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China’s future in the chips industry is in the hands of a single company almost unknown: Sicarrier

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Sicarrier is not a Chinese company. When we repair the country’s semiconductor industry led by Xi Jinping probably many of us think of companies like Huawei, SMICHua Hong semiconductor or Naura Technologyamong others. But not in Sicarrier. Until just a few weeks this company It was a real unknown Beyond China’s borders, but in a record time it has attracted the attention of the global industry of integrated circuits. And he has done it for a weight reason: it is the authentic responsible for China currently having the ability to produce avant -garde chips. Although it was founded in 2021, during the last four years Sicarrier has maintained a very low profile. Its origin is not entirely clear, but The most reliable sources They collect that this company is probably a huawei split. What we know for sure is that it is a state company administered by the Shenzhen government. Sicarrier’s soul are veteran engineers of ASML and Applyed Materials I will not prolong the mystery more: Sicarrier is dedicated to designing and manufacturing photolithography equipment and wafering processing machines. In fact, the more than 30 products that it has presented just a few weeks ago in SemiCon China 2025 competes with the solutions of the Dutch company ASMLthe Japanese Tokyo Electron or the American Apply materials. It is shocking that a company with just four years already has proposals capable of competing in the market of chips manufacturing equipment. But it seems to have earned it. Whatever this presumable success is not the result of chance. And is that his main team is led by engineers with more than two decades of experience in the ranks of ASML and Applyed Materials. In fact, these technicians are surely responsible for the milestone for which Sicarrier is probably in the spotlight of the US administration: the technology used by Huawei and SMIC for MANUFACT 7 NM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS derives from a patent that seeks to make the production of 5 Nm chips possible using equipment from deep ultraviolet lithography (UVP). The technology used by Huawei and SMIC to make 7 Nm chips derives from a patent from Sicarrier The most ambicious lithography equipment by Chinese integrated circuit manufacturers is the extreme ultraviolet lithography machine (UVE). ASML is the only company that produces them, but THE SANCTIONS TO CHINA DE USA They prevent you from giving it to your Chinese clients. The problem is that this equipment is necessary to produce on a large scale and with a competitive price semiconductors of 7 Nm or with even more advanced integration technologies. Sicarrier has not presented a UVE photolithography team in China 2025. It is very unlikely to have it, but, at the same time, it is reasonable to anticipate that their engineers will be working on a machine of these characteristics. The teams that this company has already made known, or, at least, has officialized, are A 28 Nm immersion lithography machinean engraving equipment for advanced nodes below 7 Nm, diffusion machines for rapid thermal processing, chemical vapor deposition equipment for nodes of 28 to 5 Nm, verification machines and test for advanced integrated circuits, etc. The retahíla of lithography and wafering processing that Sicarrier has presented in Semi -Con China 2025 is long. As I mentioned a few lines above, these products compete with the proposals of ASML, Applied Materials or Tokyo Electron, although the authentic Sicarrier fire test will be the tuning of a UVE lithography machine. Du liqun, the president of this company, has declared that its strategy requires betting on the development of avant -garde lithography equipment, selective deposition machines and latest generation transist technologieslike ga (Gate-alall-around), which is already part of the Porfolio of TSMC, Intel and Samsung. It is still early to identify if Sicarrier will live up to the expectations it has generated, but there is no doubt: there is a new actor in the integrated circuit industry. And it is worth following the track very closely. Image | Sicarrier More information | Nomad semi In Xataka | This is China’s big problem with chips: Huawei will manufacture its Kirin X90 for PC using the 7 Nm of SMIC

Intel’s future is linked to the success of a single chip manufacturing node: 18A technology

