is getting closer to total independence

Cambricon Technologies is an essential company in China’s plans to challenge the US for its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Although it is not as well known as Huawei or Moore Threads, this is one of the companies specialized in designing GPUs for AI with greater growth potential. In fact, in August 2025 received approval of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (China) to raise $560 million for the design of four chips for training and inference of AI models, and also for the development of an alternative to CUDAfrom NVIDIA. Cambricon has notified, according to SCMPto the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which during the fiscal year 2025 has had a net profit of 2,060 million yuan (approximately 257 million euros). In the context of companies whose business is based on semiconductors and AI, it may seem like little money, but it is not if we keep in mind that it was founded just a decade ago, and also that it went public in 2020. In 2025 its income has increased by 450% compared to what it reached in 2024. Be that as it may Cambricon Technologies It is not China’s only great asset to deal with the US in the domain of semiconductors for AI applications. Moore Threads and MetaX Integrated Circuits They have also made known just four days ago an exceptional economic performance that has been driven by the growing demand for Chinese semiconductors in a context in which the Beijing Government seeks to achieve technological self-sufficiency. What China currently has and does not have The chain that supports the manufacturing of semiconductors for AI applications is complex, but China controls most of its links. On the one hand it produces approximately 70% of rare earths that are distributed on the world market, and, what is even more important, it controls 90% of the processing industry to which rare earths must be subjected so that they can be used. Furthermore, it refines nothing less than 99% of heavy rare earths of the planet. The rare earth They have a leading role in the trade, technological and geostrategic war between the US and China. These chemical elements are relatively rare, and, furthermore, they are not usually found in pure form in nature, but what makes them so special are its physicochemical properties. In fact, thanks to them they have established themselves as a very valuable resource in numerous industries, especially in electronics and renewable energy. Moore Threads has developed several GPUs for AI applications that rival some of the advanced solutions from NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei If we stick to the design of GPUs for AI, several Chinese companies are already producing competitive chips. Currently the flagship products that Cambricon has to compete with NVIDIA and Huawei in the Chinese market are the MLU series (Machine Learning Unit) and Siyuan. Moore Threads, on the other hand, has developed several GPUs for AI applications that, on paper, rival some of the advanced solutions that NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei have put on the market. The MTT S4000 and MTT S3000 cards are their most interesting proposals right now. The other indispensable player in the Chinese AI chip industry is Huawei. And their GPUs Ascend 910D and Ascend 920 They are receiving support from some of the Chinese companies that are developing AI models. In this context, the biggest challenge facing China is to develop its own cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology. Or he will lose his fight for world supremacy with the US. Without 100% Chinese advanced chips, its military capacity, the development of its AI models and the competitiveness of its technology companies will suffer in the medium term. Huawei and SMIC are making advanced integrated circuits, but they use machines from the Dutch company ASML and a technology known as multiple patterning that compromises its competitiveness. This scenario has caused the Chinese Government support with very juicy subsidies to companies that have the capacity to develop cutting-edge photolithography equipment, such as YesCarrierShanghai Yuliangsheng, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), Huawei or SMIC. Time plays against this Asian country. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | SCMP In Xataka | NVIDIA has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. Your plan in China is in danger In Xataka | The US wants to end Chinese AI chips sold abroad. And China knows how to defend itself

The Canary Islands have been suffering total blackouts for years. Their salvation is a beast of engineering 1,145 meters under the sea

