United

The most complex nuclear reactor in the world is underway in the United Kingdom. His critics directly call him “a monster”

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Two figures are enough to understand the scope of the British challenge: 38,000 million investment pounds and six million homes fed with nuclear electricity for sixty years. This presents Sizewell C, the center that Downing Street describes as a clean energy and employment engine. His detractors, on the other hand, see it as a financial well and the last attempt to give life to a nuclear design so complex that in France it already call it “the monster.” The crown jewel. The objective of the British government is to double the nuclear capacity of the country by 2050 and guarantee a stable supply of low carbon energy. Sizewell C, With two EPR type reactors (European pressurized reactor), is the key piece of that strategy. According to the BBCthe project is the successor of Hinkley Point C, in Somerset, which accumulates a decade of delays and a runaway cost: more than 18,000 million pounds planned in 2010 to about 46,000 million today. Minister Rachel Reeves declared The Guardian that investment is “a powerful support to the United Kingdom as the best place to do business and as a global center of nuclear energy.” Instead, Henri Proglio, former director of the French electric EDF – developmentator of the project -, assured the Financial Times that the reactor design is “scary” and “almost impossible to build.” Faced opinions. The detractors have it clear. Proglio describes it as “a machine with more reinforcement rods than concrete.” Another engineer, Also cited in the FThe spoke of a “colossal error.” And Greenpeace warned the BBC That this time will be taxpayers, not EDF, who pay the inevitable cost overruns. But there are also moderate voices. Tony Roulstone, Professor of Cambridge and exejecutive of Rolls-Royce, declared to FT That Sizewell could be ready “one or two years before Hinkley” and cost 20 % less. Thanks to the fact that much of the design is already tested since the supply chain was consolidated in Somerset. There are already works in Suffolk. The project is not just paper. In Suffolk, 1,700 operators are already working in preliminary works, According to the Financial Times. The first one: a perimeter wall 55 meters deep and 3 kilometers long to drain the marsh before placing the foundations. In addition, Hinkley errors will be avoided. This time the concrete structures will be pregnant in workshops and not in the work, which should accelerate the deadlines. Even so, the official calendar – entered into operation in the middle or end of the 2030s – raises doubts. Flamanville, in France, and Hinkley have shown that deadlines in projects of this type are usually wet paper, As Critica Nils Pratley in his column for The Guardian. It is very complex. It is more complex than it seems to the naked eye. EPR are nuclear reactors of generation III+, the result of Franco-German collaboration between EDF and Siemens. According to World Nuclear Associationare designed to offer a net electrical power of between 1,600 and 1,650 MW, although they can reach 1,770 MW. In addition, they incorporate advanced security measures: double containment, four independent cooling systems, a Core Catcher to catch the nucleus in case of merger, and structural capacity to resist impacts and earthquakes, in addition to diesel generators and backup batteries that guarantee operability to multiple failures. They also stand out for greater energy efficiencyconsuming up to 17% less fuel than old reactors and producing up to 14% more energy. All this with a projected life of 60 years. This technical complexity is, at the same time, a strength in terms of safety and efficiency, and a challenge for the delays and costs that it has shown in its construction. The invoice reaches the British pocket. The cost of the central already exceeds twice the first estimates, According to BBC. The majority (36.6 billion) will be covered with public debt through the National Fund of Wealth. While the financing is distributed among the State (the largest shareholder with 44.9%), followed by the Canadian Caisse (20%), Centrica (15%), EDF (12.5%) and Amber Infrastructure (7.6%). The great novelty is the “Regulated Assets Base” model (Rab) in which households will begin to pay £ 1 per month in their electrical invoices for at least a decade, Julia Pyke explained to the BBC. This scheme mainly protects investors, As Nils Pratley recalled in The GuardianCentrica ensures returns of more than 10% even if the costs reach 47.7 billion pounds; Any excess will be assumed by taxpayers. France already tried. Although with problems. The first French EPR reactor, Flamanville 3, in Normandy, connected to the network In December 2024 after 12 years of delays and with a final cost of € 13.2 billion, four times budgeted. As explained in Financial Timesthe French experience forced to redesign the concept, so EDF no longer prioritizes the EPR, but the EPR2, a simplified and cheaper version that hopes to build in six units here to 2038. Meanwhile, in China they have shown that its Taishan center that has operated for years with an EPR of 1.75 GW, is one of the most powerful reactors in the world. A continent that turns nuclear. The British bet arrives in a contradictory European context. Germany He closed his last central in 2023 and Spain plans to close them in 2027. France, on the contrary, Maintain nuclear as a pillar (70 % of its electricity) and accelerates new EPR2 projects. The board moves: under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany has stopped blocking France and accepts that the nuclear receives the same treatment as renewables in EU legislation. The agreement includes giving “green” status to pink hydrogen and opens the door to European financing, although Austria continues against and countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands reevaluate their policies. In the midst of this continental debate, the United Kingdom, outside the EU, advances alone with Sizewell C: an EPR that even EDF has relegated in favor of the EPR2, while in Europe the SMR and nuclear fusion gain space. … Read more

