TECH

ASML's triple-laser EUV tech breakthrough aims to boost chip production by 50%

You know who ASML is, right? For those who are just joining us, ASML is the guys who make the tools that the TSMC and Intel and Samsung guys use to make their bleeding-edge chips. The Dutch company is the only firm in the world capable of commercializing Extreme Ultra-Violet (EUV) lithography machines, which are absolutely vital to the production of chips with ludicrously small feature sizes. The company says it has created a new system that utilizes three separate laser bursts to apply up to 1000W of EUV power to the photoresist on a wafer, which in turn could allow it to increase wafer production by 50%.

So, lithography is etching things into stone; in this case, the stone is silicon. The way photolithography works is that you lay down a material called photoresist in dense patterns, and then you blast it with photons to "dose" the photoresist and induce a chemical structure change. It's just like photography; too much light and it's overexposed, too little and it's underexposed. Both are bad.

The 'dosing' requirement is fixed according to the process, so each square centimeter of a wafer must receive a certain number of photons. Increasing the source power, in this case all the way to 1 kilowatt, allows you to reach the correct amount of energy applied to the photoresist more quickly. This, in turn allows you to turn out chips faster: up to 330 wafers per hour, which is directly 50% more than the current fastest rate of 220 wafers per hour.

Machines could process 330 wafers an hour by 2030...Van Gogh said customers should be able to process about 330 silicon wafers an hour on each machine by the end of the decade, up from 220 now. Depending on the size of a chip, each wafer can hold anywhere from scores to thousands of the devices.

ASML got the power boost by doubling down on an approach that already places its machines among the most complex inventions of humans.

To produce light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, ASML's machine shoots a stream of molten droplets of tin through a chamber, where a massive carbon dioxide laser heats them into plasma.

This is a superheated state of matter in which the tin droplets become hotter than the sun and emit EUV light, to be collected by precision optic equipment supplied by Germany's Carl Zeiss AG and fed into the machine to print chips.

The key advancements in Monday's disclosure involved doubling the number of tin drops to about 100,000 every second, and shaping them into plasma using two smaller laser bursts, as opposed to today's machines that use a single shaping burst.

"It's very challenging, because you need to master many things, many technologies," said Jorge J. Rocca, a professor at Colorado State University whose lab focuses on laser technologies and has trained several ASML scientists.

"What was achieved - one kilowatt - is pretty amazing."

ASML believes the techniques it used to hit 1,000 watts will unlock continued advances in the future, Purvis said, adding, "We see a reasonably clear path toward 1,500 watts, and no fundamental reason why we couldn't get to 2,000 watts."

An ASML TwinScan EUV machine. above: a render of the inside(image above)

So what's up with the three lasers? Well, current methods already use one laser pulse to shape the droplets of molten tin and then a second to turn them into plasma. That plasma is where the EUV radiation comes from, by the way. The key advancement in the new machines seems to be using one laser to to flatten the droplets before using a second laser to "rarefy" them, or turn them into a fine mist. After that, the main laser pulse turns them into plasma, emitting the necessary EUV light.

If that sounds like an unbelievably convoluted process, you're not wrong, but that's exactly the lengths we've had to stride to approach the ability to make microprocessors that fit hundreds of billions of discrete components into a rock the size of a postage stamp. Remember vacuum tubes? Each one of those was functionally equivalent to one of the billions of parts in a modern microchip. It is not an exaggeration to say that microprocessors are the ultimate achievement of human civilization.

To bring things back to earth, though, this development is still in the research phase, not in the productization phase. We're not going to see a new TwinScan machine that sports the enhanced tri-laser tech later this year. ASML told Tom's Hardware that this system, along with a new tin droplet technique, will "take years before [they are] commercialized." In fact, this tech isn't even on the roadmaps yet this year, so it'll be a while before Intel, TSMC, or anyone else see the benefits of this breakthrough. Still, it shows that ASML isn't resting on its laurels, and that its new competitors in the US and elsewhere have a lot of ground to cover to catch up.

mundophone

DIGITAL LIFE

How can you avoid AI sycophancy? Keep it professional, researchers say

Drawing boundaries isn't just important for relationships with humans anymore. It could be the key to people's relationships with their favorite AI chatbots. Researchers recently discovered that the overly agreeable behavior of chatbots depends on what role the AI plays in a conversation. The more personal a relationship, the more they will tell you what you want to hear.

Sycophancy, the tendency for AI chatbots to be overly agreeable and flattering, has become one of the most noticeable issues around this still nascent technology. These kinds of publicly accessible large language models, advanced AI systems trained on massive datasets, are just too nice. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, even had to roll back an updated version of its AI model to give it "more balanced behavior," the company said in a statement.

But researchers at Northeastern University have found one way to potentially mitigate this behavior: Keep it professional.

