Spain

The future European fighter in which Spain participates has received the worst news. And it comes directly from France

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Europe wanted to build its great fighter of the future with three countries in the cockpit: France, Germany and Spain. It was not a minor project nor a simple renewal of aircraft, but one of the most ambitious commitments of European defense for the coming decades, with a view to replacing models such as the French Rafale and the Eurofighter used by Germany and Spain by 2040. But this plan, presented for years as a symbol of strategic cooperation, has just collided with a much less epic reality: the companies called to make it possible have not been able to reach an agreement. The blow. According to Reutersthe Elysée confirmed that France and Germany were no longer in a position to continue with the project after the German authorities considered the margin to pressure the companies involved exhausted. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had discussed the matter the previous week in Montenegro, on the sidelines of a summit between the EU and the Western Balkans. The conclusion was difficult to conceal: after months of blocking, the program had been left without a clear exit in its current form. industrial shock. The program was stuck for months between Dassault Aviation, the French company linked to the Rafale, and Airbus, which represents the industrial interests of Germany and Spain. The dispute was not minor: who led the development, what technology was shared and how intellectual property was protected. Dassault would have defended a leading role to avoid losing control over its capabilities, while Airbus defended a more balanced relationship. It wasn’t just a fighter. The FCAS It was always something broader than a substitute for the French Rafale and the Eurofighter used by Germany and Spain. The plan aspired to build a connected combat system, with a manned aircraft at the center, drones, remote carriers and a military cloud, the Combat Cloudto coordinate secure communications between air, naval, land and space platforms. That is why the blow has more depth than the cancellation of a plane: it affects an architecture designed so that Europe would not only buy future capabilities, but could develop them itself. What is at stake in Spain?. The coup also hits Spain hard. Its participation is articulated through Indracalled to reinforce the Spanish role in areas such as connectivity, technological integration and some of the critical technologies of the system. Furthermore, Airbus not only defended German interests, but also Spanish ones within the program. That is why the blockade does not only affect the calendar of the future fighter: it can alter the industrial weight that Spain aspired to consolidate in one of the great European defense bets for the coming decades. Tension in the air. The Guardian points out that Paris and Berlin maintained differences over the type of aircraft they needed, because France was looking for a model capable of operating from aircraft carriers and carrying nuclear weapons, while Germany did not have exactly the same military priorities. Merz had also publicly questioned whether the development of a sixth-generation manned fighter still made sense for the German air force. The discussion, therefore, was not only who manufactured what, but for what specific needs the system should be created. What remains standing. The stopping of the fighter does not necessarily imply that the entire FCAS disappears completely. The program also includes drones and a high-security combat cloud, and European sources cited by Reuters saw it possible for these two elements to continue. A German government source even spoke of continuing the core of FCAS as a European system capable of connecting aircraft, drones and other components into an integrated whole. The big question is whether this architecture can survive without the airplane that was supposed to serve as its centerpiece. The initial plan and the current reality. The FCAS was on its way to being one of the great symbols of European defense for the coming decades. Today, however, it has become a direct test of the limits of that cooperation. We know that France and Germany have considered the current path exhausted, we know that Spain has industrial interests at stake and we also know that some pieces of the system could try to survive. What we don’t know yet is what form the project will take from now on. Images | Airbus In Xataka | Airbus has just made the most autonomous commercial aircraft in the world fly. Your goal: 22 hours straight without a stopover

Spain has done its first major study on how many pets there are in the country. And he got a surprise

