that it has long come, and Hollywood is trying to keep the secret as long as possible. Studies for AI. Currently, According to Vulturethere are a hundred studies in Hollywood that work exclusively with AI. He has especially called the attention of the press, for having a popular name on board, Asteria Film, co -founded by actress and producer Natasha Lyonne, protagonist of ‘Poker Face’. which will direct a first film generated entirely by Ia. Der time, their backs are covering: They assure that they are an “ethical” study and that all the material with which they train their artificial intelligences is licensed. That is, they are working on tools that through a Prompt They generate images, but to feed only on material for which the corresponding rights have been paid. The authors. Little by little, Hollywood is turning to these tools. Darren Aronodsky He reached an agreement with Deepmindfrom Google. James Cameron, with Stability ai. And that is the following point that Hollywood has to reach: convincing the public and the ecstptics that AI can also be a tool for authors, and not just the industry. In Vulture, Lyonne said that “I am a filmmaker who does not want technicians to decide the future of the environment. We need a kind of 95 dogma for the AI ​​era”, referring to the movement led by Lars von Trier in the nineties, who talked about undressing the cinema of every artifice. Lyonne states that he wants to delve into the “idea that the artist is the first, before he becomes an industry rule not to do so.” The clash between artists and studies can be monumental, but it is clear that we will attend something that will determine the future of entertainment. How much money is saved? This is one of Hollywood’s most important issues, in the end we are talking about production and limiting expenses. According to Industry experts like Abe Rose or as has been spoken in Tables of specialists in the subject in CannesHollywood could save between 20% and 50% in traditional productions, and up to 90% on projects very supported by AI, especially in visual effects. The potential savings for the film and TV industry in the US is estimated at 15,000 million dollars between 2024 and 2026, only in terms of production and post-production. James Cameron himself He talked about a 50% cut of budgets in the blockbusters. The beginnings of AI. Already in the last decade, AI began to be used as a tool that attended very specific aspects of production: optimization of the planning of filming schedules, allocation of resources and equipment management … in general, it helped reduce dead times and improve efficiency. At the same time, in the editing department It was used To select Tomas automatically and for simple but very laborious tasks such as synchronizing audio and video. The preambles. In the last five years, the use of AI has increased exponentially, especially in the technical section and in all phases of production. For example, in preproduction: There is a long list of tools that attend or directly replace humans. LTX Studio It is able to make a complete pre -production combining very different tools on a platform. But there are also specialized ones: Filmustage Plan the movie, Boards does the Storyboards and Long.ai Analyze the possible impact of the film, which facilitates production tasks. Filming In this phase are the ingredients that are most known: control of cameras and drones, intelligent lighting and, above all, virtual sets with Tools such as StageCraft that generate real -time scenarios, integrating real actors and digital funds, often projecting the scenarios and their modifications for the interpreters to react. It is where the most colorful revolutions are taking place and what the media dedicates the most, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. After Effects. Also in postproduction AI is replacing many tasks that were previously routine or repetitive. There is much talk about how tools such as Deepmotion or Ziva Dynamics are entering the effects and animation section as an elephant in a pot, but there is much more: audio and video synchronization, color correction with tools such as tools such as Colourlab.Aidubbing (even in his first steps, but with tools such as Deepdub and his Imperceptible Lip synchronization work steps are being taken in directions that are not precisely free of controversy) and, of course, the soundtracks that Platforms As amper Music they cover in more modest budget productions. Legal issues. But … we hadn’t remained that Much of the strikes In Hollywood they had been convened to combat these types of uses that put the work of creators and jobs at risk? Yes and no. Between 2023 and 2024, Hollywood lived one of the greatest labor crises in its recent history due to the advance of AI. The main unions (WGA, of screenwriters, and SAG-AFTRA, of actors) collided against the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP). The WGA began its strike in May 2023, to which The actors joined in Julyparalyzing Hollywood For six months. The agreement that was reached significantly restricted the use of AI, especially taking into account the claims of the producers: with it the generative AI is prohibited so that the producers generate a script without the contest of a screenwriter, or replicate the image of an actor without permission, but its use is allowed as tools that assist the technicians. To put it otherwise: as long as there is a human union, the tools can … Read more