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Intel is facing one of the most difficult stages Of all its history. And its story is not exactly brief. In fact, Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce founded this company more than half a century ago, in 1968. As we have explained in other articles, The future of factories and Intel chips packaging and validation centers is uncertain. However, it is possible that these facilities are finally incorporated into a joint company Managed by Intel, TSMCand, perhaps, by some other company of the integrated circuit industry. Anyway, the short -term competitiveness of this company is closely linked to the success of a single semiconductor manufacturing technology: 18A photolithography. Ben Sell, Vice President of Intel Technology Development, confirmed At the end of last September that the 18A node already has the maturity necessary to enter large -scale production in 2025. and also assured that it will benefit from the resources that have been reallocated since the 20A node. In the current scenario the 18A node will be the true protagonist. That is not the slightest doubt. More transistors. More performance. And less consumption This statement by Joseph Bonetti, main manager of Intel engineering programs, expresses very well The important thing that is the 18A node for this company: “Intel leaders, Board of Directors of Intel and Donald Trump administration, please do not sell or give the control of Intel Foundry to TSMC just when Intel is taking the technological front and starting to take off. It would be a terrible and demoralizing error.” Bonetti also maintains that Intel is not lagging for its competitors, and that the advances that their engineers are achieving in the field of chips production are very important. Bonetti does not expressly mention the 18A integration technology, but his statement is supported by it because right now is the asset that Intel has to compete with TSMC and Samsung in the market for the production of integrated circuits in a year in which 2 Nm photolithographies They will take off yes or yes. In the last months Intel has been revealing some of the characteristics of this integration technology, but just a few hours ago and as a prelude to the semiconductor conference ‘2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circu has made public more interesting data. Powervia proposes to physically separate the feed lines and signal signal within each integrated circuit Lithography 18a is erected above all about two essential innovations: Ribbonfet Gate-Lall-Around (GAA) transistors and energy delivery technology Powervia. The purpose of this last improvement is to solve the limitations imposed by the introduction in the integrated circuit of smaller transistors, which are also together more. This scenario causes that within each chip the power lines and signal compete for the same resources, which triggers the appearance of bottlenecks that perceptibly limit the performance and energy efficiency of a CPU. The purpose of Powervia technology is precisely to solve this problem. And to achieve this, what proposes is to physically separate the power lines and signal signal. So far both lived in the same physical space, but From Intel 20A lithographythat It was commercially dismissed In September 2024, the distribution of transistors and food and signal will acquire the form of a sandwich. In this way the transistors will be housed in the center, while the feed lines will reside in a lower layer and those of signal in an upper layer. In any case, for us, the users, the most interesting thing is to know that Intel promises that their lithography 18a will deliver a 25% higher performance using the same voltage as the integration technology Intel 3, as well as a 36% lower energy consumption by using the same frequency and the same voltage. And by reducing this last parameter and moving from 1.1 volts to 0.75 volts, lithography 18a delivers a performance of 18% higher and a consumption of 38% lower. It sounds good, but we should not ignore that This information comes from Intel itself. Whether it is evident that we are interested in consumers that both Intel and TSMC or Samsung have the best state possible. Image | Intel More information | Intel In Xataka | Intel has confirmed that the 20A node will be skipped to reduce expenses. The 18A node will enter production in 2025

The international wine market was already broken, but a single idea has put it against the ropes: 200% tariffs