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Spain is mired in a demographic revolution silent. And he doesn’t even star in it the migratory flowneither agingneither population movements between cities or any other of the many trends that we have been noticing for years. They are promoting the authentic revolution the petsthe dogs and cats that live in our homes. We knew that in Spain there are millions and millionsbut the census carried out by the Government has revealed an astonishing reality: it is already easier meet animals than with Spaniards under 30 years of age. And everything indicates that this gap will continue to widen. How many pets are there in Spain? If you take a walk around your neighborhood (no matter where you live) it is quite likely that you will find people walking dogs or the occasional cat hanging out of an apartment window. We don’t say it. This is said by the multiple statistics that for years have been trying to clarify how many pets live in Spain. They all agree that there are many (many), but their ‘photo’ is not always the same. Although the Animal Welfare Law forces register with microchip to all the dogs and cats, to the shelters they keep coming animals that do not meet that requirement. The result is that it is very difficult to know exactly how many pets there are in Spain. The Companion Animal Identification Network (REIAC) have registered 10.16 million dogs, 967,800 cats and 52,055 ferrets, Anfaac (the association of feed manufacturers) speaks of 6.96 million of dogs and 4.93 million felines and Aedpac estimates that in total they live in Spain 28 million of pets, a figure that other sources round up to approximate 30 million. Year Cats Dogs Others Total 2021 4.58 million 6.89 million 1.81 million 13.29 million 2022 4.76 million 7.08 million 1.85 million 13.69 million 2023 4.97 million 7.28 million 1.92 million 14.17 million 2024 5.29 million 7.42 million 1.95 million 14.66 million 2025 5.62 million 7.56 million 1.99 million 15.17 million The data: 15.17 million. Some time ago the Executive decided to prepare a National Statistics on Animal Protectionan ambitious work that, among other issues, includes “the first official study carried out by the Government on the number of companion animals in our country.” The task has not yet been completed, but a few days ago the Ministry of Social Rights decided to advance some of its first conclusions. And one of them helps to once and for all settle the debate about how many pets live in our country. According to his calculations, in Spain there are 15,171,569a figure obtained after reviewing the regional records between 2021 and 2025. To be more precise, technicians have identified 7.56 million of dogs and 5.62 million cats. The list closes with other species that also live in Spanish homes, such as rabbits, birds, reptiles or turtles. The Executive estimates that in total there are 1.99 million. At the territorial level there are no big surprises, the communities with the most pets are also the most inhabited: Andalusia (3.26 million), Catalonia (1.99) and Madrid (1.89 million). year Population under 10 years old Population under 30 years old 2021 4.19 million 14.05 million 2022 4.07 million 13.99 million 2023 4.01 million 14.18 million 2024 3.94 million 14.30 million 2025 3.86 million 14.43 million Is it important? Yes. And not only because it offers us a new official reference on the number of ‘furries’ that live in Spanish homes. Statistics help to better understand what type of pets we have, which are the most popular and, above all, how their population evolves. Of all the possible readings left by the Government data, this last one is probably the most interesting: those 15.17 million pets represent 14.1% more than in 2021, when the census of companion animals totaled 13.3 million. What does it mean? This percentage shows a growing population (in fact it has been growing steadily, year after year) and explains why pet care has become such an attractive business, something that happens both in Spain and in other countries. The last example is left to us by insurance companies and venture capital funds, which they are betting for veterinary coverage policies for dogs and cats. In general, EAE Business School calculates that pets already generate a business of 5.77 billion euros per year and ‘pet-money’ grows at 8.3% and supports 75,000 jobs. Are there so many pets? Yes, and one way to appreciate it is to resort to comparisons. We knew that in Spain it is much easier encounter with pets than with small children, but the latest data published by the Government offers us another even more shocking revelation: in our country we already there is more pets than people under 30 years of age. To be precise, in 2025 the INE had 14,432,931 inhabitants between 0 and 29 years old registered in Spain. If we talk only about children under 10 years old, the count is 3.86 million people. What does that mean? That in Spain there are much more dogs or cats than children and, if we talk about pets in general, the population of pets almost quadruples that of infants. It’s nothing strange. In Asia there are baby stroller manufacturers that they have started to be interested for another business niche with much more promising expectations: dog strollers. Image | Mia Anderson (Unsplash) In Xataka | 93% of owners believe that sleeping with their dog improves their rest. Science has just proven that it is self-deception

Spain has a plan to completely renew DTT. More than half of households cannot comply