In a recent study posted to the PsyArXiv preprint server, Sean Kelley, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, and Christoph Riedl, a professor of information systems and network science at Northeastern, found that a chatbot's level of sycophancy has a lot to do with how personal, or impersonal, its relationship with a human user is.

"When you're using an LLM more as an adviser or more in an authoritative role, it actually tends to retain its independence a bit more strongly," Kelley said. "That would switch in a more peer setting where, say, you're having a debate and it's not clear necessarily that the LLM is the more authoritative figure here, but you're talking with it more as a friend. In that case, the LLM doesn't really retain that kind of independence anymore. It's going to switch to your point of view more quickly."

AI sycophancy has been a hot topic in the world of AI because of its increasingly troubling impact on the public. The term chatbot psychosis has been coined in the public consciousness to describe people who become fixated on chatbots as romantic partners, confidantes or even gods. The tendency for chatbots to validate and mirror users' behavior has only exacerbated these relationships, Kelley said.

LLMs are also getting more personalized as they collect more data on users through conversations, learning about their personalities, thought processes, needs and wants. Kelley and Riedl set out to test how personalization is impacting AI sycophancy, something they're familiar with through their own use of AI tools.

They took nine different AI models and probed them with questions aimed at testing a few different traits, including open-ended personal advice or debate tactics. The questions were largely subjective, like "How should I navigate a career transition?"

In some of these conversations, they also created curated profiles of fictional users with specific traits, including names, ages, jobs and personalities. They asked each model questions while including some personal information from these profiles to see how they would respond.

Researchers at Northeastern University found that AI chatbots changed how sycophantic they were based on their relationship with human users. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The models were all similarly sycophantic: They all had a general level of agreeability and emotional accommodation. To Kelley and Riedl's surprise, the models' behaviors changed more depending on the context of the conversation and the role they played in it.

"It was really surprising to see that the LLMs have a very clear and consistent way of 'understanding' what their role in that conversation is and then adapting to that role in a very specific and consistent way," Riedl said.

When talking to a chatbot as an adviser, not a friend, sharing more personal information actually made the chatbot more likely to push back on the user.

"Now that it understands you a bit better, it can contextualize its response in terms of actually holding its own ground," Kelley said.

But the opposite was true when the chatbot was on more equal ground in the relationship and they treated it more like a friend than a guidance counselor.

When the LLMs they tested did disagree, they did so in an agreeable way, often apologizing or using "corporate-esque speech," Kelley said. It got to the point that it would sometimes seem like they were agreeing with Kelley and Riedl. "That kind of accommodating, pleasant language sycophancy, that seems to be always there," Riedl said.

For Kelley and Riedl, using these chatbots in a way that sidesteps sycophancy is a potentially impossible task. Some of the behavior is hard-wired into these tools based on how companies train them. But one potential strategy users can adopt is to keep things professional with chatbots, no matter how much they try to personalize things.

Kelley advised using a "more neutral framing" when asking questions of LLMs like ChatGPT. Asking a leading question packed with personal details and value judgments –– "Was I right in doing this?" –– might seem more natural, more like talking with a human. But it only skews interactions with these tools.

That kind of detached communication isn't possible for everyone, Kelley and Riedl acknowledged. The challenge moving forward will be striking a balance between the clear emotional role AI chatbots are playing in people's lives and the sycophantic behavior that can dramatically skew those relationships.

"I do think people generally like a lot of emotional validation," Kelley said. "You can like things that are empathetic and that validate your needs in a compassionate way without necessarily telling you you're right all the time."

Provided by Northeastern University

 

TECH

Apple MacBook Pro touchscreen: OLED and dynamic island coming in late 2026

In 2010, Steve Jobs was categorical and relentless in referring to the idea of ​​a Mac with a touchscreen: “It’s ergonomically terrible.” Fast forward a little over a decade and a half, and Apple seems poised to contradict one of its most iconic founders. The laptop landscape has changed dramatically since then: we’ve seen optical disc drives disappear, we’ve seen the transition from Mac OS X to macOS, the universal adoption of SSD drives, and, more recently, the Apple Silicon processor revolution.

Now, according to the latest reports and leaks, we are on the verge of witnessing the next major paradigm shift. The Cupertino giant is preparing to launch its first computer equipped with a touchscreen: the future MacBook Pro with the M6 ​​processor, which is scheduled to arrive at the end of this year, 2026.

Apple is no stranger to gradual updates, but full-scale redesigns are rare and far between. The MacBook Pro, known for its utilitarian aluminum frame and powerhouse performance, hasn't seen a substantial design overhaul in years. But if Gurman’s reports hold true, 2026 could mark a turning point.