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13%. That is the magical figure because, given the uncertainty of what will happen to the tariffs, that is what the “main consumer country in the world“For Spanish wine. In 2024, to get an idea, they were sent 97 million liters valued at almost 400 million of euros. That’s why The announcement of a 200% tariff and the letter of the United States wine alliance (USWTA) recommending “Sorted to US companies that They suspend all the shipments of wine, liquors and beer from the EU “has fallen like a jug of cold water in a sector that was already very scrambled. And that has not even been a big surprise. In December 2024, after Trump’s choice, Exports fired 23%. And, during these months, many Spanish wineries have been protecting preventively anticipating the sending of reserves to American soil. What has surprised has been the entity of the coup: no one expected a 200% tariff and, although was suspended, As I pointed out Jose Luis Lapuente, general director of the Denomination of Origin of Rioja, “much more harmful than tariffs itself is uncertainty, not knowing.” That is precisely what is behind the USWTA letter: despite its efforts so that tariffs do not apply to goods that are already in transit, the US government has refused to give a clear answer what it will happen. If companies do not suspend shipments, they could meet huge losses overnight. “Deep concern” Last Thursday, the Brussels Regions Committee hosted an emergency meeting of the intergroup of wine to ask the commission to “take out the wine from the tariff war.” And, a priori, it seems that the pressures have had an effect because the union left out of his countermeasures to wine, sparkling and the American bourbon. In this context, it is not only to avoid more reprisals from the White House and prevent European wine sales from collapseing in the US, it is about Protect huge investments that the sector (and union) have done in the North American market during the last decade. “The tariffs announced by the US are totally unjustified in the particular case of the wine if we consider that currently the tariff difference between the rates that apply the EU and the US is minimal,” reasoned the general director of the Spanish Federation of Wine, José Luis Benítez. However, we have already seen in recent days that the Trump administration strategy is difficult to understand. In fact, it is a measure that does not convince anyone … “This will be great for wine and champagne businesses in the United States,” Trump wrote when he threatened with the 200%tariff. However, not all American producers They agree. Because, although it is true that the price increases can ‘rekindle’ the interest in the broths of the country, we talk about a fragile sector, overloaded and very touched by the fires and droughts of the main producing area, California. Not only that. As John Williams explained at CNNfounder of Frog’s Leap, a winery in the Californian Valley of Napa, US wineries are just a very small part of the commercial chain. If tariffs harm distributors, the problem will be rapidly generalized. In the end, “we all depend on the same distributors. The health of these companies is important for wineries around the world,” said. … and that can become counterproductive. Because, the American tariff system has peculiarities that can end up running the market completely. The clearest example is that “the US customs and border service. offers reimbursements of certain rights, taxes and fees paid for imported items, provided that the company exports similar articles. ” That is, the big distribution platforms can end up flooding the most expensive European products market as a strategy to compensate for the price of tariffs. Although, in reality, the background problem is another. That world wine is going through a very bad time. In September 2023, Luigi Moio, president of the International Wine Organization, climbed into a gallery in the heart of La Rioja and said “Vineyard’s start was something inevitable.” And it’s not just La Rioja, of course. In France (which can serve us as proxy of what happens in the international sector), already It has been assumed That 100,000 hectares of vineyards will have to be started – in fact, they have launched a plan to start about 30,000. It is the only way that the sector finds for a devilish situation: that the sector does not stop growing, but These floods “They are not enough to cover production costs and farmers’ needs.” And in that context, tariffs arrive. Are we facing a? Image | Chuttersnap | Mika Baumeister Xataka | We already knew that Spanish wine was on its way to collapse. What we didn’t know was that drought was going to accelerate it so much

Costco turns ten in Spain. Has not yet won a single euro

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Costco has completed a decade of operations in Spain without having declared benefits, and therefore, without having paid a single euro in companies, according to its annual accounts and what was published by Digital economy. The figure. 143 million euros. This is the accumulated amount of losses that the Spanish subsidiary of Costco has declared between 2014 and 2023. However, its sales have multiplied by five since 2017, reaching 544 million euros in 2023. It has also increased its physical presence with five new hypermarkets, plus two others under construction. It has expanded its partner base to 650,000 (24% more than the previous year). Employ 1,256 people in Spain. It is building A logistics center in Guadalajara where he has invested more than 50 million. Why is it important. This case is an example of a common strategy among multinationals: artificially maintain red numbers in specific markets to avoid local taxation, while their operations and market presence increase. The company itself acknowledges in its accounts that “it has not had to satisfy any amount for societies tax in Spain”, adding that its greatest contribution has been “the generation of local wealth.” The money trail. Costco does not publicly detail which mechanisms to maintain constant losses despite its growth, but the usual strategies include: Loans between subsidiaries with high interest. Canons for the use of brand, technology or know-how. Transfer prices in purchases to other subsidiaries. Strategic Business Costs. The trend. The US matrix continues with its expansion in Spain, despite losses. The group has reduced its red numbers up to 7.7 million in 2023 (its best historical result), and the company projects that will continue with losses “until it reaches a market penetration and sales level”. Said in Román Paladino: until it has grown enough. The general panoramic. This strategy is not exclusive to Costco. Large multinationals such as Amazon, Starbucks or Ikea have resorted to different fiscal engineering mechanisms To reduce their taxation in the countries where they operate, within legality but they are not some controversy. Meanwhile, the Spanish client seems oblivious to these fiscal ins and outs: the 650,000 members who pay their annual fee to access the costco prices continue to increase, a sign that their model works independently of the declared red figures. Outstanding image | Costco In Xataka | Themu seemed unstoppable. His latest results begin to question his model