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In Spain, DTT is on the verge of making the leap to DVB-T2. It is normal that these acronyms sound Chinese to you, so we are going to review the change that our televisions will face after the necessary retuning both to make room for a new channel that is to come, and for the migration to DVB-T2. The new channel. The BOE has published This weekend the resolution that awards a new television channel to Integrated Television Entertainment Services (SEVEN). The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service awarded last May the license for a new DTT channel for 15 years, renewable to the company managed by Andrés Varela and linked to shareholders of the Prisa group. The first phase. SEVEN has a maximum period of six months to start its broadcasts, forcing the Secretariat to publish in the coming weeks a resolution with the exact date on which everything will start: the arrival of SEVEN, the retuning and the beginning of the technological migration will occur at the same time. What is a multiple. Before getting into acronyms, it is worth understanding how DTT works. The channels do not each broadcast on their own, they travel grouped in packages that share the same radio frequency. And those packages are called multiples. In other words, it is as if several channels shared the same highway to reach their destination, your television antenna. Until now, these multiplexes used the DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial) standard. Its successor, as you may have guessed, is DVB-T2. This new multiple allows up to 68% more data to be transported and, secondly, replaces the H.264 codec with H.265 (HEVC). You may be familiar with these last acronyms, since almost all high-end phones record video by default in H.265: a more advanced codec that requires practically half the data to transmit the same image quality. What is going to happen and when. The calendar has been in the air since 2024 and, even today, it is not closed. What we know for the project is that this is a two-phase process: First phase: he state manifold RGE2shared between RTVE, Atresmedia and Mediaset2, will migrate to the DVB-T2 standard. In addition to the efficiency that we mentioned previously, the migration comes hand in hand with UHD emissions. Devices that do not support the standard will still be able to play HD content. Second phase: The definitive move to DVB-T2 marks that all televisions must be compatible with this standard to play content. It is something that, a priori, will take time to arrive. The complete change will not be made until two milestones are achieved: that at least 95% of DTT receivers are compatible with DVB-T2 and that at least 90% of televisions can receive UHD (4K) broadcasts. Go deeper. In short, Spanish DTT cannot be reorganized or begin the migration to the new standard until the new channel is up and running. This is why the arrival of SEVEN marks a before and after for the beginning of the plan. Nevertheless, according to the latest adoption figuresonly 36.6% of the television fleet is compatible with 4K broadcasts, very far from the 95% set by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service. The first phase is at your doorstep and should begin in 2026 according to the established plan, the second will not begin until the general picture changes. Since last year, Spain cannot legally sell a TV that is not compatible with DVB-T2 and that is not UHD ready, although the complete renovation of the park is not expected until after 2030. In Xataka | How to configure your Smart TV to watch the 2026 World Cup in the best possible way

In Spain, insurers and venture capital are discovering what the business of the century really is: pets

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It’s nothing new. Statistics have long confirmed a reality that anyone can see walking around their city: in Spain there are more pets than small children. many more. And in view of how they evolve the birth rate and the animal census of company, everything indicates that this gap will widen with the passage of time. It is therefore understandable that insurers are increasingly interested in a business that promises a notable growth in the coming years: policies for dogs and cats. It makes sense if we take into account that in Spain there are not only millions of pets. It is increasingly easier to find families who dedicate hundreds of euros in your care. The number: 20 million. It is not easy to specify how many pets are there in Spain. The figures handled by public organizations, veterinarians and the industry dedicated to their care do not completely coincide, but the general image they offer is the same: we Spaniards like the company of dogs, cats, parrots, ferrets, iguanas and other animals capable of adapting to living in our homes. If we trust Anfaac, the association that represents feed manufacturers, in Spain there are more than 20 million of pets, especially dogs (6.9 million). The Spanish Association of Industry and Commerce of the Pet Sector (Aedpac) raises the number of pets to 28 million“present in 40% of the homes” in the country. Other sources point to some 30 millionwhile REIAC (Spanish Network for the Identification of Pet Animals) had registered three years ago 10.1 million of dogs and 968,000 cats. A question of censuses… and euros. Censuses show us that hundreds of thousands of dogs, cats, ferrets, reptiles, birds live in Spanish homes… but that is only part of the ‘photo’ that interests the sector. Another (equally or even more important) is how much we spend on their care. That question was answered in March by EAE Business School, which published a report on ‘pet-money’ which concludes that pets generate a business of 5,770 million euros annually in Spain, drive an economy that grows at 8.3% and support 75,000 direct jobs in 12,300 companies. These are compelling figures, but they are less surprising when you know another key provided by EAE: 49% of households Spaniards live with at least one pet, on whose care we spend on average between 500 and 1,000 euros per year. “In many cases these disbursements are comparable to spending on leisure or communications,” confirms the studywhich has detected a “cultural change” in the relationship with animals that leads a good part of Generation Z and millennials to affirm that they are an essential part of their lives. “Hundreds of millions a year”. The report from AEA Business School also probed the animal-specific insurance business and discovered two things. First, it is in full expansion. Second, that sector data show that it already moves “several hundred million euros a year.” He is not the only one who paints a promising picture for insurers willing to exploit this business niche. Fortune Business Insights calculate that the size of the global pet insurance market amounted to $25.91 billion last year and, if its forecasts are correct, this year it will rise to $30.74 billion. The organization estimates that the sector is growing at a compound annual rate of 18.63%, meaning that in less than a decade it would be in 120,560 millionwith a prominent weight from North America. A business to exploit. Despite all of the above and the fact that veterinary coverage is basically private, the pet insurance business still has a lot of room to grow in Spain. At least that’s what it suggests a study from Guidewire, which points out that only half of pet owners have a specific policy for themselves. Specifically, after interviewing more than 4,000 people from Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the firm assures that, although 74% have a pet, only 49.6% have insurance to protect them. Other analyzes on the subject considerably reduce that percentage. “This data draws attention when taking into account the regulations in force in Spain, so, since September 29, 2023, the Animal Welfare Law requires all owners of dogs, the most common pet, to take out civil liability insurance, regardless of their breed,” points out the entity. All in all, Spain is one of the countries “”with the greatest acceptance of pet insurance” and the penetration of this type of services has clearly grown in recent years. Waking up appetite. In view of all the above, it is much better understood that large insurance companies and venture capital is entering in the digital veterinary insurance niche. Their hook: to make healthcare for dogs, cats and other pets easier on the wallet. One of the most recent tests comes from Petolo, linked to Getolo GmBH and the Zurich Group. A few days ago the company announced his landing in Spain after acquiring a portfolio of more than 150,000 dogs and cats insured in Germany and France. “The Spanish market has 15.5 million dogs and cats, mostly without veterinary insurance,” says the firm, which offers several plans that allow you to recover part of the bills (between 60 and 100%, depending on the bread) for animal health care. Is it a unique case? Not at all. As explained recently Five Days There are more examples of insurers and private equity firms that seem interested in the veterinary insurance business. Another recent case is that of Reale, which has decided to reinforce its presence in the pet policy sector. entering the shareholding from Canitas. The business has also attracted entrepreneurs such as those who have promoted the startup Barkibuwhich aims at the same objective: the vein that represents private healthcare for pets. Images | Olga Kononenko (Unsplash) and Karsten Winegeart (Unsplash) In Xataka | We have been looking at Noah’s syndrome as a minority and controlled problem for years. we were wrong