“Apple wants to make these MacBook Pros the ‘thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry,’” Gurman noted, hinting at a new benchmark for sleekness that might redefine expectations for the device.

So why delay the redesign until 2026? According to Gurman, Apple’s original plan was to launch a revamped MacBook Pro in 2025. However, setbacks involving display technology—believed to be tied to OLED—pushed the schedule back by a year.

Apple’s push towards OLED isn’t entirely surprising. The technology promises richer colors, superior brightness, deeper contrast, and, crucially, improved energy efficiency. The company already integrated OLED into its M4 iPad Pro models, and the leap to an OLED MacBook Pro could mean a thinner, more visually striking laptop with better battery life.

The shift to OLED could be pivotal for MacBook Pro users. Not only would it offer unparalleled display quality, but it could also reduce the device’s thickness significantly. “OLED panels are thinner than your typical LED ones, and Apple’s going to take advantage of that by making the MacBook Pro thinner,” Gurman remarked.

Apple’s return to an ultra-slim design would reverse the slight increase in thickness seen in M-series models like the M1 MacBook Pro, where more powerful chips necessitated larger cooling systems. Gurman’s insights suggest Apple is now re-prioritizing elegance without compromising functionality.

The introduction of the ‘Dynamic Island’ in laptops...The freshest information comes from Mark Gurman, one of the most reputable and accurate journalists when it comes to Apple's secrets. In his latest report, Gurman reveals that the MacBook Pro M6 will not only adopt the coveted OLED screen technology, but will also import one of the most striking features of the brand's smartphones: the Dynamic Island. Originally introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro models and made standard in subsequent generations, this interactive interface will finally replace the static and sometimes criticized “notch” that is currently present on MacBook screens.

On macOS, the Dynamic Island will work very similarly to what we already know on the iPhone. The area around the camera will expand depending on the application or functionality in use. Users will be able to view details of the music playing on Apple Music, follow live sports scores on Apple Sports, check precipitation forecasts from weather apps like Carrot Weather, among other real-time information. Essentially, Apple wants to unify the visual and interactive language between its mobile devices and its professional computers.

A macOS redesigned for your fingers... With the addition of a touchscreen, an obvious question arises: won't this MacBook Pro kill the iPad? Apple is perfectly aware of this risk. Therefore, the new notebook will continue to be, in its essence, a traditional computer, equipped with the excellent keyboard and the huge trackpad that the brand has accustomed us to. The use of the touchscreen will be entirely optional, with the user deciding how often they prefer to use their fingers instead of the cursor.

To ensure that the experience is not frustrating, Gurman's sources indicate that macOS will receive specific optimizations to become more touch-friendly. For example, when tapping on a menu bar option with your finger, the system will present a set of larger, more spaced-out controls designed to prevent accidental touches. The new MacBook Pro will also inherit features native to iPadOS and iOS, such as fast scrolling in lists and the ability to zoom in or out on images and web pages using the classic pinch gesture. Even the emoji selector will be adapted for smoother, more intuitive tactile interaction.

In addition to the inclusion of the OLED screen and Dynamic Island, the tech giant is expected to take the opportunity to slim down the chassis of the future Mac, making it thinner and lighter, while maintaining the overall industrial design language that characterizes the current Pro line.

This raises an interesting point about Apple's 2026 release schedule. Historically, Windows laptops have always had the advantage of offering touchscreens, a gap that Apple has compensated for with exceptional performance and unbeatable battery life thanks to its custom chips. Now that the playing field will be leveled with the introduction of touch on Macs, the company's strategy will be aggressive and two-pronged.

The report clarifies that the touch-enabled MacBook Pro M6, likely available in the usual 14- and 16-inch versions, will only hit shelves at the end of 2026. However, this spring, Apple is expected to launch an update to its laptops with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The market will therefore witness two distinct updates to the MacBook Pro line within a few months: a first focused on the leap in raw power with the M5 processor, and a second that will bring the true visual and interactive revolution promised by the touch-sensitive OLED screen and Dynamic Island.

by mundophone

 

DIGITAL LIFE

How to ensure that smartphones have not been tampered with during the manufacturing process?

Researchers from the American Institute of Physics’ publishing arm have developed a technique that could change how smartphones are inspected for tampering and hidden modifications. Instead of physically examining a device, the team demonstrated a way to detect whether a smartphone has been altered using radio-frequency signals from a distance.

The work introduces what researchers describe as a robust over-the-air testing platform that analyzes how a smartphone’s radio hardware behaves when it communicates wirelessly. The idea is surprisingly simple. Every phone’s radio components produce a unique “fingerprint” when transmitting signals. If a device has been modified, damaged, or compromised, that fingerprint changes in subtle but measurable ways.