I’ve been trying electric cars for years. I bought one of combustion for a single reason

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We live complicated times to Choose car. Or, perhaps, we believe them more complicated than they really are. Yes, it is true that we can have doubts about What a course will take The automobile industry, what technology will be imposed, what not or, directly, What restrictions will raise Against my car in the coming years. But let’s look at this from a positive point of view: we have never had so much variety and so many technologies that will better adapt to our lifestyle and the trips we made on a day -to -day basis. This is what I try to explain to those who, knowing that I write about the automobile industry and try some of the most recent models, ask me what car they should buy. What should be the best option For them. To give them an answer I give a series of tips. The most important, although it seems nonsense, always leave it for the end. Choosing car Diesel (yes, diesel), gasoline, Microhíbrido, electric hybrid, plug -in hybrid, electric or gasoline bifuel and liquefied or compressed natural gas. It is also possible to buy a Electric of extended autonomyalthough the possibilities are very small. Or a car moved by hydrogen but, in this case, Recharge options are almost non -existent. Therefore, if we are in this situation and we want to buy a car, we have to think about several aspects that I summarize in the following steps: What type of car do we need (by size)? Here we must contemplate what we are looking for exactly. How much trunk do we need? Are we going to use the rear seats usually or do we travel as a couple? Are we a family that will grow, are we thinking about forming it or do we plan to have children? Do children already travel on their own and do not need such a big car? Personally, I recommend doing a Very rational reading of our situation. If we usually do not carry much luggage we should not prioritize the trunk. If we usually do not use the rear seats, their habitability should have a secondary weight in our decision. It is simply not to over -dimension our needs. Yes, if we are traveling with little luggage in our weekend getaways and, for example, one day a year we want to move a bicycle because we will have a problem or we will have to better square the luggage. That day, perhaps, we regret a little of the choice but this will be passenger because the rest of the year we will omit a quality for which we have probable we have paid a surcharge. If, on the contrary, we are fond of mountain bike and every weekend we load and download our bicycle, I will not only recommend that you buy a car that facilitates this task. I say more: Take the bicycle to the concessionaire And check for yourself if the bicycle enters the trunk and how simple or complicated it will be its load and download. What use are we going to give our car? I like to define the size of the car in the first place because, for almost all kinds of sizes there is the technology we are looking for. Largely because tAmaño and type of use go hand in. If we are looking for a car to move exclusively in the urban environment, to go and return from work and leave children at school, we are not interested in a car too large, because in this type of journey it will be much more uncomfortable to use. On the contrary, if we move regularly on the highway and highway and perform hundreds or thousands of kilometers every week, we will prioritize comfort and, most likely, the car is larger. In this case, I would prioritize the following aspects, from greater to less importance: Are we going to use this car as the only one in the house? What kind of displacement do we do in our day to day? Do we usually go on a trip? How many long getaways do we do a year? How many kilometers do we do a year? What technology do we choose? Once we have the adequate car size for our needs and we are clear about the type of use that we are going to do, it remains to choose which technology that interests us most. The money is decisive here and, if necessary, access to a plug to load an electric car or a plug -in hybrid. My recommendation is as follows: Diesel: Who performs many kilometers on the highway and highway and site the city little. I would not buy it if I did less than 20,000 kilometers a year. Gasoline: We want a car “for everything” at home. We move in the usual figures for a Middle driver And the use we give to the car is mixed between city and getaways on highways and highways. Microhíbridos: If the option exists, the microhíbrido is a good option to obtain the ECO LABEL AND ITS BENEFITS If we are looking for a gasoline car because the cost barely differs and we will not notice any change when driving. Hybrids: We also have the car as a “vehicle for everything” but most of the kilometers are made in city. Although we can leave the weekend, we make a good dozen kilometers in the urban environment or we need enter a zbe where access to more polluting cars is restricted. Plug -in hybrids: same case as the previous one but we have the possibility of loading a plug at home and weekend getaways are usually to a second close home. This is important, once the battery charge is exhausted, with the combustion engine working exclusively, the car can have too high consumption that spoil daily savings. Electric: We have access to a plug. You can choose to dedicate it as a second … Read more