Spain is 2º C warmer than in the 80s

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When a new summer season arrives, almost all of us have a conversation that includes one sentence: “Every year it gets hotter; the summers before were not like that.” And although for some it may seem like a true exaggeration based on nostalgia, the reality is that the data confirms that we really do have much hotter summers. Certificate. Multiple independent studies, supported by official organizations such as the State Meteorological Agency or the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, have reached a devastating conclusion: the average summer temperature in Spain has increased around 2 °C in the last three decades. Although this is not the worst, because even the nights are no longer a refuge from the heat that occurs during the day. The data. If we look at the thermometers with the perspective that time gives, the trend is an ascending line without brakes. According to the Sustainability Observatory, if we compare the decade of 1969-1978 with that of 2009-2018, the average summer temperature has gone from 21.4 °C to 23.8 °C, so there is talk of an increase of 2.4 °C. But it is not necessary to go that far to notice the acceleration of the phenomenon, since the weather reports most recent from MITECO and AEMET point out that the summer of 2025 broke all records since 1961, reaching an average peninsular temperature of 24.2 °C, which represents an anomaly of 2.1 °C above the average we had as a reference, surpassing the previous record held in 2022 of 24.1 °C. Endless summers. The heat is not only more intense, but it lasts much longer. According to AEMET Open Data, the climatological summer current lasts five weeks longer than in the 80s, gaining ground on spring and autumn at a rate of 9 days per decade. And since 1975, the summer heat period has been officially lengthened by 20 days. The impact is even greater in urban environments, where asphalt and concrete act as heat accumulators, as stated in a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia that analyzed the period 1971-2022 in peninsular cities and shows chilling figures: an increase of 3.54°C. Tropical nights. During the summer, many of us wait for nightfall to get the temperatures to drop so we can go outside or sleep more comfortably. However, the nights when the thermometer does not drop below 20 ºC They are the order of the day. And to give us an idea, there are 32 million Spaniards regularly affected by these suffocating nights. In Spain as a whole, they have increased an average of 6 days in the last 50 years. If we focus on specific areas, Andalusia, Murcia and the Valencian Community, citizens today suffer 12 more tropical nights a year than a few decades ago. And the reality is that to sleep this becomes very complicated, forcing the use of the beloved air conditioning or fan. In Xataka | Raffaele Bernadello, climate change expert: “The need to actively capture CO₂ is increasingly evident”