A month ago, the destabilization of an old generator at the El Palmar thermal power plant in La Gomera caused a dramatic “cascade effect” that left more than 15,000 people without electricity, and without mobile coverage. This incident showed the extreme fragility from living in an isolated electrical system. However, the solution to this historical vulnerability no longer looks to the sky, but to the depths of the Atlantic. To overcome the abrupt volcanic orography and the extreme pressures of the Canary Islands seabed, engineering has had to design an “umbilical cord” unprecedented in the world, marking a before and after in the history of the archipelago. The end of isolation. In an effort to protect supply, Red Eléctrica de España (REE) has officially inaugurated the underwater interconnection between La Gomera and Tenerife. As confirmed by the REE itselfthe magnitude of the project translates into historic figures: an investment of 145 million euros for the cable laying, to which are added another 32 million destined for the two link substations located in Chío (Tenerife) and El Palmar (La Gomera). It is not a capricious work. How they collect local mediathe Canary Islands have suffered nine major “energy zeros” (total blackouts) since 2009. Tenerife and La Gomera have been among the islands hardest hit, so this infrastructure was born as a vital antidote to darkness. More than light. The implementation of this system completely alters the energy paradigm. As indicated ANDldiario.esboth islands cease to be solitary island systems and become a single network. From now on, if the rubber plant fails, Tenerife will inject energy instantly to avoid a blackout, and vice versa. But the scope of the work transcends mere security. As explained in detail in the REE statementcable is the key to decarbonization. La Gomera will now be able to generate much more renewable energy – mainly wind – than its population consumes. This green surplus will not be lost, but will travel along the seabed to Tenerife, drastically reducing the burning of fossil fuels on both shores. The technical challenge: engineering to the limit. Connecting two volcanic islands separated by abyssal trenches is not an easy task. As emphasized The Daythe 36 kilometer length of the cable descends to 1,145 meters below sea level. This extreme depth makes it the deepest tripolar alternating current link on the entire planet, snatching the record that linked Crete and the Peloponnese since 2021. To withstand the weight and crushing pressure of the ocean at these levels, engineering had to reinvent itself. To do this, they had to discard the traditional use of steel and lead, opting instead for an ultralight synthetic material armor and an insulation based on ethylene and propylene rubber. Caring for the environment was also a priority. In order not to destroy coastal biodiversity or alter shallow volcanic beds, from The Confidential detail that it was used the “directed drilling” technique: an underground microtunnel that allows the cable to exit to the sea hundreds of meters from the beach. Likewise, the terrestrial substations use GIS (gas-insulated) technology to occupy the minimum possible space, and their buildings have been camouflaged imitating greenhouses and agricultural terraces to integrate into the landscape. Laying underwater bridges. The milestone of La Gomera and Tenerife is just the beginning. Future planning, as pointed out The Daycontemplates the colossal challenge of joining Fuerteventura with Gran Canaria, an even greater challenge given that the distance between the two exceeds 100 kilometers. Parallel to the electrical revolution, the Canary Islands are experiencing an unprecedented leap in their telecommunications. As these local media detailthere are more projects like BASE 6, promoted by the public company Canalink. This is a new 328 kilometer fiber optic cable with a budget of 19 million euros that will link Tenerife with El Hierro, landing through a drilling on Tamaduste beach. This data highway, with a capacity of 5 terabits per second, seeks to eradicate the digital divide on the most remote island, guaranteeing services such as telemedicine or online education. The invisible network. The Canary Islands not only look inward. As contextualized by OCTSI (Canary Telecommunications Observatory), the archipelago has been functioning for decades as a global strategic node, surrounded by historic fiber rings and international connections such as Telefónica’s PENCAN cables, currently in the process of renovation. However, this strategic position has its geopolitical edges. An extensive report from my colleague for Xataka focuses on network extension from Canalink to Africa. The Canary Islands are financing a cable to the Moroccan city of Tarfaya with European funds. The problem lies in the fact that Morocco intends to extend this infrastructure towards Western Sahara, a movement that clashes head-on with the rulings of the EU Court of Justice and that threatens to place Spain at the center of a complex diplomatic and legal conflict with the Polisario Front. Overcoming geographic isolation. At 1,145 meters under the scrutiny of the waves, where sunlight does not reach and the pressure is unbearable, the heartbeat that unites two islands now runs. The Canary Islands are managing to transform their greatest geographical weakness—fragmentation and isolation—into a true global showcase of technological innovation. Little by little, the old and noisy combustion engines give way to a future that will be inescapably green, and deeply interconnected. Image | OCTSI Xataka | The Canary Islands are going to lay a submarine cable to Morocco. If Morocco decides to extend it, Spain is going to have a big problem

OpenClaw is the total AI agent that challenged Big Tech. Big Tech’s response: buy it, of course

