strategic

Relying on US AI is a strategic danger

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When DeepSeek R1 It was presented a year ago now, caused a real earthquake in the technological world. What was surprising was not its capabilities, but that China had managed to reach that level despite the blockades and setbacks of the United States. DeepSeek was proof that AI can be done without the United States and now it is Europe that needs to replicate this success. Tensions and dependence. Relations between the United States and Europe they are going through their worst moment. Trump’s obsession with take control of Greenland and the response of several European countries that They have sent their troops to the region have caused an unprecedented clash. Amid the threats of invasion, the deployment of troops and tariffs, there is also the issue of technological war, a war in which Europe is in a position of strong disengagement from the US. The US executed and Europe regulated. Far behind. If China lags behind the US in AI, Europe is light years away. While American companies were developing the models and infrastructure to train their AI models, in Europe regulation was reinforced with the AI Act. The European Union itself understood that this approach was leaving them behind in the AI ​​race and recently They greatly simplified the rules. It was late, the technological gap was already enormous. Dependence. The United States not only controls the language models, it also controls the chips to train them, the data centers and, above all, the investment to get all this going. Miguel De Bruycker, head of the Brussels Cybersecurity Center, is very forceful: “Europe has lost the internet (…) If I want my information to be 100% in the EU… keep dreaming,” he told the Financial Times. In the current context, this dependency puts Europe in a very vulnerable position and becomes a major strategic risk. The US could use its dominance as a pressure point in negotiations or, in the worst case, restrict access to its services. A sovereign AI. They count in Wired that the concern to create a European AI is growing and there are already several projects underway to achieve it. The best known model is the French one Mistralbut there are others like Apertus in Switzerland or ALIA in Spain. In Germany they are developing SOOFIa project that aims to launch an open source language model with 100 billion parameters designed specifically to reduce European dependence on the US. Chinese inspiration. The US seemed unattainable, but DeepSeek showed that it was possible to achieve competitive results without having the best GPUs or the largest data centers. The fact of bet on open source It also gives an advantage since it allows creating a larger user base in less time, in addition to more actors can participate in the developments. There is also talk that Europe could encourage its companies to use its own AI, a strategy similar to that followed by China with the use of national chips. Image | Karola G, Pexels. Engin Akyurt, Unsplash In Xataka | The ASML-Mistral alliance reveals the European plan B: if we cannot manufacture chips, at least we will control how they are manufactured

Today it is committed to self-sufficiency as a strategic pillar

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We are witnessing in real time how China is becoming an increasingly decisive player in a wide variety of sectors. Some of these changes are very visible from the outside, such as its leadership in the production of electric cars. Others, however, understand themselves better by looking inward. In a new video from Xataka’s YouTube channel We analyze one of those less obvious but strategically key turns: how the Asian giant has gone from being the largest importer of liquefied natural gas on the planet to commit decisively to self-sufficiency. The piece that we bring you today is added to other content that we publish regularly, such as our podcast ‘Science and Apart’, ‘Domotize or die trying’ or different videos focused on China. Among them, the one that addressed the transformation of the country into the first “electrostate” in history. On this occasion, it is Ana Boria who delves into the role of liquefied natural gas, with a detailed and well-contextualized approach that helps understand why this movement goes far beyond the energy level. From the world’s largest importer to the search for self-sufficiency It is no secret that energy is a critical issue in any country, but it takes on an especially sensitive dimension in Europe. Therefore, before getting into the matter, our colleague compares the situation of the Asian country with that of the Old Continent. “The European strategy is based on prevention“Not to produce more gas, but to accumulate supply and diversify suppliers to avoid cuts,” he explains, and from there he offers several keys to understand the profound differences between both models. In the Chinese case, remember that “relatively recently, the Chinese model involved importing LNG from many regions of the world: Australia, Qatar, the United States or Russia, and complementing it with gas via gas pipeline, especially from Central Asia and Siberia.” That approach began to change due to a combination of factors, including the implementation of the plan Made in China 2025made official in 2015 with the objective of turning the country into a global technological power and reducing strategic dependencies. For some time now, China has been seeking to leave behind its role as a major LNG importer to become a self-sufficient player, and the data points in that direction. “Between January and June 2025, China produced 130.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 5.8% more than in the same period of the previous year”says our colleague, a figure that illustrates the magnitude of the change that is taking place. Achieving self-sufficiency in a resource as critical as liquefied natural gas is not just an industrial issue. It is also a first-order strategic lever, with economic, geopolitical and energy security implications. “China has invested in new deep drilling techniquesin extraction methods for unconventional gas and in adapting existing technologies to its own geology, which is more complex than that of other large producers,” explains Ana. From there, she outlines the pillars that have allowed the country to advance towards this objective, the advantages it has and the challenges it still must overcome, always relying on figures and context. We invite you to see the full video on our YouTube channel and share your opinion both there and in this article. Images | Xataka In Xataka | China dominates the world of renewable energy, but it has an Achilles heel: it depends on the West more than it admits