Spain fails to comply with the rules with the registration of travelers. Brussels has just opened a file and gives him two months to fix it

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The European Commission opened this Thursday an infringement procedure against Spain for the controversial traveler registry promoted by the Ministry of the Interior. Brussels considers that the rule violates European regulations on data protection in the criminal field, by forcing hotels, digital platforms and car rental companies to collect and send personal information of tourists to a state database that is then accessible to the Police. We tell you all the details. What are we talking about? This is known as the Traveler Registry, regulated by the Royal Decree 933/2021 and fully operational since the end of last year. The regulations obliges accommodations, travel agencies and vehicle rental companies to upload their clients’ data into the ‘ses.hospedajes’ application and transmit them to a centralized Government database. Just like point La Vanguardia, the objective declared by the Interior, which can be read in the preamble of the decree itselfis to reinforce the fight against terrorism and organized crime, activities in which, the ministry argues, accommodation and the use of vehicles have special logistical relevance. What a reproach Brussels. The Commission points to three specific problems. First, consider that the categories of data collected and stored are “excessive”, due to the variety of sets they cover, including payment and GPS data. Second, it maintains that access by police authorities “is not limited to specific and explicit purposes”, as required by directive 2016/680. And third, it describes as “disproportionate” that these data are kept for three years after the traveler’s stay. Amount of data. One of the big discussions revolves around how much data there really is to deliver. The hotel sector has denounced that the standard requires up to 42 different fields, while the Government insists that only 13 are mandatory: name and surname, number and type of document, reference and date of the contract, arrival and departure dates, means of payment, telephone or email and the relationship of kinship when a minor travels. The remaining data, according to the Executive, are not mandatory to complete. The file. The procedure opens a period of two months for Spain to respond and correct the irregularities. If the answer is not convincing, the Commission can issue a reasoned opinion, a kind of official ultimatum. And if non-compliance persists, the last step would be to take the State before the Court of Justice of the EU. The reaction of the sector. Hoteliers and travel agencies have been on the warpath for some time. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT) has questioned the legality of the collection and transmission of data because it conflicts with European regulations on free circulation and data protection. After learning about the file, the agency associations Fetave and Unav They have asked the Government the “urgent suspension” of Royal Decree 933/2021 and an immediate meeting with the Interior, considering that the Executive “cannot act as if nothing had happened” when Brussels has formally questioned the compatibility of the rule with EU Law. And now what. Spain has two months to make a move. Interior can defend the rule, modify it or suspend it while the procedure is resolved. However, pressure is growing, on the one hand from the tourism sector, which has been demanding changes even before the rule came into force; on the other, that of the European Commission, which had already warned of the clash of that decision with data protection regulations. Now that warning is in writing, so we will have to wait and see how things progress. Cover image | François Genon and Square In Xataka | The European Union has been flooding the countryside with billions of euros for half a century. It has been of no use

The new Ninja AutoBarista Pro coffee maker with which you will prepare the perfect coffee at home without being an expert is now on sale in Spain