Finance Mines Today, its production is ensured tomorrow

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Recently The news jumped that Europe did not want to buy Chinese solar panels if they had been developing through forced labor. The problem is not only manufacturing, but the Asian giant controls the entire supply chain from its extraction to its refinement, taking almost two decades of advantages. And now it goes one step further: now you want to ensure future gold production. A new opening. Zijin Mining Group, one of the world’s largest gold and copper miners, has begun to open its funds to professional investors in Hong Kong. According to Financial Timeshas launched the first background of streaming China Minero, a financial modality that consists in finance mines in exchange for rights over its future production. With this model, traditionally dominated by Canadian companies such as Wheaton Priceus Metals, Zijin intends to ensure ingots without directing each mine. But the play does not end there. As He has reported South China Morning Post (SCMP), Its asset management subsidiary, Gold Mountain Asset Management, has gone from operating exclusively with internal resources of the group to capture external capital, offering exposure to strategic metals such as gold and copper. A strategic movement. The decision is not fortuitous. On the one hand, the offer is increasingly limited. Both Lisa Liu, director of Gold Mountain, and Bank of America analysts cited by Financial Times They have agreed that the gold mines in the world are depleting their high quality reserves, while investment in new explorations has been insufficient during the last decade. On the other hand, the demand for gold does not stop growing. In times of geopolitical uncertainty and commercial tensions, central investors and banks take refuge in tangible assets. This has driven gold to mark historical maximums. According to SCMPsome experts have estimated that the price could reach $ 4,000 per ounce this year. The center of the world. The digital transformation of the Asian country is not accidental. In an increasingly bound world towards data centers, electrical networks and artificial intelligence infrastructure, China wants to be where you should be. Has already shown it by configuring as The first “electrostate”and now seeks to ensure access to basic materials that feed that infrastructure: gold, copper and also lithium. Gold always shines. As They have detailed In SCMP, Zijin’s funds have reported a performance of 18% only in the first four months of 2025, and Copper investments They are also outlined as strategic to the growing demand promoted by artificial intelligence. Zijin even plans to reorganize his international assets under a new entity, Zijin Gold Internationaloverlooking a future stock market. In addition, Gold Mountain directly finances mining projects through private credit, accepting in return the gold produced, a way of ensuring supply without the need to operate the deposits. Has also signed agreements of streaming With mines in Ivory Coast, Gansu (China) and hopes to close new operations in Africa and South America, According to Financial Times. A broader ambition. Beyond the numbers, what Zijin is building has a geopolitical dimension. In an increasingly fragmented world, where critical resources define technological and energy sovereignty, controlling the flow of gold, copper and lithium is both an economic and strategic play. While the West continues to discuss decarbonization or industrial relocation, China is buying the subsoil. Gold by gold. Mine per mine. Contract contract. The future of energy, technology and security may not be alone in algorithms, but in the metals that make them possible. And China is making sure they go through their hands first. Image | Pexels and Pixabay Xataka | In full obsession with rare earths, a fairly common metal has jeopardized the green transition: Copper foul

The biggest Chinese chips is about to start production at 5 Nm. Your plan is to have the 3 Nm in 2026