Intel has gone from mastering the world to being a forced partner of the United States. They are bad news for Europe

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Intel has just sold 10% of your company to the United States government for 8,900 million dollars. The operation confirms what many suspected: the most iconic chips manufacturer in the world can no longer survive without state help. The panoramic. For three decades, the ‘Intel Inside’ stickers glued to millions of computers symbolized US domain in semiconductors. Intel and Microsoft created The era “wintel” that defined personal computing. In 2009, the Obama administration even presented antitrust charges against Intel for its dominant position. Today, the company is worth 108,000 million dollars while Nvidia, its former subordinated, reaches 4.3 billion. What has happened. Last Friday, Donald Trump announced that the United States acquired 10% Intel in exchange for promised funds under the CHIPS ACT They never arrived. It is not technically a rescue, but it looks a lot. Trump sold it as a big business: “I paid zero for Intel, it is worth approximately 11,000 million dollars” (capital letters are yours). The reality is more complex: Intel had been waiting for those 8.9 billion already committed by the previous administration for months. The company desperately needed money: Its foundry division lost $ 13.4 billion last year. He has fired between 8,000 and 10,900 workers. And the most worrying: not even Intel’s own product teams want to use their factories, preferring that TSMC manufactures their chips. Why is it important. This operation marks a turning point on three critical fronts: For Intel, It means losing business autonomy. 76% of their income comes from abroad, with China representing 29%. Now each decision will be under the political scrutiny of his government. As the company itself warns in regulatory documentsthis could “cause adverse reactions of investors, employees, clients, suppliers, foreign or competitors.” For the United Statesrepresents the return of state capitalism in technology. It is the first direct government intervention in a company from the rescue of the 2008 automobile industry. Trump has already suggested that there will be more: “I will make agreements like this for our country constantly.” For Europethis is especially worrying. The European Union partially depends on Intel for its ambitions of technological sovereignty in semiconductors. If the largest Western chips becomes an instrument of American industrial policy, Europe is in an even more vulnerable position against Asia. The Trump government has already asked TSMC to help rescue Intel factories. Also He took a “golden action” in Nippon Steel and Plan to stay with part of the sales that Nvidia and AMD make to China. The message is clear: the semiconductor industry is now a national security issue. Between the lines. Intel’s fundamental problem is not solved with public money: Intel failed in smartphones when he rejected to make chips for the first iPhone. He was late to AI while Nvidia was ahead. And he lost his leadership in manufacturing against TSMC, which not only has better technology but A superior business model As a pure foundry. As pointed out Intel’s CEO himself, Lip-bu Tan, “twenty or thirty years ago we were leaders. Now the world has changed. We are not among the ten main semiconductor companies.” Its survival depends on the success of the 18A manufacturing nodehis latest technological commitment. And now what. Intel is now a company supported by the State, something that its own managers warned could scare customers. Meanwhile, Trump promises more similar agreementseven suggesting the creation of an American sovereign fund with participations in technology companies. For competitors, this creates a scenario of unfair competition: AMD, Qualcomm and other companies now compete against a rival that has the US government as the main shareholder, with all that that implies in terms of government contracts and political decisions. Senator Rand Paul He summarized it With irony: “If socialism is the Government possessing the means of production, wouldn’t the government be having part of Intel a step towards socialism?” Paradoxically, Bernie Sanders, a declared socialist, applauded the measure. Intel went from being the symbol of American technological capitalism to become his first large semi-nationalized company of the 21st century. For Europe, which struggles not to be behind the technological career, it is an alarm signal: the era of the free market in semiconductors is over. In Xataka | Intel’s fall symbolizes the end of an era: the model that dominated technology for 50 years has died Outstanding image | Xataka

A United Kingdom restaurant makes history with its first water letter. Free tap water also serves