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Making specialty café-quality coffee at home typically requires two things: a significant investment in individual tools and some time learning to master grinding, pressing, and texturing milk. To break this barrier, Ninja has just announced the launch in Spain of the Ninja AutoBarista Pro (899.99 euros) an all-in-one automatic system that seeks to unify the versatility of barista drinks with the convenience of a single button press. Ninja AutoBarista Pro Automatic Coffee Maker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A coffee maker with full automation: from grinding to foam type This device comes to the market with a clear proposal: eliminate complex manual steps through an intelligent system that automates the entire process, from the bean to the cup, without the user needing prior knowledge. The core of this coffee maker lies in its AutoBarista technology, a set of sensors and calibrated systems that make technical decisions for the user. Instead of having to manually adjust the grinder’s coarseness or control the extraction time, the function Grin iQ It analyzes the type of grain selected and adapts the grinding automatically to extract the maximum flavor. To these is added a pressure and temperature management that adjusts depending on whether we are going to prepare a espresso short or a long filter coffee. Versatility is another of its strong points. It incorporates two independent 340 gram bean tanks, allowing you to switch between different varieties of coffee cleanly and without mixing the beans. It also has a double brew function to make two doses of espresso simultaneously. He milk texturing This is usually the most difficult step to replicate at home. To solve this, the system FrothPerfect It allows you to work with both milk and vegetable drinks, offering five different consistency levels that range from hot milk without air to extra dense foams or, a highly requested function in summer, cold foam for recipes with ice. Finally, and thinking about individual preferences, the coffee maker allows configure up to two user profiles to memorize the exact intensity, water volume, temperature and preferred foam style. ⚡ IN BRIEF: Ninja AutoBarista Pro Automatic Coffee Maker ✅ THE BEST Extreme versatility (hot and cold): what really makes the difference is the ability to do Cold Brew and foam cold milk automatically. It’s not just a coffee maker espresso; It’s a complete beverage station. Double grain tank: It is a rare genius in this price range. It allows you to have, for example, specialty coffee in one and decaffeinated in the other, or change varieties without having to empty the tank manually. ❌ THE WORST Oh, the price… Enter fully into the field of legendary brands. For 900 euros, the competition is fierce and some users may prefer brands with a longer history in espresso machines. Size… Being an all-in-one system with two tanks and so many functions, it is a bulky machine. You need good free counter space. 💡 BUY IT IF… Your favorite coffee is a Flat Whitea Latte or a Cappuccinothis machine gives you a professional foam texture without you having to learn how to use the steam wand. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You like the manual process, using the poltrafilters, trying different degrees of grinding for yourself and playing with the machine, this Ninja is going to bore you a little because it does it all for you. And if you are looking for something cheaper, you may be interested in these other coffee makers Ninja Prestige 2-in-1 filter and capsule coffee maker with built-in frother The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Ninja Luxe Essential 2-in-1 Latte, Cappuccino and Espresso Maker with Integrated Grinder and Milk Frother The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images: Ninja In Xataka | Smart coffee makers: what you can do (and what you can’t) with connected coffee makers In Xataka | Five ideal accessories to get the most out of your super-automatic coffee machine

France has been determined to rob Spain of its position as a data center power in Europe

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The French country has hit the table in its ambition to become a technological benchmark in Europe. He agreement reached between Emmanuel Macron and Masayoshi Son (CEO of SoftBank) aims to deploy up to 5 GW of computing capacity for AI data centers in northern France. This movement competes with all the projects that are underway in Spain, one of the countries that until now had attracted the greatest interest from hyperscalers. The problem is that neither France nor Spain will gain much from these initiatives. Nuclear counterattack. France has taken advantage your energy network —with a clear prominence of its nuclear power plants— to attract AI supercomputing projects. The SoftBank project will start in the Hauts-de-France region with an initial phase of 45 billion euros to build data centers in regions such as Dunkirk. In this first phase we want to achieve that the total capacity rise to 3.1 GW in 2031followed by a second phase that could reach 5 GW. Spain, data center paradise. Faced with this French movement, Spain has been closing agreements in that same area for months. It totals more than 22,000 million euros in recently announced projects. Giants like AWS (15.7 billion in Aragon), Microsoft (more than 7,000 million) and Blackstone have chosen our country to create these data centers. The Spanish advantage is its renewable energy productionwhich has attracted that type of investment. The harsh reality: Europe (probably) loses. Although both this announcement and those made in Spain are very striking, the reality for the Old Continent is quite stark. The data centers in Spain are not Spanish, and those in France are not French either. Europe is becoming the powerhouse for foreign multinationals that invest here because it suits them strategically. Energy resources are great for Microsoft, Amazon, Meta or Softbank, but the real benefit of this computing does not remain in Europe. The accounts. There is a clear difference between the strategies of Spain and France. Spanish soil is filled with hyperscalers like AWS or Microsoft that build, operate their own clouds and then control the flow completely. In the case of France, the initiative depends on a Japanese conglomerate allied with sovereign funds from the Middle East. SoftBank operates here more like a real estate developer– Create the data center and then rent it to third parties. Source: FT. Sovereignty, little. Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez can sell the message that these projects promote this ambition to have sovereign AI. The problem is that these data centers are simply delegations of big technology companies taking advantage of the advantages offered by their European partners. There may be options in the French project for the country to boost its AI companies —Mistral is the clear example—, but the truth is that these movements do little to help this objective of avoiding the independence of foreign technology companies. Rather they make the situation worse. The other European rivals. Europe’s traditional technology markets, grouped under the acronym FLAP-D (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin) are giving way to projects in other countries like France or Spain. There are also other protagonists in this new map of decentralized infrastructures: the Nordic countries are also interesting for their cold climates, ideal for helping to cool these centers. The real bottleneck. Beyond the billions of euros that are on the table, the big battle in the coming years will be access to hardware components, especially now that the memory crisis has made everything significantly more expensive. Demand far exceeds supply and it does not seem that this imbalance will be resolved soon, so all of these initiatives could suffer delays and changes in their final costs. In Xataka | Mistral does not generate hype, it is a discreet AI, it does not boost the shares of any company, but it already makes more money than Grok