A single island houses 70% of the US military bases in Japan. There is a weight reason for not to come out: China

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At the end of January, in the Japan islands closest to Taiwan, Many places began to evacuate the area. The action was part of a series of drills that have been intensified in the last two years preparing for “the worst”, understanding this as An armed conflict between China and Taiwan. In fact, the most important island of Okinawa prefecture has a fact that attests to tension in the area: there is no other place in Japan with such a number of soldiers in the United States, and they have been there since World War II. Okinawa: trapped between two powers. For more than a century, Okinawa has been a territory in disputemarked by the conflict between Japan, the United States and China. Its history, which goes from being an independent kingdom to become a battlefield and military baseit reflects the weight of geopolitical decisions about the lives of its inhabitants. The island was originally The kingdom of Ryukyuan independent state that maintained tax relations with both Imperial China and with the Japanese domain of Satsuma. However, in the 1870s, Japan attached the archipelagoestablishing its control over the island. During World War II, Okinawa was the stage of One of the bloodiest battlesused as a shield to prevent US troops from reaching the main islands of Japan. After the war, instead of being returned to Japanese sovereignty, Okinawa was under control of the United Statesbecoming a military strategic point. Already in 1972, after 27 years of American occupation, The island was finally returned to Japan. However, the US military presence never disappeared. In fact, Okinawa houses 70 % of US military bases in Japandespite representing only 0.6 % of the national territory. It is estimated that there are 80,000 Americans on the island, of which 30,000 are uniformed military. The “slow” withdrawn. This week had the New York Times that the departure of those thousands of American marines has already begun, more or less, although With a delay of more than 20 years Regarding the original calendar. Before Christmas, a 105 Marines contingent that would normally have been sent to the island He was redirected to the new Camp Blaz base in Guam. This small movement marked the first trimming of military personnel in Okinawa within the agreement between Washington and Tokyo to reduce that US military presence on the island that goes back to World War II. According to the pact, 9,000 marines (almost half of the troops on the island) should be relocated at some point. However, due to the construction of replacement bases, its exit could take more than a decade to complete. United States maneuvers on the island A discontent agreement. Negotiation for the reduction of military presence It began in 1995when the case of three American soldiers who raped an okinawense girl caused massive protests on the island. This led to the United States and Japan They will agree to relieve the military load on Okinawa. As? In essence, by closing The Fuutema Air Base and the construction of a new installation in the north of the island. The first plan, signed in 1996, established a period of five to seven years for relocation, but almost three decades of that agreement, the original base remains operational and the new landing track is still 12 years after being completed. Geopolitics: the brake on the reduction. In any case, the delay in the withdrawal of US troops is due, in large part, to the growing military presence of China in the region. Recently and As we countthe Japan Ministry of Defense reported that Four Chinese warships sailed between Okinawa and a nearby islandincreasing concern in Tokyo and Washington about security in the Western Pacific. The rise of China, together with the threat of North Korea and tensions in Taiwan, has changed strategic dynamics. In fact, the times told that many in Tokyo and Washington wonder If they should really reduce the presence of marines in Okinawaespecially when the island is within the range of Chinese missiles and would be a key point in any conflict in the region. China’s hat. Although historically Okinawa maintained commercial relations with China, Beijing’s current influence on the region is seen with concern for many Japanese. The tensions between China and Japan by the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands They have fueled the fear that Okinawa can become a conflict point Between both countries. An uncertain future. For all this, and despite international pressure, the transfer of the Marines progress to slow pacealmost testimonial. Japan, meanwhile, has chosen to keep the status quoinvesting in the modernization of existing bases instead of accelerating relocation. In this regard, Camp Schwab, in the north of the island, will be the new home of the Marines relocated from Fuhenma. The construction includes an area of ​​land five times greater than the pentagon to house landing clues and hangars. It does not seem, therefore, that you think too much about an exit. For its part, Camp Fosterin the southern part of Okinawa, it is being remodeled with new barracks, schools and homes, consolidating the military presence in that area. Japan spends According to the New York Times1.5 billion dollars a year in the construction of new facilities, in addition to the 2.8 billion dollars already allocated to Camp Blaz base in Guamwhich, as we said, will house a part of the displaced marines of Okinawa. Yet, Pentagon still does not provide a clear calendar For relocation. And here we return to the exit box: in case of conflict in Asia, LTo Guam’s remoteness could represent a strategic problemsince the Marines would have to return to Japan crossing a combat zone. Thus, what is clear is that the island remains a key piece on the Indo-Pacific board, trapped between the strategic needs of the United States and Japan, and the own aspirations of autonomy of its population. Image | US Indo-Pacifi In Xataka | The Japan islands closest to Taiwan have begun to evacuate the area. They have been preparing … Read more