A 600 kilometer quantum network is one of its great strategic bets

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During the 90s the idea was established that Japan represented the future. Whoever traveled there found bullet trains, cities covered in neon, technological culture on every corner and a very visible contrast between tradition and innovation. In the early 2000s, cell phones with cameras and humanoid robots arrived, further reinforcing that image of a country ahead of its time. Three decades later, that perception is still alive in the collective imagination, but it no longer fully reflects the Japanese technological reality. Japan retains important capabilities, but has been losing ground for years. It controlled nearly 50% of global semiconductor production four decades ago and in 2019 it represented only 10%. In artificial intelligence fell from fourth to ninth place after the release of ChatGPT in 2022. According to the Global Innovation Index 2025 It occupies 12th place, and in digital competitiveness it falls to 31st, affected by a lack of specialized talent. Japan seems determined to return to the global technology board Japan is deploying several initiatives to reposition itself technologically, and one of the most relevant is its future national quantum network. The plan contemplates a 600 kilometer fiber optic infrastructure which will connect Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe, and will have an operational environment for testing in 2027. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technologies will lead the project together with Toshiba, NEC and telecommunications providers. The network will transmit quantum keys using photons, in states that allow attempts to intercept information to be detected. The quantum bet cannot be understood without considering the risk that comes. IBM and Xanadu They predict that quantum computers with bug fixes will be functional before 2030, which could render current encryption systems, including RSA and elliptic curve algorithms, obsolete. In 2024, researchers from Shanghai University breached SPN encryption using D-Wave technology, while Google warned that 2,048-bit RSA keys could be decrypted in less than a week with advanced quantum resources. That’s why NIST has begun publishing post-quantum cryptography standards to protect digital infrastructure. Building the network is just the first step. Japan has experience in quantum research, but lacks large-scale operating environments and will need to resolve issues such as signal stability, deployment costs and system governance. Equipment installed will be needed every so often to maintain the range and quality of the encryption, which makes the operation more expensive and requires specialized personnel. However, These challenges also represent opportunities to develop new capabilities, train talent and demonstrate that the country can compete again in advanced infrastructures. The international map shows that Japan is not starting from zero, but it is not leading either. China has a quantum network land of more than 10,000 kilometers that connects around 80 cities, and the European Union is working in its own infrastructure that covers several countries. The difference is in the approach: Japan aspires for its network to function as an operational national infrastructure, with the capacity to scale and become a strategic asset. The potential of this project goes beyond its technical scope. Japan seeks for this network to become a symbol of technological autonomy and a platform from which to build international agreements. With its own technology and operational experiencecould offer solutions to other countries and reinforce its role as a digital security provider. In a scenario where secure communications will be considered critical infrastructure, being prepared can be a way to regain relevance without competing in all sectors at the same time. Images | Chris Bahr | Jesus Esteban In Xataka | Japan’s great technological delay: how it went from being a pioneer in the sector to being frozen in time

For months Ukraine turned a strategic city into impregnable. Until Russia added a lethal partner to his drones