Spain launches radio frequency detectors to hunt penguins and AI

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June and July are two months that almost 300,000 students in Spain have marked on their calendars, as they face the University Access Test (PAU). And in some classrooms they also face it with extra surveillance measures for those who copy. We are referring to radio frequency detectors, small devices designed to hunt down hidden devices that some students could use to copy, especially if there is AI involved. What exactly are they? They are not signal inhibitors, but detectors. In this sense, a jammer blocks communications, while these devices only locate them. Héctor Esteban, professor in the area of ​​Signal Theory and Communications at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, counted to El Español that are electromagnetic radiation detectors costing about 10 or 12 euros that track WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G, 4G and 5G networks in a very broad spectrum. When they detect a nearby signal, they warn with a beep or vibration. Stephen himself describes them such as devices as small “as a pen”, that the teacher can carry in his pocket in vibration mode so that the alert goes unnoticed by the rest of the classroom. What are they aiming for? The objective is not so much conventional mobile phones as technology that is difficult to see with the naked eye. The vice-rector of Students of the Complutense University, Rosa de la Fuente, counted that “we are concerned about everything that could be used to commit fraud”, such as micro-earphones and AI glasses generative, since they are devices with which we can easily obtain responses from another person abroad or from any chatbot. Where are they used? The measure does not currently apply throughout Spain. The six public universities of Madrid launched the detectors at the beginning of the month for their more than 42,000 students. Added to these are communities such as Galicia, Murcia, Aragon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country, among others. The devices are not in all classrooms at the same time. Cristina Moreno, vice-rector of the University of the Balearic Islands assured that the devices rotate through the different locations, but not necessarily during all the tests. What happens if the alert goes off. If the detector vibrates, the exam is “flagged” and the student continues taking the exam as normal. Afterwards, it is the court of headquarters that analyzes the case and decides. However, the sanctions are not identical throughout Spain, because each community sets its own framework. In Madrid, according to counted de la Fuente, three levels are distinguished: a minor fault leaves the exam marked but preserves the grade; a serious one, such as having your cell phone on, can cancel that exam; and a very serious one, such as the active use of a earpiece, can invalidate the entire Selectivity. In other locations the criteria is more severe, as is the case of the Polytechnic of Valencia, where in some cases it is enough for them to find a mobile phone on them, even if it is turned off, to fail the subject. It is not a perfect method. Jesús Alcalde, cybersecurity specialist, counted to The Objective that the scope is limited, because the devices only alert active signals, can give false positives in full classrooms and do not always allow them to prove themselves that there has been copying. Its greatest value, in reality, is as a deterrent. Héctor Esteban illustrated it counting that, in one of the first tests, it was enough to announce that the detector was going to be passed for fifteen students to get up to hand over the cell phone that they should not have brought. Why is it coming just now? The trigger is the emergence of generative AI, which has turned the old problem of copying into something much more complex to deal with. However, the universities themselves recognize that this is a pilot project that they will have to review each course, because at the end of the day the technology for cheating advances as quickly as the tools to detect it. And now what. Radiofrequency covers only part of the problem, and many in the academic field believe that the underlying solution is not in the devices, but in changing the way of evaluating. Stephen himself point towards oral exams, common in countries like Italy, or the in-person defense of papers. Cover image | Ben Mullins and Alberto Ortega (Europa Press) In Xataka | Someone has created the website “is AI profitable anymore?” to answer the question of our time in real time

Spain is committed to connecting Madrid and Barcelona at 350 km/h. And you have already taken the first step to achieve it