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If we look for the definition of a sommelier, the RAE It presents us with the following: “Wine expert and liquors who, in large hotels, restaurants, etc., suggests customers the appropriate drink for the occasion.” Do not go to the SAR: Wikipedia It says the same. We understand by sommelier, or Sommelier, an expert in pairing who knows which wine fits better with different dishes. Amazon even has a ‘telesumillers’ servicebut there may soon be a new meaning for Sommelier: Water expert. In 2011 the Water sommelier uniona professional and international association that was born in Germany and that appeared with a single purpose: to promote the professional, training and economic interests of water sommeliers to defend the culture of mineral water. It is not the only one that exists, since there is also the Doemens Academy In Germany or the Fine Water Academy In the United States, as well as some associations in countries such as Italy or China. And, in the same way that there is a wine letter in some restaurants, the objective of these water experts is that there are unique premises for a very specific reason. A select water letter. Wine letter … and waters Doemens is very clear that “Not all waters are the same”And, apart from giving training in German, English and Mandarin, in 2024 they began to form Sumillers in Spanish. Describe The task of the sommelier of water such as “disseminating and providing knowledge about the quality, characteristics, variety of brands and the value of excellent mineral waters.” Although it is a minority, in the international panorama, profiles such as Martin Riese, the first ‘Sommelier’ Certificate of the United States, but also the British Doran Binder begin to flour. Binder, with a very active profile in Instagramwhere he has more than 55,000 followers, he is a sommelier who supplied the water of his brand -crag spring water- to the British restaurant The Popote. It is a French -style restaurant that is in the Micheli GuideNY in which they have a letter with about 140 varieties of wine. At some point a few years ago, and as they expose in CNNBinder approached the owners of the Popote to propose something: a menu of water. At first, they thought “It was a ridiculous idea”but they changed their minds when they attended a water tasting. Of that “ridiculous idea”, the owners went to “the water is not just water.” The tasting was similar to what is done with beer or wine. First, they tested about six varieties, but then made a second tasting with the same waters, but accompanied by food such as Manchego cheese, comte, chocolate, olives or parma ham. That’s when they realized that the taste “changed” and that they appreciated that certain waters married better with certain foods. Convinced, they let Binder devise the menu, becoming the first in the United Kingdom to have a Water letter which offers its product (five pounds per bottle) up to 19 pounds, about 25 euros, for The Palace of Lifego, a gas with gas from Portugal. There are also Spanish, Italian and French waters. Binder with your water letter Ok, very good, but … what are you selling me? According to Binder, the water key is TDS, or dissolved total solitos. In the statements to CNN, “the measure of minerals is what determines the flavor and taste. The destined water has a zero TDS.”It is fantastic for cleaning windows and for the carbut lousy for humans, ”he said. The range it offers in the restaurant goes from the 14 TDS of the mineral water with Lauretana gas to the 3,300 of Vichy Celastins. The Vichy Catalan, which is another product that is usually seen in waters, It has about 2,900 TDS. At the opposite, sea would be between 30,000 and 40,000 TDS. From Spain we have ’22’ that is soft in the mouth, with a delicate profile And it is, as with wine, to extol the taste of everything. If the French water they serve is “quite salty, you have to combine it with something that is saved, like a parma ham, and both are balanced. So, the water no longer knows salty and what remains is a more durable flavor of the ham in the mouth,” says Joseph Rawlins, owner of the Popote. Eye, they also have tap water as courtesy. I imagine that it will be equivalent to Ask for a torrefact in a specialty cafeteria. Apart from this, in a context in which Alcohol consumption is decreasinghaving “gurmet” options of without alcohol is something that makes all the meaning. How to serve the water In the end, it is what is sought when you seek to exalize flavors mixing elements that seem not to stick, such as salt chocolate, for example. If we want to do this at home, there are tricks. Joanna Vallejo It is a wine sommelier that has also specialized in the water and has offered some tips To enjoy at home a better experience when enjoying water and rest of food: Read the label to find the origin. If you drink wine, accompany the glass of a glass of quality with gas, since that acidity point will make the flavors of the wine are enhanced. Use correct water. For example, for spicy or acids, use gas with gas. For softer foods such as salads or fish, waters with less minerals. And for more forceful meat or food, water with a higher mineral profile. Do not put ice in the glass because what you will do will be the same thing that happens with coffee: to await and mix a high profile water with another that is from the tap (no matter how good some are). And the most important thing about this (because, like me, you have raised an eyebrow thinking that now you will have to wear a monocle every time you are hot and drink a glass of water): Joanna herself comments that It … Read more