Peter Steinberger It was a great unknown to the vast majority of the planet until less than a month ago. His project, which he initially called Clawdbot (later Moltbot and finally OpenClaw), became the new sensation of the internet and the world of AI. Its growth has been so spectacular that the majors in this segment set their eyes on it and, inevitably, began to fight to sign its creator and acquire his project. We already have a winner of that bid: OpenAI. What is OpenClaw. OpenClaw is what we could define as “the total AI agent.” A system that uses one or more AI models such as those from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google to do things for you. Here are some differences from using those models in a “traditional” way: You can chat with your AI agent using messaging apps like Telegram or WhatsApp, as if it were just another contact OpenClaw takes full control of the machine you install it on, whether it’s an old PC, a Raspberry Pi or a VPS, for example. You have permission to do whatever you want inside that machine, which also involves risks The capacity of current models, such as Opus 4.5, makes the agent certainly autonomous and proactive and, for example, suggests things to you or makes decisions based on the conversations you have with him? she? it? OpenAI buys OpenClaw. Last week Steinberger I already commented in an interview with Lex Fridman that OpenAI and Meta had made offers to sign him and acquire his project. Those intentions crystallized on Saturday, when the creator of OpenClaw advertisement that he had signed with OpenAI and that the OpenClaw project “will become managed by a foundation and will remain open and independent.” It was a more than reasonable exit for Steinberger, who will probably have received a significant sum of money and prestige, but that leads us to the eternal question: can you compete with the big companies? Short answer: probably not. Large companies have always been hampered by their own size when it comes to reacting quickly to new trends, and even the largest AI companies suffer from this same problem. OpenClaw was doing something that none of them had dared to do – partly because this type of agent has too much “power” – but with these projects and with startups that are beginning to emerge, the same thing always happens: either the big companies copy the idea and they end up burying the originalor they buy that startup that threatened to compete with them. For many startups, in fact, the “exit” or future strategy of the project happens to be bought by a large company. A creator who didn’t want to be CEO. Steinberger explained in his post how his project opened up “an endless string of possibilities” for him, and confessed that “yes, I could really see that OpenClaw could have become a giant company. But no, I’m not excited about that. I’m a creator at heart.” Steinberger has already created a company and dedicated 13 years of his life to it, and “what I want is to change the world, not create a big company, and partnering with OpenAI is the fastest way to bring this to the entire world.” One person’s first unicorn? The appearance of ChatGPT soon made will be spoken of the ‘Solo Unicorn’ phenomenon, a startup created by a single person and which, thanks to AI, would be valued at more than 1 billion dollars. We do not know what price OpenAI has paid for this signing, but it is likely that it will not reach that much. What does seem evident is that OpenClaw was the type of project and idea that certainly could have turned it into that “Solo Unicorn”. The era of custom AI agents. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, confirmed the news in X. There it indicated that the creator of OpenClaw had joined OpenAI “to lead the next generation of personal agents”, and highlighted that “we expect this (personalized AI agents) to quickly become an integral part of our product offerings.” In addition, he assured that OpenClaw will remain open source, something that was probably one of the essential conditions that Steinberger set to join the ranks of OpenAI. And now what. That the project remains Open Source and independent is great news and theoretically that will allow OpenClaw to continue functioning as before, but having OpenAI’s resources can undoubtedly make it grow exceptionally. It remains to be seen whether that will end up having a negative impact in any way, but what also seems clear is that these types of “full AI agents” could soon also be an integral part of the offering of other AI companies. Welcome to the era of total AI agents. We had already partially seen what OpenClaw does with projects like Computer Use from Anthropic, Project Jarvis/Mariner by DeepM Mind u Operator from OpenAI itself. Both allowed AI would do things for us in the browser, but OpenClaw does things for us with all the applications on the machine on which we install it (the email client, the command console, etc.). We are facing an interesting stage for this type of systems. In Xataka | OpenClaw is one of the most fascinating and “dangerous” AIs of the moment. A Malaga company has come to the rescue

BYD sells a total of zero cars in the United States. And, despite everything, it has denounced the United States for its tariffs