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Madrid and Barcelona linked by a train capable of reaching 350 km/h. Just when the journey between the two largest Spanish cities has become a Russian roulette if your goal is to arrive on time. And just where the Renfe trains are having the most problems fulfilling what is expected. However, the Government is determined to increase the maximum speed of the line. And you have already taken the first step. At 350 km/h. In November 2025Óscar Puente, Minister of Transport, presented one of his star projects: linking Madrid and Barcelona with a train that travels at a maximum of 350 km/h. The final objective is to be able to travel between both cities in less than 120 minutes when it is now necessary to spend at least 182 minutes. As long as everything works correctly, of course. To reduce the trip by one hour two interventions are necessary for which the necessary papers have already begun to be moved. One of them is the construction of two new stations, one in Parla (close to Madrid) and another in El Prat de Llobregat (close to Barcelona). The objective is to decongest the traffic that currently passes through Madrid and offer a variant of exit and entry to Barcelona. The other intervention would be applied to the infrastructure itself and, it seems, will be the first to be carried out. A first step. The Ministry of Transport has confirmed which has already awarded a first supply batch of overhead traverses for the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line. A 112 million euro contract that is key for trains to reach 350 km/h top speed. These first air traverses will be installed in four sections: Mejorada del Campo-Brihuega (232,400 units), Brihuega-Alcolea (143,150 units), Alcolea-Ariza (166,250 units) and Ariza-Calatayud (138,600 units). In addition, some maintenance tasks have been awarded “such as the renewal of the seat plates for sleepers (elements that ensure the fixing of the rail to the sleeper).” Finally, the Ministry of Transport points out that “treatment and improvement actions are being carried out on two viaducts on the Guadalajara-Calatayud section of the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line, Benamira and Río Blanco, both in the province of Soria.” A physical question When the train exceeds 300 km/hthe aerodynamic load on the underside of the trains increases. This load is generated by turbulence under the train car, “gluing” it to the track. The more load, the more energy the train has to use to maintain speed. If the train releases that aerodynamic load a little, it does not need as much energy and it is easier for it to reach the desired top speed. It is the same case as a Formula 1. The car is interested in having a lot of downforce on a circuit with many curves because it will be able to go through them faster. However, it will penalize on the straight because the top speed will be lower. On the contrary, if the circuit has few corners and many long straights, you are interested in low downforce to “fly” as fast as possible. But the car will be more unstable when cornering. Furthermore, the Ministry of Transport explains that the ‘ballast flight’ must be added. This is the vibration of the stones, the ballast, when the train exceeds 300 km/h. At that speed it is critical because the turbulence raises these stones and produces constant collisions against the undercarriage and increases the risk of them being thrown and falling on the tracks and sleepers, generating potholes and vibrations. The air traverses. Since the project was presented, the Ministry of Transport has indicated that the aerocrosses are key to being able to guarantee speeds greater than 300 km/h on the route. But, What are aerocrosses? The aerocrosses are born from an Adif project which has been working on for more than a decade. Its design is very similar to current sleepers at first glance, but it has a rounded design that reduces the turbulence generated under the trains and, with it, the pressures that increase the aerodynamic load and ballast flight. According to his calculations: Reduces the aerodynamic load in the space immediately above the ballast bed by 21%. The design allows increasing the distance between the ballast level and the upper face of the sleeper. It has no higher manufacturing or handling costs (they are still molds). And most importantly: the aerodynamic load generated by a train at 330 km/h on a track with current sleepers is equivalent to that generated by the same train at 370 km/h, but with aero sleepers. In a delicate moment. He Adamuz accident in Córdoba led to the machinists to lift their foot on the line and Adif ended up lifting temporary restrictions of speed that have been happening until today while the line is being reviewed. The result is that Madrid-Barcelona will be played in the promised 182 minutes (25 minutes more than usual) is, right now, taking a chance. This has caused a good part of the passengers who used the train to travel during their work day, with many comings and goings during the day, to move back to the Aerial Bridge. The CNMC calculates that up to half a million passengers may be lost if travel times remain higher than usual. But, in addition, the Madrid-Barcelona line is where Renfe has detected the most problems with its Avrils. The vibrations on this route ended up generating cracks in the Talgo trains, designed to be used on variable gauge trackwhich gives them a competitive advantage in Madrid-Galicia. However, Renfe had to remove them from circulation upon seeing that they broke on this route that is now being renewed. Photo | Pablo Nieto Abad In Xataka | Spain decided to build its social life around the AVE. And now he’s discovering the consequences of failing.

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