How US ships repelled the red sea drones without shooting a single shot

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In recent months, several news in those points of the planet where there are tensions or directly some kind of armed conflict, they gave us the first clues. The war that was fought until very recently has given way to a very different one where the human loses importance in the first line of the contest. That’s why United Kingdom has sent the P8 Poseidon to protect your submarine cables, or In Ukraine an optical fiber is worth more than some ammunition. Now, a document has revealed to what extent the war is different. Non -kinetic weapons. I told Business Insider a few hours ago through secret documents that have obtained from the intelligence of the United States. Apparently, during the American mission to counteract the attacks of the Hutis rebels in the Red Sea, The destroyers of the United States Navy such as the USS Mason and the USS Serly, managed to repel all drone attacks without firing Missiles or conventional ammunition. We talk about A period that covers between November 2023 and March 2024space in which these ships used non -kinetic capabilities, technology that includes advanced electronic warfare systems to deactivate enemy drones through electromagnetic interference and cyber attacks, instead of traditional defense methods. The electronic war revolution. The documents obtained by the medium reveal that these ships used advanced technologies such as the AN/SLQ-32 (“slick-32”) and the so -called Ship’s Signal Exploitation Equipment (SSEE)both designed to detect, interfere and neutralize the signs of enemy drones and missiles. These systems allow interrupt communications and guidance mechanisms of drones, leaving them inoperative without the need to physically destroy them. This technique, although it is part of the naval doctrine for years, had never been used with the intensity that is currently made against drone swarms in a real conflict. In fact, something similar in Ukraine is happening, The “mother of all battles between drones”. Strategic benefits in non -kinetic weapons. The use of electronic war for naval defense represents a crucial advance, in this specific case for the United States Navy, in front of attacks such as those perpetrated by the hutis, who They have launched about 500 drones against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Adén since October 2023. Here The key advantages of these systems are several. From the savings of ammunition, since, instead of spending expensive missiles in each enemy drone, non -kinetic weapons offer a cheaper and more efficient alternative, until sustainability in combat, since by avoiding the exhaustion of the arsenal, ships can stay in the theater of operations without the need for frequent refueling. Plus: greater tactical adaptabilitysince the electronic war allows to counteract threats in real time, without revealing the location of the ship with shots or generating traces of heat. A change in the naval strategy. If you want also, the success of these systems in the Red Sea conflict marks a turning point in the Maritime War doctrine. In this regard, experts such as Bryan Clark, ex -official of the Navy and defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, highlight that this is The first time that the United States faces a massive use of aerial drones in anti -ribous attackswhich has forced the Navy to develop more sophisticated tactics. The experience obtained in these clashes not only strengthens the defensive capacity of US ships, but also provides key lessons for future conflicts, in which electronic war and non -kinetic weapons could play a predominant role. Exactly the same that happens in Ukraine where The battle has moved to another completely different level to other conflicts. A fact before finishing to understand the importance of this new paradigm shift: last year and in just two days, 1,600 aircraft in Europe had problems with GPS. He guilty: Electronic War. Image | US Navy In Xataka | United Kingdom will display the “Frankenstein” of the electronic war to protect its submarine cables: the P8 Poseidon In Xataka | The war in Ukraine has become totally deranged: there are drones throwing drones to attack other drones

The consumption of amphetamines in Spain is concentrated in an autonomous community. And we know it with a “single” trick