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The Summer offensive From Russia in eastern Ukraine, launched in May, has been advancing on the battlefield On multiple frontsexploring and attacking with small and fast units as the fighting intensifies day by day. With his advance, Russia has changed The rhythm of warcapturing more and more square kilometers. However, for many months, one of the bloodiest battles has taken place in a single enclave. Prolonged defense. For months, the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk became one of the most fierce epicenters of the war, where kyiv’s forces managed to stop a numerically superior enemy thanks to intensive use of armed drones and staggered defenses that worn thousands of Russian soldiers. This bastion, located on important reserves of coquizable coal and that worked as a key point of the supply lines to the east, has been subject to a constant siege since last year, first through frontal attacks and then through Fence attempts. Fiber as a disruptive. Although the Ukrainian resistance managed to stop these advances, Russia has gone adapting their tactics with greater deployment of drones, finally including the models than We have been talking In recent months: those Drones with optical fiber Impossible to block with electronic warfare systems, capable of achieving objectives up to 25 kilometers after the front line. Human and logistics cost. The price of this slow offensive has been devastating for Moscow: tens of thousands of casualties accumulate around Pokrovsk, with soldiers sent in Precarious conditionssome recruited in criminal colonies with just a week of training, other wounded or poorly equipped. Many were released in almost suicidal wavesadvancing on foot or motorcycles to avoid drone detection, in groups of just half a dozen, replaced again and again after each failure. Russian prisoners They reported that the greatest fear in the battlefield were not tanks or artillery, but Small Ukrainian quadricopters that bombarded from the air without rest, generating psychological terror and nightmares between the troops. kyiv, meanwhile, He suffered the pressure Of a hostile environment, with supply routes subjected to the fire of drones and artillery, which forced to cover roads with protection networks and to face increasing difficulties to supply food and food to the few civilians who remain in the city. Russian adaptation. Underlined a report Reuters that Ukrainian resistance, organized with the experience of units such as called “Da Vinci Wolves” And under the command of General Mykhaylo Drapatyi, he managed to maintain the line during more than a yearapplying counterattacks and hindering enemy logistics. However, Russian numerical superiority, key road control and the introduction of new technologies began to Tilt the balance. The calls “Kill Zone drones” They cover kilometers on each side of the front, making reinforcements and supplies on both sides. Russian advances, although limited in territory, accelerated in The spring of 2025with the greatest Ukrainian territorial losses of the year concentrated in this sector. Pokrovsk’s partial fall, although symbolically minimized by Zelenski, could release Russian military resources and open the door to greater progress in Donbás, approaching Putin to one of its fundamental objectives. Strategic implications. Background, Pokrovsk represents the paradigm of the wear war that today defines the conflict: minimum territorial advances achieved to a exorbitant human costwith drone technology as a decisive factor on the battlefield. For Ukraine, its resistance has been a crucial brake that prevented Russia from consolidating control, Especially Donetskbut the price has been the almost total destruction of the city and the loss of its logistics function. For Russia, the eventual conquest of Pokrovsk would serve to reinforce its control over the eastalthough he has succeeded by sacrificing thousands of soldiers, many of them poorly trained and equipped. If you want, the battle illustrates the transformation of modern combat, where the troops are trapped in a new war era defined by drone swarms, electronic war and mass attacks that make each meter live in a victory … with very little to celebrate. Image | US Air Force In Xataka | The 1500 RAM truck is an American national emblem. For some reason, it is being important in the war in Ukraine In Xataka | We already know what Russia’s trick is to multiply its drones: it is called “cooling units” and comes direct from China

China goes for those who mock their export controls. The focus is in strategic minerals that sustain their power