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TO SMIC (Semiconductor manufacturing international corp), The largest Chinese semiconductor manufacturer has cost it more than two years to refine its most advanced integration technology what is necessary to produce integrated 5 Nm circuits. And he has not just traveled this path. Huawei has traveled it from the hand of Huawei. Dr. Kim, an expert in chips manufacturing who has worked in Samsung and currently investigating TSMC in the US, He maintains that SMIC It is about to start the production of 5 Nm chips. It is perfectly credible because, as we have just seen, we know with certainty that this company has been Working in this technology. And, in addition, Dr. Kim is a reliable source. However, this expert has pointed out something crucial that we should not overlook: the performance per wafer that SMIC has currently achieved in its 5 Nm nodes is less than 30%. When semiconductor manufacturers produce a chip wafer, some of those nuclei do not work properly. It is normal. And when they launch a new lithographic node, their performance by wafer usually has a wide margin, but little by little, as engineers refine their integration processes, this parameter improves. A mature lithography can deliver to integrated circuit manufacturers a very high performance, but an incipient technology usually moves in the orbit of 50% performance, so only half of the chips produced work correctly. SMIC 3 and 5 nm chips are possible thanks to the SAQP technique The problem is that for an integration technology to be profitable from an economic point of view, its performance by wafer has to be At least 70%. And, as we have just seen, Dr. Kim argues that the SMIC 5 NM node is below 30%. It is objectively a very poor performance, but we know what this low figure explains: the technique used by this manufacturer to produce these semiconductors. It is known as Multiple patterningand SMIC has used it for more than a year and a half to make 7 NM chips for Huawei and other customers. The 5 Nm chips that SMIC will manufacture for Huawei are possible thanks to a technology known as SAQP This strategy consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. It works, but is responsible for wafer performance is clearly improvable. However, in all probability the integrated 5 Nm circuits that presumably SMIC will manufacture soon for Huawei are possible Thanks to a technology known as SAQP (Self-alledhed Quadruple Patterning), which is nothing more than a Multiple patterning more aggressive and sophisticated than the one used to manufacture the soc Kirin 9000s of 7 nm and other chips. A report published two days ago by the Taiwanese media Economic Daily News ensures that SMIC will start the manufacture of 3 Nm semiconductors equipped with GAA transistors (Gate-alall-around) For Huawei in 2026. However, this is not all. This article also maintains that this last company has already completed laboratory tests that pursue the manufacture of integrated circuits using carbon nanotubes. Huawei’s plan presumably is to give this innovation to SMIC to adapt it to large -scale production. The enormous effort that Huawei, SMIC and other Chinese companies involved in the design and manufacture of semiconductors are the result of their inability to access the equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) produced by the Dutch company Asml Because of US sanctions. With these SMIC machines could make 3 and 5 nm chips delivering a performance by wafer similar to that they have achieved TSMC or Samsung. However, the need to produce these integrated circuits using deep ultraviolet equipment (UVP) of ASML, which are less sophisticated, forces them to resort to the SAQP technique. It works, as we have seen, but these companies lose a lot of competitiveness due to the poor performance by wafer and the high cost that this technology entails. More information | Economic Daily News In Xataka | The US has declared the total war on Huawei: he does not want him to sell his chips for the most advanced outside of China

It is not a production crisis, it is a crisis of priorities: the European electric labyrinth

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While the great powers of the world They are disputing strategic places for the extraction of essential minerals in technology, Like lithiumEurope is freeing a silent but equally criticism battle: electricity. The conflict. He Iberian Peninsula Blag and from Heathbrow Airport He has exposed the weaknesses of energy systems in Europe: Interconnection problems, lack of energy backup and deficiencies in networks. Although if it seemed little, energy expert Richard Milne for Financial Times He added that it is not a lack of capacity, but of how existing electricity is assigned. Exemplifying. Because to understand what the analyst refers to a good comparison. In his article, Richard Milne He explained that the Nordic countries – recognized by its high interconnection and Your ability to generate Large amounts of clean energy – are the perfect scenario to analyze how poorly equipped are European countries in a context where the demand for electricity continues to increase. On the one hand, the case of Norway where a data center for Tiktok has been prioritized in front of a strategic ammunition plant by virtue of the principle “first to arrive, first to be treated.” On the other hand, Sweden has supported steel projects to emerging battery companies for a national electricity supply share. After Northvolt’s bankruptcycritical voices have been raised that question whether to continue allocating large amounts of energy to green steel projects is sustainable. For its part, Greenland has abundant hydroelectric resources, but its leaders face a dilemma: to attract industries that generate employment or prioritize lower social impact projects, such as data centers? There are more cases. The situation is not exclusive to the Nordic countries. In Spain after the blackout, the difficulty of the “Energy Island” was evidenced, where The lack of interconnection It complicates the export of energy to other countries. In addition, the system lacks Storage infrastructure and Gridorming technology to stabilize the network. Instead, the situation in France is paradoxical. The production of renewables has grown so much that it has forced nuclear power plants To operate to the idle to avoid an excess of supply. This decision has caused Energy distribution problems. First to arrive, first to be treated. Richard Milne He has argued That the root of this European energy crisis is the result of uncoordinated climatic policies and a long -term lack of strategic vision. Instead of establishing clear priorities on which sectors they should receive electricity, governments have opted for a simplistic and disorderly approach. The answer from the Executive. The energy analyst has made special emphasis in which on the political level the answers have been disordered and uncoordinated. In the column he has detailed that while Norway has allocated its energy resources to the electrification of gas and oil plants, Sweden has opted for emerging battery companies. For its part, Greenland has discussed whether to prioritize high employment industries or projects with less social impact. However, until now there has been a concerted effort to establish a common strategic framework at European level that defines clear priorities over the use of green electricity. Forecasts. To avoid falling into a structural energy crisis, Europe needs strategic rethinking. Is it possible to establish a common criterion to decide which sectors should be prioritized? How can it be guaranteed that green energy really contributes to climatic objectives without compromising industrial development? As He has warned The energy analyst, Europe must initiate a serious and coordinated debate on the strategic uses of electricity, defining priorities based not only on economic criteria, but also on its environmental and social impact. Image | Pexels Xataka | China’s energy paradox: an ‘electrostate’ that continues to feed on coal