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The surveys are very useful for “taking the pulse” to the population, but they can also lie (or at least fool) in many ways. Not this is not a cooking thing and how its results are interpreted: sometimes the lack of truth comes from the basis, and asking for some issues can be very delicate. And a great example of this is found in illegal substances, such as drugs. OEDA report. He last report prepared by the Spanish Observatory of Drugs and Addictions (OEDA) and the Government Delegation for the National Drug Plan He investigated not only social perceptions about the drug use of Spaniards, but also in their consumption habits. One of the most striking results was the “differential clear” in the pattern of amphetamine consumption: and the report found that the consumption of this substance was concentrated in an autonomous community: Euskadi. Estimates on the consumption of this substance in the Basque Autonomous Community far exceed the state average and records in the regions treated in the report. According to these calculations, the consumption of SPEED (name with which reference is also made to this substance) oscillates, according to areas Between 700 and 2,100 milligrams A day for every 1,000 inhabitants, while in the rest of the areas of study the average estimated consumption was 24 mg/(day 1,000 inhabitants). Not as easy as it seems. Estimating the consumption of this and other substances can be complicated. In the case of illegal drugs, its illicit nature makes the task of investigating its consumption complicated through simple surveys. To this we must add the social perception of drugs as taboo, something that also applies to legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco. So how are scientists save the scientists studying these substances? OEDA reports They consult the population to know their perception of this type of substance (both legal and illegal). However, to know drug use habits follow another strategy: search in waste. Sewage. Specifically, in wastewater. Our body discards these substances or their metabolites (the compounds derived from the medicalization of a compound) through the urine, which implies that the tests end up in our wastewater and from there in the water treatment plants. The equipment responsible for the analysis took water samples in a series of purifying stations sewage (WWTP) distributed in various autonomous communities, 28 in total. The samples were taken over a week (usually in spring) in the years between 2021 and 2023. In some of the stations additional samples were taken in the second half of the year. Different habits. None of the substances analyzed presented a pattern of consumption as centered as the case of amphetamines, although in the case of cannabis, for example, some trends with the Catalan stations and the Canarian station can be interviewed indicating the areas of greatest consumption. On average, a consumption of 13 g/(day 1,000) of THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol) was estimated. The study of wastewater also gives us information about legal substances such as alcohol and nicotine. The median reading of the national WWTP ethanol showed an estimated consumption of 7.6 l/(day 1,000 inhabitants). In the case of nicotine on the other hand, the global median indicated a consumption of 1,641 mg/(day 1,000 inhabitants). Not only Spain. This type of analysis based on wastewater is not exclusive to Spain. At European level we can also find similar studies. Another recent study Performed by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) analyzed consumption patterns in European countries and observed that Spain (as well as the Netherlands) showed a relatively high consumption of substances such as cocaine, MDMA, THC or ketamine. Of course, in this case, the study analyzed less water treatment stations: six located in different parts of the Mediterranean coast and one more in Galicia. The concentration of stations in the Mediterranean and absence of samples in other highly populated areas such as Madrid implies a serious limitation in this study if we want to extrapolate its results to the whole. In Xataka | Drugs, mental health and pre -Hispanic civilizations: the clash between modern medicine and millenary traditions Image | Colin Davis / Abdo Alshreef

Half of all the frozen semen produced by Spanish men comes out in a single city: Granada