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Beijing has just tightened your control over one of its most valuable assets: strategic minerals that feed chips, electrical networks and satellites. A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce He assured that smuggling will be pursued without concessions. The Asian giant redoubles the pressure. China does not stay in the ads of a firm policy: it has launched an operation that, as they say, already yields concrete results. During the last two months, multiple cases of illegal exports have been investigated, with arrests of involved and a “strong deterrence”, CGTN points out. A key meeting of July 19 at Nanning – with the presence of the Ministry of Commerce, Public Security, Customs, Attorney General’s Office and other agencies – served as an intermediate point after the operation initiated in May. In that meeting it was agreed: Establish a Joint Coordination Center for Export Application and Control of Double Use Articles. Publish exemplary judicial cases and expand the list of foreign entities subject to controls. Issue compliance guides for exporters, with emphasis on avoiding deviations to military purposes. Why these minerals matter so much. Strategic minerals –including rare earths such as neodymium, prseodimio and disposium– They are essential for high -tech industries: computer chips, electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, satellites and military equipment. China controls about 60% of refined world productionwhich gives you a critical position in the global supply chains. Having this domain allows Beijing to influence key markets and exert economic pressure on international tension contexts. In addition, the refining of these matters requires advanced technology and complex chemical processes, which raises entry barriers to other countries. The threat: smuggling and technological leaks. Beijing’s message is not limited to economic damage. The Ministry of Commerce warned about an added risk: mineral smuggling can facilitate technological filtration towards foreign actors, including those linked to the military. It is feared that certain materials end up in defense applications without going through adequate controls, thus avoiding the official export mechanisms. The authorities claim to have detected sophisticated attempts to overcome the rules: false documentation, transfers through third countries, and fragmentation of cargoes to reduce customs scrutiny. The technical complexity of these schemes forces constant surveillance, according to He Yadong himself. It is not the first time that this is tried to stop. Frenting the smuggling of strategic products is not new, and it is rarely simple. The restrictions imposed by the United States on advanced chips and NVIDIA GPUS offer a clear example: despite the formal prohibition of exporting models such as A100 or H100 to China, China, Recent analysis indicate that these components continue to reach the country through opaque networks and triangulations with third countries. A movement with geopolitical echoes. The decision to harden control over strategic minerals cannot be understood outside the pulse between powers. While the United States multiplies controls on chips, AI and sensitive exports, China counterattacks in one of the few lands where it has a margin of real maneuver: that of critical raw materials. The country is responsible for more than 85% of the global refining of rare earthsand has begun to use that position as a pressure tool. He already demonstrated it in 2023 with the imposition of licenses To export Galio and Germaniotwo essential minerals for advanced electronics and defense. This new turn hardens its position and is interpreted as a response to the western fence. It is not a total closure, but a reminder that who controls the materials, controls a part of the game. Will these measures work? What is not clear is whether these measures will be effective in the long term. Smuggling networks usually adapt rapidly, especially when there are global interests at stake and high economic benefits. Nor do we know if these decisions will affect prices, the international supply or the negotiating position of China in future technological disputes. Images | Alejandro Luengo | Craig Thomas In Xataka | In full battle of all countries to get rare earths, an unexpected actor has raised his voice: Apple

The critical metal that China has become its new strategic weapon

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First it was Lithiumthen The cobalt. China has decided to play its letter with another essential metal for advanced technology: Gallium. Although just 760 metric tons are produced per yearprices have shot and Chinese restrictions are suffocating the global industry, what is happening with element number 31? Short. China maintains its dominance over the gallium for the third year, controlling 98.8% of the market. A year ago it hardened restrictions, alleging national securitywhich has doubled prices up to $ 725 per kilogram, affecting the technological and military industry. The utility of the Gallium. Although annual production is small and its nominal value in the global market does not exceed 550 million dollars, its strategic role is disproportionate to its market size. According to He explained For Reuters, the journalist specialized in critical industrial and mineral metals, Andy Home, Gallium is essential to manufacture compounds such as Gallium Arseniuro and Gallium Nitruro, both used In high performance semiconductors. These materials allow to develop faster and more efficient chips, essential for mobile devices, electric vehicles and defense systems. The never ending story. The geopolitical war that the United States and China libes is nothing new And it is not the first time that China has used gallium as a strategic pressure gun against the United States on next generation semiconductor chips. As He has collected Reuters, the China Ministry of Commerce is closely monitoring any attempt for physical arbitration that tries to divert Gallic to the international market, maintaining relatively stable internal prices while the external market faces an explosive increase. It has more size. The importance of the Gallium is not limited to the civil sector, but in the military world it has become a critical material. In fact, who started was the United States through the Agency for Advanced Defense Research Projects (DARPA), which promoted the development of Gallium Arseniuro for radars and guided weapons. However, China He has consolidated Its leadership with the manufacture of gallium nitride chips for advanced weapons, consolidating its position as a leader in the production of strategic semiconductors. In addition, the Asian country has invested significantly in manufacturing plants dedicated to these components, which would allow it not only to dominate the civil market, but also expand its production capacity for advanced defense systems. This strategy not only threatens the United States position in military technology, but also reinforces the global dependence of the Chinese supply of Gallium and other critical metals something that something that something that something that Japan already saw coming. The rest of the countries. In the long term, the West could reactivate the production of Gaul, but that will take time. According to ReutersRio Tinto has begun to extract pure Galician in his vaudreuil alumina refinery, in Quebec, from industrial waste. The objective is a pilot plant with a capacity of 3.5 tons per year. For its part, in Greece, producer Metlen plans to reach an annual production of 50 tons by 2028, as part of a project to increase the processing capacity of bauxite and alumina. However, the challenge is technical: Western companies stopped producing Gaul years ago, when China flooded the market with cheap product. Now, they must recover the experience and the know-how To refine and process metal. Forecasts The battle for Gaul is only the prelude to a broader technological war. China has shown that it is willing to use critical metals as strategic weapons, and the West faces the challenge of finding alternatives or risking to be exposed to future interruptions, such as He has sentenced Andy Home for Reuters. While investments in new projects are promising, time runs. Until the West does not manage to diversify its supply of Gallium and other critical metals, it will remain vulnerable to Beijing pressure strategy. Image | Thomas Nguyen and Pexels Xataka | Anuuu is thrown over another problem: China prepares to lead the manufacture of chips for advanced weapons