Not a year ago and it seems like a thousand lives have passed. In case you don’t remember, I’ll give you some background: the United States and China went to war about a year ago. A trade war who left us images to remember, like the photo of Donald Trump with the “reciprocal tariffs” table either the penguins who will now have to pay for putting their products there. Assuming, of course, that the penguins knew how to design, develop, produce and sell products. Beyond Pepín Tre’s own approaches, the truth is that we have been in tug-of-war between the United States and China for almost a year. In OctoberDonald Trump and Xi Jinping met to try to relieve tensions. It is one more of the chapters that has left us a most bizarre year in which, for example, China has been playing its own solitary tricks, redefining the origin of products, classifying them by their place of manufacture and not by the place of development or packaging and, thus, make the entry of chips accessible without lifting restrictions on other types of products. The last chapter of this story seems to be being written by BYD. The Chinese company is not selling cars in the United States. And what has already been approved by Joe Biden before the entry of Donald Trump, with bans on the sale of all cars with Chinese software or hardware, it does not seem to make things easy for the Asian company either. Despite this, BYD has made a tough decision: sue the United States. They believe that the tariffs they are paying are not legal. They doubt that the regulations used by Donald Trump allow tariffs to be imposed. And that is why they demand that all the money paid since April be returned to them. But what money? Much more than cars… although with cars in mind As we have told you in Xatakathe Asian company is much more than a car producer. In fact, and this is part of its secret, BYD did not start out as a regular car manufacturer. BYD, in addition to cars, produces batteries or heat pumps. Vertical integration is part of your secret to saving costs. From this evolution and opening new horizons, its automobile division was launched. But also buses and trucks. Because when BYD arrived in Europe it had already been there for many years selling their buses for our continent. And the same thing happens in the United States. It does not sell cars, but it does sell buses, trucks and batteries. In fact, according to Reuters750 BYD employees work in the United States in its North American division. Up to four BYD subsidiaries from which buses, trucks, batteries and renewable energy systems come out are those that have filed their lawsuit in the United States Court of International Trade. In it they defend that “the text of the IEEPA (the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on which the “reciprocal tariffs” policy was based) does not use the word “tariff” or any term of equivalent meaning.” Since Donald Trump announced the tariffs that he was going to impose on practically everyone, doubts about their legality or otherwise have been on the table. The United States Government dusted off the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to move them forward, a rule of the Cold war. However, doubts about whether or not this rule should go through Congress were on the table from day one. Even the Senate has voted against the tariffs to some countries but the resolution is purely aesthetic. Now, BYD claims that nowhere in the law does it specify that tariffs can be imposed on products coming from abroad. It is a theory supported by various companies that in recent months have also presented their own lawsuits in the same terms, such as Toyota, Costco or Prada, they point out in CarNewsChina. The decision of the court in charge of the lawsuit is key because if it rules in favor of the companies, the United States would have to return all the money collected since April. But it would also open the door for products to be exported without these special tariffs being applied, they would simply have to comply with the tariffs that were already active before April 2025. That is to say, At stake is not only money that BYD may have lost on the products it has sold there. At stake is also market entry which, with current tariffs, is almost impossible. Besides, Canada has opened the door to Chinese electric cars and Geely has dropped that their intention is also to sell their Chinese cars in the United States. The big question, as in the case of BYD, is how they intend to do it before the end of the decade with the restrictions that are currently imposed. It is a question that neither BYD nor Geely have answered. Photo | BYD and Joshua Hoehne In Xataka | “They are going to regret it”: Canada has generated even more tension with the US by opening the door to Chinese electric cars