Huawei says that it has resolved a technological challenge that will trigger China’s competitiveness in the United States

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In the field of hardware development for artificial intelligence (AI) China is advancing with the hand brake. The impossibility of accessing equipment extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) that designs and manufactures the Dutch company ASML prevents Chinese chip manufacturers Produce GPU for comparable to the most advanced that manufacture NVIDIA, AMD or brains, among other western alignment companies. In addition, for the moment the Chinese chips manufacturers They are not producing solutions capable of competing with the most advanced memories manufactured by South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix, or the American Micron Technology. GPUs for Ia work side by side with HBM memory chips (High Bandwidth Memory). In fact, its performance is largely conditioned by these memories. As the editors of SEMIANALYSISthe total bandwidth of the HBM3 memory chips that live with some of THE GPU FOR THE MOST ADVANCED Nvidia or AMD exceeds 819 GB/s, while DDR5 and GDDR6X memories reach much more modest 70.4 GB/Sy 96 GB/s. HBM3E memories and future HBM4 are even better. Chinese manufacturers of this type of chips do not yet produce this kind of memoirs, but a filtration ensures that Huawei will change this scenario today. Huawei plans to give China the impulse it needs in the memoirs According to SCMPthe Chinese state medium Securities Times has revealed that Huawei is about to present a technological advance that seeks to reduce China dependence on HBM memory chips from abroad. According to this source Huawei will officially announce its technological milestone within a few hours, during the celebration in Shanghai (China) of the Application Forum and Development of Reasoning of Financial 2025. In a HBM3E stack the XPU and the HBM memory are linked through more than 1,000 drivers At the moment we do not know anything else, but it is reasonable to anticipate that what Huawei will produce your HBM3 and 3E memories. And it is that manufacturing these integrated circuits is complex because they require stacking several DRAM chips and implementing an interface between the XPU (Extended Processing Unit) or extended processing unit and extraordinarily dense HBM chips. As a button shows: in a HBM3E stack the XPU and the HBM memory are linked through more than 1,000 drivers. SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron are manufacturing on a large scale, although with different success12 -layer HBM3E memories. The two South Korean firms will produce large -scale HBM4 chips during the second semester of 2025, and Micron will do so in 2026. However, CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies), one of the Chinese companies specialized in the production of memoirs, will launch Your first HBM3E chips in 2027. SK Hynix leads the HBM memories market with a shocking authority. Your market share Broken 70%so that the remaining 30% are distributed by Samsung and Micron Technology. Behind them they step stronger and louder the Chinese chips manufacturers of Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) and CXMT, who have chosen to compete in this attractive market deploying a very aggressive price policy. CXMT in particular has increased its production capacity of DRAM chips almost five times during the last four years, which has allowed it to increase its global market share Until a very worthy 9%. More information | SCMP In Xataka | Chinese memory chips manufacturers are a nightmare for the US and South Korea. There is a lot at play

The state of the ISS is so alarming that the United States and Russia have sat at the table for the first time in eight years

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You have to look back until October 2018 to find the last time that NASA’s top people and her Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, the faces were seen. The launch of the Crew 11 mission has served as an excuse for them to meet again. A meeting to save the furniture. The new general director of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, traveled for the first time to the United States last week to witness the launch of the SPACEX CREW-11 MISSIONin which two American astronauts, one Japanese and a Russian one flew to the International Space Station. Bakanov took advantage of the trip to meet with NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy. On the table, the future of a space station that ages by leaps and bounds and The road map for withdrawal in 2030. NASA and ROSCOSMOS are needed. In a global context where war and other geopolitical tensions have affected almost all areas of cooperation, the International Space Station and the exchange of seats in Crew Dragon and Soyuz ships remains one of the few bridges standing. But this has been the first high -level meeting in almost eight years, especially since the previous Chief of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, adopted a belligerent rhetoric against his US partners. According to the Russian state agency TassBakanov and Duffy agreed to extend the shared use of the International Space Station until 2028, as well as a joint process for exorbitation in 2030. “The conversation was quite well,” Bakanov said. The US agency Associated Press He says that both leaders pointed out the need to maintain cooperation in space despite their “strong discrepancies” on Earth. They also agreed to seek the approval of their respective presidents for future joint projects, including lunar and exploration of deep space. The ISS falls apart. This “we have to talk” is not accidental. It occurs at a time when the state of the International Space Station is a matter of “deep concern”, as noted by the NASA Aerospace Security Advisory Panel in April. The Committee described the coming years as “The riskiest period“Of the ISS in all its existence. One of the most serious and persistent problems are Air leaks in the Russian module Zvezdafirst detected in 2019. Despite the multiple attempts to repair them, the module continues to lose air, a qualified problem with the highest level of risk of NASA. To this we must also add other ailments of a structure with almost 30 years components. Lack of spare parts for critical systems, space costumes with technology from the 70s that have caused several incidents, and constant problems with bathroomsamong other headaches. Pension plan. The common denominator of these risks is a huge budget deficit. No government wants to allocate more money to the International Space Station when the priority is to finance future lunar missions and commercial stations. More than a shy thaw, the meeting between Bakanov and Duffy represents the imperative need to jointly manage the last years of the ISS, the largest symbol of international cooperation outside the earth. One of the Keys to this approach It is the contract of almost one billion dollars that NASA awarded Spacex to develop a ship that tow the station towards a safe reentry on the Pacific Ocean. Before Spacex, the ISS partners had considered using Russian progress ships for this task, an option that Roscosos seems to have put back on the table. Be that as it may, the retirement of the ISS already has its date insured by the end of this decade. Image | ROSCOSMOS In Xataka | NASA’s Security Committee has launched a forceful warning on ISS: it is in very poor condition