The United States exempts from reciprocal tariffs on key consumption electronics and strategic components

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The Donald Trump tariff war against the world has a new episode, one in which the main American technology manufacturers breathe relieved … for the moment, because with the Republican president he never knows. The administration of the president of the United States has released reciprocal tariffs at electronic devices such as mobiles, computers and other components. Also to the 125% tax applied to China imports. The strip and loosen of tariffs is resulting Critic for large North American companies in this democated global economy. Apple is the most obvious example: after making the ‘old’ tariff of 104% of the United States to China effective, It ceased to be the most valuable company. Faced with such a critical situation, drastic decisions: Chop an airplane full of iPhone From India. But Apple is just the tip of the iceberg And the reality is that until this ‘truce’, they paint with other large ones such as NVIDIA and more generic, to the bulk of the industry, where the final cost of those products in whose manufacture are used semiconductors, chips or SSD unitsthey would support dramatic increases. Consumer electronics is the great beneficiary The United States Customs and Border Protection Office of the United States He published a statement Friday night detailing that certain electronic devices and components 10% global tariff are left out That the United States applies to most countries, such as much higher tax applied to Chinese imports. What devices? Among the exemption list are mobile phones, computers, hard drives, processors, memory chips, semiconductors, memory cards or solar cells. Two of the great direct beneficiaries are Apple and Nvidia, who manufacture in China, but the stage remains uncertain: Trump is volatile and it is not known how China will respond to this gesture. This decision of the Trump administration comes after the hardware Big Tech showed their concern against the inevitable and imminent price escalation, since Most of these devices are manufactured in China. After giving A 90 -day pause Last Wednesday for countries, except for China, they will adapt to the new tariffs, Trump loosen. These exemptions are retroactive as of April 5 (as if this week had not happened) and as detailed by the White House Secretary and CNBC is echoedaims give margin to US companies to transfer their production to the United States. But his message is blunt: ‘President Trump has made it clear that the United States cannot depend on China to make critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones and laptops‘. In Xataka | China responds again to US tariffs and rises to 125%: from here it would be a “joke” to keep climbing Cover | Xataka

Europe’s access depends on the United States. ESA has presented a strategic plan to become independent