investors are in “total caution” mode

In June 2025 everything was joy in the crypto world. one bitcoin reached the record value of $124,752 (according to CoinMarketCap) and marked a new historical record. From that moment, falls and more falls that have been done especially in recent days. And it’s not just bitcoin of course: it’s all cryptos. Bitcoin at $70,000. In the last 24 hours we have seen how bitcoin has barely managed to stay at the $70,000 barrier, and on some platforms it has even traded below that level. Right now it is around $71,600, but even with that data the conclusion is clear: in eight months bitcoin has lost more than 40% of its value. Risk aversion. We are seeing how the technology stock markets are falling quite generally in recent days because the results of the last quarter of the year have not been as good as expected. Even the gold, which was rising like foamhas also regressed. Investors are reducing risk overall, taking profits (and minimizing losses) and adopting much more cautious stances. In this scenario, BTC behaves as a risk asset, not as a safe haven, so divestment is the strategy that is being extended. what has happened. The macroeconomic situation is especially complex right now. Analyst Joe DiPasquale explained in Forbes how there is no internal problem in cryptocurrencies, but rather it is the global economic context that has caused the collapse: There are assets that are very sensitive to market movements: if the market rises a little, they rise a lot, but if it falls, they collapse. This is what we are seeing with cryptocurrencies, which are, in their opinion, these types of “high-beta” assets. Bitcoin and cryptos act as a kind of augmented “mirror” of how much money is left over in the economy. When there is a lot of money circulating (liquidity), bitcoin rises quickly, but if it is scarce, bitcoin is the first asset to be sold. The real economy weighs, and a lot. Government bonds are up and paying more interest right now, so investors prefer that security. The dollar also rose in value and strengthened, and since it is “more expensive”, you need fewer dollars to buy the same amount of bitcoin, which pushes the price down. But above all, as we said, investors have gone into total caution (“risk-off”) mode and have been selling volatile assets to protect their money in cash or gold. If the stock market falls, cryptos fall (more). CoinDesk also highlights that the 7.5% drop in bitcoin value In the last 24 hours it precisely followed large falls in Asian assets. There is concern about excessive spending on AI – fear of the bubble bursting again –, exaggerated valuations and lack of that increase in income that everyone promises. Google, Qualcomm and AMD—which fell a spectacular 17% yesterday, Wednesday—are some of the examples of these technological falls. Source: Alternative From greed to fear. The situation is very clear if we look at the Greed and Fear Index (Fear & Greed Index) from firms such as Alternative, which place it at a value of 12, or what is the same, “Extreme fear”. This index studies market movements and analysis to give that number, which is a great summary of the scenario we are experiencing. For much of 2025 that level was above 50 and reached 80 (extreme greed), but the current drop is evident. Bad time for cryptos. Of course, the collapse of bitcoin is as contagious as ever, and practically all cryptocurrencies have registered notable falls in recent weeks. Ethereum, which in August reached close to $4,800, is now in just 2,100. XRP has gone from 3.5 to 1.4 in that same period, and Solana from 247 to 91. Crypto believers are once again seeing their patience tested, but the maxim for them remains clear: HODL. In Xataka | In 2011 a group of investors bought 80,000 bitcoins. They just sold them 17,000,000% more expensive

Japan had dominated total car sales for more than 20 years, until China knocked on the door