The renewed interest of the United States in recognizing the sovereignty of Morocco about Sahara has a name: phosphate

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For years, the Western Sahara conflict was in a corner of the international debate: present, but silenced. However, he has returned strongly to the global stage. The reason is not only diplomatic, but economic. Behind the renewed support From US President Donald Trump to Morocco there is a key resource that moves interests and borders: phosphate. More than a statement. The support of the United States is not new. During his first term, Donald Trump has already recognized Moroccan sovereignty about Western Sahara, in exchange for Morocco established diplomatic relations with Israel as part of Abraham’s agreements. According to Reutersthe president has recently reiterated his position in a letter addressed to King Mohammed VI, reaffirming Washington’s recognition over the territory. Under the sand. There are tangible reasons behind this growing support and is under the ground: phosphate. Morocco is the second world producer of phosphates, After Chinaand controls 70% of world reserves. About 8% of national production comes from the Western Sahara, specifically from the Phosboucraa mine, According to data collected by Swissinfo. This mineral is essential for the production of fertilizers, key to modern agriculture. It cannot be manufactured artificially, and its shortage makes it a strategic resource. How BBC has warnedworld food security depends largely on phosphorus. After the war in Ukraine and the crisis in supply chains, its value has shot. In that context, Morocco has gained international influence. A trade under scrutiny. But there is a problem: the Western Sahara is considered by the UN a non -autonomous territory pending decolonization. AND According to international lawany exploitation of its resources must have the consent of the Saharawi people, represented by the Polisario Front. That consent, until now, has not arrived. Therefore, the Polisario has opted for a legal offensive. In recent years, it has managed to block ships with Saharawi phosphate in ports of South Africa, Panama or New Zealand. At least fifteen international companies have stopped buying it, fearing litigation or reputational damage, According to BBC. An economic boom that redraws the map. Beyond phosphate, Morocco is strongly committed to an economic transformation of Western Sahara. According to Bloombergthe country has launched an investment strategy for more than 10,000 million dollars. One of the star projects is Dakhla’s Atlantic port, valued at 1.2 billion, which seeks to position itself as a logistics axis between Africa, Europe and Latin America. That is not all, because other projects are added as a one billion highway towards Tangier, wind farms, tourist complexes and green hydrogen plants. According to Mounir Houari, director of the Regional Investment Agency, Interviewed in BloombergThe objective is that the region goes from 1% to 6% of national GDP in the next 15 years. And the Saharawi? While Morocco transforms Western Sahara with millionaire investments, the people are still waiting for a political solution. For years, tens of thousands have lived in refugee camps in Algeria, in precarious conditions, far from the decisions taken over their territory. In parallel, international organizations They denounce that Saharawi cannot participate freely in decisions that affect their territory. As long as this right is not guaranteed, international legality Keep questioning The legitimacy of the exploitation of resources in the region. A wound still open. While the world observes phosphate as a strategic resource to feed the planet, who live on the earth that produces them expect something simpler: be heard. Because the same mineral that makes the fields grow also feeds a conflict that, despite the passage of time, remains without healing. Image | Unspash Xataka | China goes for those who mock their export controls. The focus is in strategic minerals that sustain their power

The United States and China seem to compete in ia. The reality is that they play completely different sports