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Guarantee the technological autonomy of Europe in space will be key in the rearma of the European Union. He ESE Strategic Plan For the next 15 years it has just made it clear. The document, entitled “Strategy 2040: raising the future of Europe”, establishes as one of the priorities of the space agency to strengthen autonomous access to orbit and independent from NASA. At what point is that. With an annual budget of 7.7 billion euros, the European Space Agency has a powerful scientific exploration program: it has just presented The first Euclid space telescope data set, He is on his way to Jupiter’s icy moons with Juice and Has Hera traveling to the Dimorfo asteroid as a spatial defense mission. ESA also develops the Galileo navigation system of the European Commission, which is more precise than the American GPSis behind one of the most advanced land observation programs that exist: the constellation of Sentinel satellites, which is part of the European Copernicus program. Also together with the European Commission, ESA just closed An agreement of 10,000 million euros (between public and private funds) to build the constellation of Iris2 satellites. The objective: reduce the strategic disadvantage of Europe in front of the Starlink constellation and the incipient Chinese constellations. Europe also has a wide network of observatories and the ability to communicate with deep space with antennas in Madrid, Argentina and Australia. In fact, one of the NASA deep space network stations (DSN) has A station operated by INTA in Robledo de ChavelaMadrid, from where he communicates with his Martian rovers and other probes. What depends on NASA. ESA does not have its own spacecraft to transport astronauts. From the veto to Russia and its Soyuz capsules, it depends exclusively on the Crew Dragon ships of Spacex to access the International Space Station, either in NASA long -term missions or in commercial missions of short duration of the AXIOM company. The same thing happens with the Artemis missions to the moon. ESA is one of NASA’s most important partners in its lunar program. Plans to carry up to 1,500 kg of load With each flight of the Argonaut lunar moduleand has contributed a key component of the manned ship Orion: the service module. However, NASA has prioritized the presence of a Canadian astronaut in the Artemis II mission and A Japanese astronaut In the future of the launning. The giant’s rear. While that collaborates closely with NASA in many important missions, such as the detection of objects close to Earth, James Webb space telescope or the mission of recovery of land samples mars mars sample return (Now in pause), Much of its infrastructure follows the rear of the American space agency. Especially in launching capacity. In addition to the best funded space agency (25.4 billion dollars of annual budget), the United States has the most buoyant and advanced private space industry in the world. Spacex puts 80% of the mass that is launched globally a year, and is the only company, along with Rocket Lab, which usually reuses its pitchers. In recent years, Europe has had to launch some of its most important missions (including Galileo strategic satellites) in Falcon 9 rockets of Spacex for an internal crisis of pitchers. The European plan. For all the above, added to the political context, one of the central objectives of the EES in its Strategy 2040 is to reduce the dependence of the United States in spatial matters. A good part of their future public contracts will be oriented to boost the growth and competitiveness of the European private space industry. The goal is to generate more than 250,000 jobs related to space in Europe. At the same time, ESA will take advantage of its research facet to collaborate more closely with European universities in the development of new generation technologies. For this they need to attract talent to the careers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, so it starts from the work will be inspired by young people with space missions and the communication work of their astronauts, Among them Pablo Álvarez and Sara García. Reusable rockets. European releases have been stagnant in an inefficient duopoly: heavy satellites are thrown with French Ariane rockets and light satellites do it aboard Italian rockets Vega. Ariane 6 and Vega C are barely beginning to operate normally after erratic years, but its disposable nature puts Europe in a vulnerable situation against Spacex and the US New Space. Things are going to start changing. The German company Isar Aerospace could become this March 24 In the first European company that launches a commercial rocket, the Spectrum, to the land orbit. The Spanish PLD Space hopes to do it at the end of the year with the Miura 5ura rocket. There are only two examples of the effervescent panorama of European microlanzores, but all have in common the support of the ESA and ambitious plans to turn their rockets into reusable. Pld ha announced even a manned ship called lynx. At the forefront. Recovering the lost terrain with its own reusable rocket ecosystem and manned ships is only part of the plan. ESA also plans to expand its satellite constellations, lead the world in the elimination of space garbage, participate in future orbital stations and lunar bases, and develop high thrust engines such as Spacex or Blue Origin, for which you have granted A contract to the Spanish company PANGEA AEROSPACE. He does not expect to have everything ready suddenly, but the strategic plan projects an increase in launches from 2030 and an increasing capacity to launch heavier loads at more distant orbits, without depending on foreign pitchers and without neglecting the development of other technologies, such as advanced communications systems and autonomous capabilities for asteroid surveillance. In short, give the 23 member states that finance ES an autonomous access to space. A matter of money. In return, the European Space Agency asks Europe for something very concrete: more money. Its budget is less … Read more

This is how Andalusia is becoming a strategic mining hub

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If you wonder how your mobile is done and what elements are used for it, I can tell you that they use a common mineral with the computer screen, solar panels and even magnets. This element is making the province of Granada a strategic hub of Strontium. Short. Granada is charging a very large prominence in the mining sector of essential minerals for Europe. As The Granada medium has advanced Idealin the province, Celestina deposits (strontium sulfate) and fluorite have been found. In fact, the Andalusian province has covered 35% of the world production of strontium. The extraction. Both necessary elements in the world of technology, chemistry and renewable energies are found in different mines. On the one hand, Celestina is obtained through two active mines: the listen mine, operated by the German multinational Kandelium mineralsand the Montevive mine, at the intersection of the Gabias, Alhendín and La Malahá, exploited by CANTERAS INDUSTRIALES SL. On the other hand, the fluorite is extracted in the Alpujarra Granada, in the Minera de Órgiva SL. Without impact. The approach to perform the extractions are being made of a sustainable mining approach, especially in the Montevive mine. In this type of deposits the dumps are used and no blasting is used. In addition, the Government of Spain has announced Plans to finance the search for strategic minerals with 400 million euros of the recovery, transformation and resilience plan, also supporting sustainable mining. More in depth. Sustainable mining It consists of balance the protection of the environment and the well -being of local communities. In Spain, projects such as Granada and other regions are adopting the use of the aforementioned dumps, that is, the reuse of excess material in mining extraction. Also, the reduction of explosive use and Implementation of technologies that minimize the environmental impact. The only one in Spain? And the only one in Europe that Celestina obtains. However, Andalusia concentrates about 90% of national metal mining production, highlighting the extraction of metals such as copper, zinc and lead. However, this is not like that, because in the rest of Spain other important minerals such as rare lands are also extracted, we have already seen the different cases of Ciudad Real either Estremaduraalthough there are many more. Also, Rubidio and Lithium In the province of Salamanca. Or the case of the Spanish potassa, which He has resurfaced Spanish mining. Finally, although still paralyzed, Underwater mining of the Canary Islands. Together, Spain is a country with a great mining capacity in this new technological era. Forecasts. Granada has aspirations to become a strategic point for Europe. The revaluation of resources in a context of global energy transition and Geopolitical conflicts They make the Andalusian province thanks to copper, strontium and fluorite. Image | Pexels Xataka | Spain, with a treasure under his feet: how his mining potential makes him a key pawn from the EU in front of China