Projections for 2025 anticipate a historic change in the global automobile industry. And as they point out data According to Nikkei China, Chinese manufacturers expect to reach approximately 27 million vehicles sold globally, surpassing the almost 25 million expected from Japanese brands. It is the first time in more than two decades that Japan has lost absolute leadership in total automobile sales. Why is it important. For more than 20 years, Japanese manufacturers have dominated global vehicle sales figures. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and company have become a global reference in sales volume and efficiency over all these years. That China is going to overtake them reflects the mammoth change that is happening in the automobile industry, with the Asian giant conquering every possible corner at a speed that is difficult for the rest of the competitors to digest. In detail. According to data from Nikkei China based on information from manufacturers and figures from S&P Global Mobility until November 2025, China’s growth in this sector will be 17% year-on-year. The figures include both passenger and commercial vehicles, and include both domestic sales and exports. The Chinese domestic market represents around 70% of these total sales, where new energy vehicles (pure electric and plug-in hybrids) already account for almost 60% of passenger cars sold. Brands such as BYD and Geely have entered the global top 10 manufacturers by sales this year, while Chery has consolidated as one of the largest exporters in the country. Exports support growth. The domestic market in China is a jungle. Overcapacity and increasingly fierce price competition They are making a dent in the country, which is why Chinese manufacturers have intensified their international expansion. In Southeast Asia, traditionally dominated by Japanese brands, Chinese sales will grow by 49% to reach around 500,000 units, according to data from the report. In Europe, despite the tariffs imposed Regarding electric vehicles, it is expected that there will be sales of about 2.3 million vehicles, benefiting from the fact that many plug-in hybrids are exempt from additional taxes. Emerging markets also joinand the figures indicate that Africa will register 230,000 vehicles sold (32% more) and Latin America will reach 540,000 units (33% more). A turning point. Japan reached its peak sales in 2018 with almost 30 million units. In just three years, the eight million vehicle lead it had over China in 2022 has completely evaporated. Japanese brands have lost market share in key Asian markets and are struggling to adapt to the electric transition, where they have arrived late. Toyota maintains its strength in segments such as pickups and is committed to carbon-neutral combustion engines (via renewable fuels) and hybrid technology, but in China, the largest market in the world and capital of the electric car, that approach is costing them dearly. Not even Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi, which now they collaborate on software and electrical infrastructure, can withstand the storm coming from China, a country that has specialized above all in batteries, software and production speed. And now what. Japan has a great challenge ahead if it wants to recover ground in electrification and stop the erosion in markets where until recently they dominated strongly. China does not have a bed of roses either, since its challenge will be to maintain the pace in a context of growing protectionism, with the United States and Canada Tariffs of more than 100% already apply to Chinese electric companies, and those of the European Union of up to 45.3%. Things are going to be interesting. Cover image | BYD and Xiaomi In Xataka | Ferdinand Porsche devised the first car with an electric motor in each wheel. Today a Chinese manufacturer is going to make it possible

Spain steps on the accelerator in its particular chip race. And it does so with a total commitment to integrated photonics

The Council of Ministers has approved the award of 4.4 million euros to the IMDEA Networks institute within the european program of Integrated Photonics. It may not seem like a lot of money compared to the fortunes invested by the technology giants, but be careful: it is the last element of an eye-catching strategy. Fifth successful bidder. The IMDEA Networks institute thus joins four other entities that were awarded last July in the same call. The aid granted by the Government is then matched by the European Union, which causes the budget to double in all cases. Thus, we have: Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO): 23.1 million euros were awarded, it will receive 46.2 million in total Polytechnic University of Valencia: 16.5 million awarded, will receive 33 million in total National Microelectronics Center (CNM): 15 million awarded, total investment of 30 million University of Vigo: 7.5 million euros awarded, 15 million total investment IMDEA Networks Institute: 4.4 million euros awarded, 8.8 million in total 133 million for integrated photonics. With this new award, the Government and the EU will invest a total of 133 million euros to “promote research and development of faster chips with lower energy consumption, thanks to the use of light (photons) instead of electrons.” Integrated photonics? This technology focuses on using photons (light) instead of electrons to transmit and process information within chips. With this it is possible to obtain higher data transmission speeds and lower consumption and heat dissipation. What integrated photonics seeks is to take advantage of optical components (such as lasers, modulators and detectors) with traditional electronic circuits to combine the advantages of both components. Technological sovereignty. Although the figure may seem modest in the context of global mega-investments, it is part of an ambitious strategy focused on the research and development of disruptive technologies. The ultimate objective is to promote a key sector for Spanish economic and digital sovereignty, and here the commitment is total to integrated photonics, which is seen as the future of data processing. The PERTE is still there. The importance of this investment goes beyond research. It is a fundamental pillar for the PERTE of Microelectronics and Semiconductors (PERTE Chip), the strategic plan endowed with more than 12,000 million euros to try to position Spain as a relevant actor in this value chain. This investment is framed not in chip manufacturing, but in scientific capacity and design strategy. The idea is to ensure that Spain has its own talent and technology to develop new generations of components. Competence centers. To those 4.4 million awarded to IMDEA Networks another 3.9 million euros are added to create two competition centers co-financed by Europe through the JU Chips (Joint Undertaking). The ‘PIXSpain Competence Centre’ will receive one million euros and the MicroNanoSpain Competence Center will receive three million. Both will provide Spanish companies in the sector – especially SMEs – with access to technical knowledge and experimentation spaces. To compete with TSMC or NVIDIA, nothing. This is not about Spain going to start creating chip factories that can compete with TSMC, far from it. The idea is not to try to create a Spanish-style NVIDIA either. In both cases the resources needed would be astronomical. What is sought is a leadership position in a niche with high added value, which is photonic interconnection technologies. Goodbye to copper cable. By focusing on integrated photonics, Spain aligns with the work of giants like Intel, TSMC or Ciscowhich have been investing heavily in this technology for some time to solve the challenge of interconnections in data centers. Everything indicates that integrated photonics could end up replacing copper cables in high-speed communications in the next decade. In Xataka | “They lead and AI follows”: seven Spanish universities tell us how they are implementing AI in class