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Everyone talks about the “career of AI” between China and the United States as if it were a competition where one will win and another will lose. But in reality there is no career because everyone is playing a different sport. The United States invested 100,000 million dollars in AI in the first half of 2025, pursuing AGI as a technological religion. His philosophy is clear: spending billions today to control the future tomorrow. Giant proprietary models, infinite parameters, the search for the Holy Grail of the AGI. China, meanwhile, has not allocated amounts equivalent to its technological sector. Its approach is as pragmatic as Chinese culture itself: to capture market now, monetize in applications later. This divergence does not arise from abstract philosophies, but three concrete structural forces: Chips scarcity. The OCTOBER US SANCTIONS 2022 They cut Chinese access to the most powerful NVIDIA chips. The paradoxical result: China was forced to innovate in efficiency. Deepseek He managed to match the performance of GPT-4 spending eighteen times less money. Technological restriction forced an economic advantage that the United States, with all its hardware, cannot easily replicate. Capital scarcity. The Chinese risk capital collapsed after the regulations of 2022. Chinese the startups collect funds only after demonstrating product working and real metric uses. In this context, opening the source code becomes the smartest strategy: free marketing, viral adoption and developer ecosystem without acquisition cost. BAICHUAN AI AND ZHIPU AI They achieved financing from Alibaba and Tencent precisely after publishing their open models and demonstrating traction. The concentration of applications. The average Chinese user uses less than ten apps per month, almost all channeled through Wechat or Alipay. The American is around thirty. This structural difference completely changes the penetration strategy. In China, who conquered those few points of mass distribution conquers the entire market. In the United States, you have to fight in dozens of different fronts. That is why it makes sense that Chinese companies open their models: they need adoption speed in those bottlenecks, do not own defenses. The most revealing case is how Wechat chose Deepseek Above Yuanbao, Tencent’s own. The decision exemplifies well Chinese pragmatic mentality: the functional product triumphs over corporatism. Yuanbao was his own, but Deepseek was better. Wechat needed quality already, not in two years. Twenty Chinese car manufacturers and more than one hundred hospitals have made similar decisions, integrating Deepseek into their systems. Each integration expands the ecosystem and increases change costs. Behind the Chinese strategy there is also an emotional component that should not be underestimated. After decades being labeled Copycats, Opening the source code has become a way of demonstrating real innovative capacity. Publishing the weights of a model is equivalent to saying: “Here is our work, examine it, improve it if they can.” It is national pride turned into business strategy. The United States continues to build the most powerful AI in the Universe. China is already selling functional to half the planet. Sam Altman talks about the AGI As a civilizational destination, Chinese executives apply the proverb “interests cannot be eaten” and seek immediate monetization. Both can win their respective sports, but it would be absurd to ask who is winning the World Cup when one plays football and the other to basketball. The interesting question It is not who will win the race, but what will happen when in five years One has built the perfect AGI and the other controls the AI infrastructure that uses half the planet. In Xataka | The Chinese government does not trust Nvidia: its survival in China right now hangs from a thread Outstanding image | Xataka

The age verification to see porn starts in the United Kingdom. The question is how