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Neither Madrid, nor Barcelona; Neither Valencia, nor Seville: the place in Spain where more semen is donated the most It is Granada. And it is by far margin: of the 56,700 donations of male gametes between 2018 and 2023, 23,096 were made in this province. Practically half. Is something that was already knownbut Ana Requena It has just updated the data And it’s really surprising. Because if the question is “What is happening in that city?” The answer is not only curious … it is very interesting. Granada, national semen champion. It is true that obtaining reliable data is complicated. Above all, because (although clinics and hospitals are obliged to turn their data in assisted human reproduction information system) we have not managed to have a centralized record. However, in this case the reliability is the least: we talk about such a brutal difference that we can give it for good. Granada is the queen of the semen of Spain and is something completely recognized in the sector. But … why? The person responsible for this has names and surnames: Ceifer Biobanco, a private semen bank that was founded in the city almost 30 years ago and is a national reference. In fact, he works with about 500 reproductive centers in the country. That is key. Because, as explained at Eldiario.es Juan José Espinósthe president of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), having an authorized center to collect semen is not easy: “In the same way that most assisted reproduction centers collect ovules, there are few authorized for semen of donors.” “There are more donors where more promotion is made and concentrated in places where there are specialized banks,” Espinós explained. So it is not because the Grenadians are extremely fond of this? Yes and no. As Juan Pablo Ramírez explained a few years agomanaging director of the company, although Donor’s profile has been changing over the years (and older men, workers and parents have been incorporated), “students continue to assume 80% of the total donations.” That is one of Ceifer’s keys: that Granada is the student city per hintomasia. A city of about 250,000 inhabitants that has a university of 80,000 students (and that is only a part of its training offer). But, without a doubt, it is a management success. After all, Ceifer also has venues in Seville and Córdoba, others of the two leading cities in donations. And it is not easy either. As they explainedonly 10% of those who are interested end up being accepted. To the age requirements (less than 50 years), we must add a personalized interview with a psychologist and a whole battery of medical tests that discard hereditary diseases and ensure the quality of the semen. So yes, Granada is at the top. And it seems that it will continue to be a long time. After all, the two cities that follow it from afar are also feuded by Ceifer. Who was going to tell us that the geopolitics of the semen was going to talk about the importance of having long -standing institutions attached to the field? Image | Jorge Fernández Salas | Manuel Medina In Xataka | Reproductive Wars: When will we stop needing women to have children?

Technological millionaires have lost 108,000 million in a single day

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Just take a look at the list of greater fortunes of the world to realize that, in one way or another, AI is the common denominator that has catapulted these fortunes at current levels. However, the earthquake caused by Deepseekhas caused investors to doubt the real value of the projects supported by large technological ones, which has picked up the value of their actions, dragging with them the fortunes of their CEOS and founders. Specifically, Fortune esteema joint loss of more than 108,000 million in a single day. It is not the first time This happens. Jensen Huang and Nvidia in the eye of the hurricane. The news that the new China has not used the most powerful processors Nvidia for its development has made the market assessment of the Jensen Huang company lost 400,000 million dollars. As a result of that fall, the Jensen Huang fortune He lost a value of 20,100 million dollars in just one day, which represents 20% of the total fortune. Larry Ellison’s infrastructure. Much of Oracle’s success in recent years has been based on the structure offered for AI, So it is not surprising that investors have also staged their doubts selling their positions in the company that founded and directs Larry Ellisonwhich currently occupies the fifth place among the greatest fortunes in the world. Percentage, the New York millionaire lost less than Huang with 12% of his fortune, but in absolute terms, Oracle’s fall after the presentation of Deepseek caused him a devaluation of his fortune estimated at 22.6 billion euros. Collateral damage of the fall. Together, technological giants lost about 94,000 million directly due to the depreciation of their market value due to the mass sale of shares. This fall caused an expansive wave in other indices that, indirectly, also suffered losses. The Nasdaq index 3.1% fell and the S&P 500 left 1.5%. For example, Michael Dell’s fortune, the computers giant13,000 million were left after the presentation of the new Chinese model, while the co -founder of Binance Holdings, Changpeng “CZ” Zhaolost 12,100 million dollars. Immune to earthquakes. Although the Deepseek’s emergence It has meant a tsunami for the AI ​​development scene, some leading actors seem to put their fortunes in dusty and left unscathed from this stock market shaking. The biggest beneficiary has been Bernard Arnault, who has known Fishing in a scrambled river Adding 5,000 million dollars to their fortune while most technological millionaires painted their negative balances. Worthy of a teacher in stock jarism has been the role of Mark Zuckerberg, who has not only unharmed the tsunami that has caused China, but has added 4.2 billion dollars to his fortune. Jeff Bezos, with a more discreet role, has added 519 million, but like Zuckerberg, he has fallen to the storm being one of the main investors in the development of AI. In Xataka | The next border of the super farms is no longer to be Milmillonarios, is to be Billionaires: Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are candidates Image | Flickr (Fortune Global Forum, Trump White House Archced, Presidency of the Mexican Republic),

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