In his career for the total domain of the solar panels, a rival has come out: the Spanish Perovskita

The sun will continue to shine, but the way we take advantage of it is changing at vertigo speed. While China and other countries are focused on improving the efficiency of Perovskita solar panels, Spain has set the point of solving another great challenge: stability. And he does it with a clear message: say goodbye to the silicon. Jubilating the silicon. Until now, talk about solar energy It was talking about silicon. Today, that equation begins to break through the Perovskita. In Madrid, an Imdea Nanocencia team has achieved that a cell reaches 25.2% certified efficiency, almost matching The world record of 26.7%. With this, Spain enters the first line of the race for the solar future. Not only that, they have also manufactured a mini-modulus of 25 cm² that maintains an efficiency of 22.1% and extraordinary stability, something that historically has been the Achilles heel of this technology. “These cells already exceed the commercial silicon, which barely reaches 18% efficiency, and open the door to the next generation of solar panels,” explains Nazario Martín, principal researcher of the project. The jump is not only academic. In research, Published in Advanced Materialsthey explain that Perovskita promises to reduce costs, be flexible, light and recyclable, in front of the silicon, whose production process is expensive and controlled almost exclusively by China. But the essential here is not so much efficiency and durability. The cells developed with the new PTZ-FL material maintain 95% of their performance after 3,600 hours of tests in demanding conditions (ISOS-D-1 protocol). In other words, we do not talk about fragile laboratory prototypes, but of devices capable of resisting the passage of time under sun, humidity and heat. The fund of the project. The advance is based on the design of molecules called Spiro-Fenotiazines, which act as “hollow transporters”, an essential layer in the solar cell. The PTZ-FL compound prevents lithium-ion migration, which is usually one of the main causes of degradation. In the words of the researchers, it is about building a “compact interface” that protects the material and improves its efficiency. In practical terms, it means that Perovskita modules are not only more powerful, but also much more resistant. China takes the lead. As he advanced above, China has focused its efficiency efforts. A study by the Huazhong University and Technology achieved a 28.8% record With a tandem cell totally from Perovskita, without silicon. This type of advance, such as Spanish, confirm that Perovskita can not only compete with silicon, but to overcome it in scenarios where it never shone: facades, windows, offices or even portable devices. There are very specific challenges. Beyond laboratory records, the great challenge is to bring this technology to the market. Today, the European Union depends largely on China to manufacture solar panels, According to an Ember report. Projects such as IMDEA not only seek efficiency, but also reduce this strategic dependence. In addition, the most expensive component of a solar panel is no longer silicon or glass, but aluminum frames, which represent 14% of the total cost. A reminder that the transition to Perovskita will require innovations not only in laboratories, also in factories and supply chains. Forecasts The solar future is no longer written with silicon. Perovskita has gone from being a fragile promise to real candidate for the market. The question is not whether it will come, but how and from where. Spain, with the advancement of IMDEA nanocencia, wants part of that response to have European seal. Image | Freepik Xataka | India needs more crops and solar energy than any other country. So you are installing solar panels in height