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There was a time when the user only had to click on the “I am older than 18 years” button to access any porn page without problems. It is a measure whose effectiveness could easily put into question and that, from today, is the thing of the past, At least in the United Kingdom. Because from today, July 25, all websites that house pornographic content will have to implement “strict age controls.” And no, the United Kingdom does not seem willing to walk with little girls. Eh, kid, how old are you? According to exposes OFCOM (the Regulatory Agency for the United Kingdom Communications Services), “Until now it has been too easy for children to see harmful content”, including pornography. According to the agency, 8% of children between eight and 14 access this type of websites at least once a month, although more striking it turns out that 3% of children between eight and nine years old do. To stop this situation, the United Kingdom approved in 2023 the Online Safety Acta set of laws that “imposes a series of new obligations on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for the safety of their users on their platforms.” Among them, indeed, age verification. Pornhub age verification systems, XVIDEOS, XNXX and Stripchat | Image: Xataka As? Ofcom ensures that their function is not to prevent adults from accessing legal pornography, but preventing minors from doing so. To do this, platforms and apps will have to have an age verification process that is “technically precise, solid, reliable and fair.” What methods exactly? Ofcom proposes seven: Estimation of the facial age: The user shows his face in a photo or video and is analyzed to estimate age. Banking verification: The verification service accesses the bank information and confirms whether the owner of the account is of legal age Digital Identity Services: In the European Union it would be, for example, Eid. Credit card verification: since only of legal age can have a credit card. Estimation based on the age of an email: The user provides an email and the technology analyzes the online services in which it has been used, as banks or public service providers, to estimate age. Age verification through the network operator: The verification system proves that there are no age filters applied to the mobile phone. Comparison of identity documents with photography: A photo of an official document and a normal photo are uploaded and compared to verify the age. Needless to say, companies will not only have to implement these systems, but to take action on the matter in the event that users try to skip them. One of the reasonable doubts can be the use of a VPN To access from another country. Using VPNS is not illegal and, therefore, remains in the hands of parents or guardians control the use that minors can make of them. It is undoubtedly the weak point of the system. The sanctions. In the event that a platform does not implement the required measures, ofcom can impose sanctions of up to 18 million pounds or 10% of total revenues worldwide, which is greater. Moreover, in certain cases, ofcom can ask a court to impose sanctions through third parties AKA request that a telecommunications operator block or restrict access to the web. The challenge is on social platforms, which will also have to implement the necessary measures to avoid access to harmful content Harmful content. Avoid access to porn, yes, but also to the harmful content such as related to eating disorders, suicide or self -inflicted damage. That content is not on the porn websites, but It can be found on much more mundane platforms such as WhatsApp, Discord, Reddit, Instagram, Tiktok, X, Facebook or YouTube. These platforms will also have to implement the corresponding measures, which is a capital challenge whose tour is still to be seen. Among the platforms that have already taken measures are Pornhubother minor pornographic sites, Bluesky, Discord, Grindr, Reddit and X. Ofcom is aware that social networks are an important gateway to porn and He thinks that “algorithms must be controlled and configured for children, so that the most harmful material is blocked.” This is what, from now on, you will see all British users by accessing Pornhub | Image: Xataka Therefore, from the agency they have launched a review program on Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, Tiktok and YouTube. Through this program, ofcom analyzes “if they have effective means to know who their children’s users are; how to identify their content moderation tools the types of harmful content for children; the effectiveness with which they have configured their algorithms to block the most harmful content in the feeds of children; and how they have prevented children from being contacted by unknown adults.” A global trend. Attempts to limit access to porn by minors are not new. They have centuries among usin fact, but in recent years they have intensified. The clearest example has it on our own borders with the Beta Digital Portfolio (better known as “pajorto”) and with the European proposal Framed in eidas2. Cover image | Xataka In Xataka | France is the most radical country against technology among children. And now it plans something extreme: prohibit social networks

Spain gave Huawei the storage of judicial telephone listeners. Now the United States and the EU have questions

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The Interior Ministry He awarded Huawei A contract of 12.3 million euros to store judicial telephone interceptions. How could it be otherwise, this agreement has jumped the alarms in Washington and has asked to review the intelligence exchange agreements with Spain. Brussels on the other hand also shows his concern for the decision. What happened. Spain has renewed a contract with Huawei worth 12.3 million euros so that its Ocenostor servers 6800V store the telephone listeners of the Sitel System, used by the State Security Forces. These are interceptions with judicial authorization, not espionage operations. The government defends that it is a stagnant system, without exterior connection, where Chinese technology represents only a minor part of the set. Why alarm to the United States. The presidents of the American Congress and Senate Intelligence Committees, Tom Cotton and Rick Crawford, have sent a letter to the National Intelligence Director asking to review the agreements Information exchange with Spain. They fear that any data shared with Spanish services can end up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, since Huawei is subject to Beijing National Security Laws. His argument is that this could allow China to monitor Spanish research on Chinese spies and other intelligence activities of an NATO ally. Europe shows concern. The European Commission also shows misgivings for the Spanish decision. Several sources recognize that They do not understand the contract And they remember that the EU has evaluated Huawei as a “high risk” supplier. From Brussels insist in that “the cheapest offer is not always the best” and stress that security should be evaluated in any public procurement, even if it is not the most economical option. The Chinese answer. Beijing has entered the rag to Defend Huawei. The spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Spain has described American criticisms as “a typical bullying act” and ensures that it is another example of how Washington “generalizes the concept of national security, politicizes commercial issues and imposes a perverse blockade against Chinese companies.” China defends that Huawei complies with European legislation and asks the United States not to entrust in commercial agreements between its government and Spain. A case with contradictions. Curiously, Spain has already banned Huawei Participate in the deployment of 5G following the guidelines of Brussels and Washington when the whole issue broke out a few years ago, but it seems that it still maintains contracts with the Chinese company as in this case. The European Commission itself, which warned about the “high -risk suppliers”, never extended its veto to this type of applications. Huawei argues that its hardware is simply common flash storage that meets national security regulations and does not have access to customer data. What can happen now. The Spanish government has activated diplomatic channels to reassure Washington about system safety. Several experts have interpreted the American reaction as a “overacting.” Enrique Dans, Professor of Innovation at IE Business School, emphasize that “the question to be asked here is who points out with the finger. The United States themselves that today cross out Spain of irresponsible, accusing it of disloyalty, are those that threaten tariffs of more than 20%.” It remains to be seen if this episode will affect the relationship between the two countries in terms of intelligence. Cover image | Spanish Advocacy and Raw Pixel In Xataka | Huawei states that he is staying behind the chips. It is just what we want us to create