China had never been an important actor in global oil production. That is starting to change

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Recently, China has completed drilling of the vertical well of oil deeper from Asia, reaching a depth of 10,910 meters. At first glance, it may seem one more achievement In that career for megaestructurebut it is a symptom of something else: a strategy to reinforce your energy security and reduce its dependence on foreign crude. Record on record. In March 2025, China reached a new peak in its oil production, with an average of 4.6 million barrels per day, According to data cited by Global Times. This figure marks the culminating point of a trend that It has been in silence for years. Despite the fluctuations of the market, especially with the tariff war, Chinese production has continued to increase in a planned and sustained way. Drill, Baby, Drill. Or in Chinese: Zuan Ba, Bao Bei, Zuan Ba. This famous motto that is coined to Trump could also be applied to China. However, what happens in the Asian giant is a very different version. As He explained The energy analyst Javier Blas, Beijing is betting on squeezing his former conventional fields, many of them active from the Era of Mao. Summarizing it more easily: while in the US fracking and horizontal schist drilling They are based on profitabilityIn China, energy security is priority. In fact, state giants such as CNPC, Sinopec and Cnooc They have invested For years around 80,000 million dollars annually to sustain this strategy. In addition, the country is known for being a large importer of oil, so during these years the reserves were not known. However, in this growing silent production, According to Reutershas achieved a 167%replacement ratio. The state oil company CNOOC has declared that its proven reserves exceed 7 270 million barrels, which ensures stable production for the next 10 years. A strategy inwards. This year is fulfilled The established period for China’s autonomy with its “seven -year action plan to improve oil and gas exploration and development efforts”. Although its objective is not only to produce more, but to depend less and less abroad and not have to be subject to the tensions of global geopolitics. But for now …Keep importing and has changed a couple. Chinese refineries are importing Canadian crude record amounts after cutting American oil purchases at 90% due to commercial tensions. As has indicated Bloomberg, the expansion of a pipeline in western Canada, opened less than a year ago, has already provided China and other oil importers of the East Asian to greater access to the vast crude oil reserves in the Alberta tar sands region. Beyond its borders. China’s energy turn does not occur in a vacuum: it has direct implications for the rest of the world. In the first place, greater Chinese self -sufficiency will weaken the weight of export countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, pressing further OPEC+ in its struggle for maintaining crude oil prices. With China pumping more oil locally, its demand for imports becomes more strategic and selective, displacing commercial flows and influencing the global barrel price. In addition, in this way you will have more autonomy to act in commercial tensions without compromising your energy supply. In short, it is sending a clear message: “Each barrel counts.” While the world looks at the Middle East or Texas, the real silent boom is happening in Asia. Image | China News Service and Pexels Xataka | Tariffs are already being charged to their first great victim of the global economy: the price of oil

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