The definitive jump towards the total control of the iPhone

Apple has presented the N1 chip next to the iPhone Airthe thinnest phone in its history with only 5.6 millimeters thick. Why it is important. The N1 manages all the wireless connections of the iPhone: Wifi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. It is the last link in Apple’s strategy to internally design each iPhone component, from the main processor to the modem. The context. Apple has been replacing third -party components with own chips for years. First were the processors to replace Intel. Then came MODEM C1 (now C1X) that displaces Qualcomm. Now the N1 eliminates Broadcom dependence and other wireless chip manufacturers. Between the lines. The obsession with total control is no accident. Each own chip allows impossible optimizations with external components, better benefit margins and elimination of Royalties. Apple promises that N1 improves functions such as Airdrop And the mobile access point, something difficult to get with standard solutions. The threat. For traditional suppliers, each Apple chip is lost territory forever. Broadcom, who dominated this segment, loses one of its most lucrative customers. The employer repeats: Apple develops internally, optimizes for your needs and never goes back. And now what? The N1 debuts on the iPhone Air, but will reach the rest of the range. Apple has shown that when a technology dominates, it extends it to all its products. Absolute hardware control is the basis of its competitive advantage. In Xataka | iPhone 17: Apple puts a solution to one of the most criticized aspects of the iPhone Base Outstanding image | Apple

Openai’s plan to get more money with GPT-5 has exploded in the face: total back

Shitting not only affects streaming. We begin to see indications that the chatbots of AI are no longer so beneficial for users, and they are not for a simple reason: they must be monetizing them. It is what OpenAi has just done when launching GPT-5, a model that promised to be easier to use and powerful than ever, but has ended up returning to what worked with GPT-4. The controversial router. When Openai launched GPT-5, he did it with a great novelty: to raise it as a unique model that adapted only to the needs of each user according to the question we asked him. The router detected if that question was more or less complicated and theoretically activated the most appropriate mode of operation in each case, but there was a problem: Always using the cheapest operating mode. Reverse. People-especially those who used chatgpt-quickly criticized both that decision and the option to use ancient models such as GPT-4O. The mutiny had effectbecause: He has recovered the old models he had killed (such as the aforementioned GPT-4O), although only for payment users Has enabled the function of choosing GPT-5 variant to free users It is a spectacular revenue just when Openai had sold us that unique and off -road model (and its router) as something differential. The options are good. Altman himself explained that from now on Chatgpt users can choose between “Auto”, “Fast” and “Thinking” when using GPT-5. “Most users will want to use a car,” he said, “but additional control will be useful for some.” He also remembered that GPT-4O is again available for payment users and clarified that “if at any time we deactivate it, we will warn with a long time.” Less root, more customizable. The OpenAi CEO also talked about another of the problems that were highly criticized in GPT-5: it was too neutral. Too cold and robotic. That could change very soon because as I said, “we are working on an update of the GPT-5 personality that should be perceived warmer than the current but not so annoying (for many users) as GPT-4O.” In Openai they have understood something important: people love to be able to customize everything they use … although many do not. A GPT-5 hypothesis. In Semiianalysis They have a theory Curious that they would explain the way Openai has launched GPT-5. According to them, the model of the model is not the model, but the router. This component was intended to monetize the service much more and convince users to pass the free service to one of the payment subscriptions. Altman already pointed to that approach. In fact, Sam Altman shared first revealing data on Sunday. The percentage of free users who were using the “reasoning” variant of GPT-5 had gone from less than 1% to 7%, while for Chatgpt Plus users that percentage went from 7% to 24%. That can imply that the basic model was not as good as users expected and preferred to make him think, but there is another striking fact. More subscriptions. According to Semiianalysis, the router and that best behavior when the “thinks” model seems to have convinced many more users, and subscriptions, they point out, have multiplied by 3.5. The router may have caused criticism of intensive chatgpt users, but it also seems to be a key element to try to achieve something OpenAi needs like water: convert free users – it has about 700 million – into paid users. Shit. Openai’s tactics, if really this, is not new. To degrade the free service with respect to the payment usually makes more users go to the payment (in addition to the initial criticisms). We have seen it for example in Netflix: when it began to close shared accounts and put internet ads, it was thrown over and the service seemed to have a complicated future. Today Netflix is more reference than ever and the fucking its service has worked perfectly. You may want to copy the idea in Openai. In Xataka | Sam Altman and Elon Musk hate each other publicly, so Altman has attacked where it hurts most: Neuralink

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