The decision that opens a gap between China and the United States and will define the future of AI

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It is one of the hottest debates in the AI race and that is making the difference between the two most advanced powers. China is committed to Open Source with models such as Deepseek, while in the United States they lead private developments such as Chatgpt or Claude. Meta, on the other hand, has been defending the Open Source for a long time. Or we believed. According to the New York Timesnew Mark Zuckerberg Superintelligence Team I would be questioning this strategy in favor of developing a closed model. Flying. If confirmed, it would be a drastic change in the finish line. In 2023, goal It joined other companies To defend the creation of open source models and have not been few times when Mark Zuckerberg has said that his AI is Open Source (although not all true). Now that the new Superintelligence Team commanded by Alexandr Wang He has started working, they are considering whether to continue with the plan or choose to develop a closed model. Behemoth. It is the name of the AI Open Source that Meta was developing, its largest model to date. In fact, Behemoth’s bad results would have been The trigger for Zuckerberg decided to create the new AI team. Nearby sources claim that one of the first discussions of the team has been to leave its development. There is also the possibility that Behemoth’s development continues and that the new team focuses on developing a new model that points to the great goal of goal: Create a general artificial intelligence. What is an open AI. The Open Source concept is not new, but with the arrival of AI there has been enough debate about its definition. The AI models are very complex and the classical definition did not adapt to them, so in October last year the Open Source Initiative agency The Osaid published (Open source ai definition), a definition with which Target I did not agree. In order for an AI open source, it must allow the following: Use the system for any purpose and without having to ask permission. Study the operation of the system and inspect its components. Modify the system for any purpose, even to change your performance. Share the system so that others use it, with or without modifications, for any purpose. Chinese patience. The United States and China are the two most powerful players in the AI race, but although they play the same game, they do it with Very different strategies. With Deepseekhis most famous AI model, China surprised to bet on the open source, a strategy that has allowed him Avoid the zancadillas that your rival puts With vetoes and restrictions. And it is not the only oun source in China, there are many more: Qwen from Alibaba, Doubou by bytedance, Ernie from Baidu, Hunyuan Turbo of Tencent or Kimi From MoNshot AI. It is not a matter of giving in exchange for anything, behind there is a strategy of Soft Power Technological: Today I give you access, with the intention of being dominant tomorrow. China wants to create global dependence on its models and be an alternative to the payment models of the Americans. China has the future vision and patience to do so, we have already seen how invested for decades to form engineers And that today gives a clear advantage in the AI race. American immediacy. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google… The greats of the AI of the United States have opted for private development and subscriptions to access their most leading models. The exception to the rule was put by the goal with flame, the only one whose code is accessible (at least part), But if they focus on private development, that closed approach will be armed even more. The objective is clear: they have the most advanced models and resources to continue training them, so they can obtain an economic benefit by monetizing them. They do it through subscriptions to pro versions or with specific products such as AI agents, it is the case of the newly announced Chatgpt agent. The trap. China’s strategy makes all the meaning if we take into account that they were behind their rival (although They have managed to cut positions in record time). With open and free IAS they manage to create a great very fast user base and create that dependence. However, it is not a good long -term strategy from the economic point of view. If in the future they begin to monetize, that sooner or later they will have to do it, they face two problems: that their users come out in disarray and that the regulators put their eyes in them. The United States maintains strong control and obtains benefits from minute one. Has the most sophisticated models, but every time prices are higher And that makes a luxury within reach of a few. Many will look for alternatives and there will be China with their open and free models. They are two opposite visions: one focused on the present and one in the future. We will have to wait to see what vision is imposed. Image | Bibek ghosh, and Kaboomps (Pexels) In Xataka | Four AI companies are monopolizing the intellectual future of humanity. They are not good news

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