LEGO has been in video games decades, but its latest strategic movement suggests that it is now more seriously than ever

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LEGO has been present in dozens of video games, but most have been developed by third parties. That could change soon. His CEO, Niels Christiansen, has revealed in an interview with Financial Times that the company is betting again on a team of internal developmentan interesting movement in its strategy. The idea seems clear: having more control over your products. To understand the importance of this step, it is enough to review the history of Lego and how its relationship with the digital world has evolved. Founded in Denmark in 1932Lego began to manufacture plastic bricks in 1949. Over time, he expanded his catalog and consolidated himself as one of the most influential toy brands in the world, although without paying attention to the digital world. However, at the beginning of the 1990s, when computer science began to collect more strength than ever, a group of enthusiasts led by the artist Dent-de-lion du Midi (also known as dandi) thought it was the moment that LEGO would make the leap from the physical world to the films and, eventually, that of video games. Lego in the world of video games To convince the company was not an easy task. Dandi and his team worked for more than a year in the creation of a digital library that recreated Lego bricks in a virtual environment, an idea that was revolutionary at that time. But when they finally presented the project, The answer was a blunt not. Despite the rejection, the team did not give up. Instead of leaving the initiative, they decided to bring their proposal directly to Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, CEO of the company and grandson of the founder. The bet went well. Kristiansen was impressed enough to assign a budget for an in -depth study on the digitalization of Lego products. That study would end up paying fruits. With an initial investment of 11.5 million dollars (about 27 million adjusted to inflation), the “was born”Darwin Project“, an initiative that gave rise to four divisions, one of them dedicated to video games. From here, ‘Lego Island’ in 1997, the first video game for the company’s PC was helped. However, the initial enthusiasm did not take long to be eclipsed by the financial reality of the company. In the early 2000s, in full economic crisis, Lego decided to sell its division of video games as part of a strategy of a strategy Restructuring to avoid bankruptcy, thus delegating the development of their titles in external studies. Today, the situation is radically different. LEGO has not only avoided bankrupt Billing of 10,100 million dollars in 202413% more than the previous year. With its business more solid than ever, the company has decided to recover control over its digital strategy. “We can cover experiences for children of all ages, digital or physical,” says Christiansen. For that purpose, an internal game development division “It is something we are building” The bet is firm. LEGO has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to triple its template of software engineers since 2022 and in reinforcing its digital infrastructure. What remains to be seen is whether this new approach will mean a distancing from external studies with which he has worked for years. Give up developments like ‘Lego Star Wars‘ either ‘Indian Lego Jones‘, which have been key in their success in the video game industry, would be a risky play. Meanwhile, ‘LEGO Fortnite‘He has shown that the brand still has a huge pull, with 87 million players to his credit. The big question is: will this movement mark the beginning of a new era for LEGO video games, or will it simply be another piece in its global strategy? Time will say if the Danish company is willing to Build your own brick road to brick Or if, as until now, he continues to trust his external partners to shape his digital universe. Images | LEGO In Xataka | How ‘Fortnite’ is creating his particular “fortniteverso” thanks to Lego, with whom he is reformulating his foundations In Xataka | There is a fever for video games designed “for couples” because they get something unexpected: reinvent the ways of playing

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