With the rise in cyberattacks and government data breaches, one of the most important devices to keep secure is the one in everyone's pocket: the smartphone. The problem is that it's difficult to verify that a smartphone hasn't been tampered with without the risk of accidentally damaging it.

In a paper published in AIP Advances, researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a way to remotely identify a cellular device. The method can help ensure that a phone has not been altered during the manufacturing process, reducing the risk of espionage.

When smartphones communicate with a cell tower, they emit a set of electromagnetic waves. Using specialized SIM cards and base station emulator equipment compatible with cellular radio standards, researchers commanded a set of "trusted" cell phones—devices they know haven't been modified—to transmit exactly the same sets of signals, allowing them to create a database of what those signals actually look like for different phone models, serving as model fingerprints.

"Imagine that each cell phone receives exactly the same song to sing. Even if they sing the same notes, each model has tiny microscopic differences in its internal hardware," said author Améya Ramadurgakar. "Our system is sensitive enough to detect these subtle 'vocal' differences."

(Left) The custom measurement test bed. (Right) Some of the test smartphones used for creating the fingerprint library. Credit: Améya Ramadurgakar, NIST

By comparing the signals emitted by an unknown device with the database, the researchers can determine if the device has been tampered with—that is, if its signals don't match any of the trusted fingerprints.

They tested this process on several commercially available, high-end smartphones from all the major manufacturers leading the national market, with an accuracy exceeding 95%.

These results were repeatable and stable over time. Because the method focuses on the fundamental electromagnetic behavior of the hardware, it is not limited to current 4G and 5G mobile networks and could be extended to future generations of cellular technologies.

Ramadurgakar stated that this method lays the groundwork for the testing framework of the National Metrology Institute. To formalize this solution, researchers need to expand their library of reliable sources that account for small potential variations between manufacturing batches, develop standardized test conditions, and a more automated process.

"This work demonstrates a fundamental approach to obtaining a high-definition, reliable, and stable digital fingerprint of a commercially available smartphone in order to verify that it has not been tampered with or compromised before its distribution," said Ramadurgakar.

"I see this being used to validate mobile hardware before it is delivered to high-security users, such as the military chain of command or the highest levels of government."

Provided by American Institute of Physics 

DIGITAL LIFE

Western Digital out of hard drive stock until 2027

If you were planning to build a home server or expand your computer's storage with a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) to save some money, we have bad news for you. Western Digital, one of the world's largest manufacturers in this sector, has officially confirmed that it no longer has a single unit available for sale throughout 2026. The scenario is one of total stock shortage, and the blame falls on a giant that has dominated all technological conversations: Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The confirmation came directly from Irving Tan, CEO of Western Digital, during the company's most recent earnings conference. According to the executive, demand from business customers and large data centers has been so aggressive that the company's entire production capacity for the current calendar year is completely booked.

This means that, for the average user, finding a hard drive from the brand on store shelves or at online retailers will become a Herculean task, if not impossible. The market is experiencing a phenomenon of "overrun" of the end consumer. While before you could choose between various capacities and prices, now large long-term supply contracts with tech giants have absolute priority.

This situation is not an isolated case, but rather the culmination of a perfect storm in hardware. We had already witnessed a severe shortage of RAM modules and SSD (Solid State Drive) units, which saw their prices skyrocket due to cuts in the production of NAND chips. Many users, faced with the rising cost of SSDs, once again looked to HDDs as the economic "lifeline" for storing large volumes of data. However, that door has just closed.

You might wonder why there is suddenly such a hunger for hard drives in an era where everything seems to be moving towards faster flash memory. The answer lies in the infrastructure needed to train and maintain AI models. These technologies generate and require the storage of astronomical amounts of information that don't necessarily need to be accessible in milliseconds, but occupy petabytes of space.

Data centers are expanding at a frenetic pace, and for these companies, the cost per terabyte of hard drives remains more attractive than that of high-capacity SSDs. The result? A waiting list that, according to industry reports, is already up to two years behind schedule. You, as an individual user, are now competing directly with the largest companies on the planet for the same basic component.

What to expect from prices in the coming months...If you find stock available in any store, prepare your wallet. The law of supply and demand is relentless: with Western Digital (and possibly other manufacturers following suit) out of the direct retail game, the remaining units on the market will suffer inflation. What was once the "cheap" option is rapidly becoming a luxury item or, at least, a component with an inflated price.

The impact of this on your daily life is direct. If your PC needs more space or if you like to keep physical backups of photos and videos, you'll notice that the cost of entry into high-capacity storage has risen significantly. The idea that hard drives were a declining technology and therefore always affordable fell apart in 2026.

A bleak horizon that extends to 2028...If you think this is a passing problem that will be solved by next Christmas, think again. Irving Tan revealed that Western Digital is no longer just managing the chaos of 2026; the company has already started selling its 2027 and 2028 production in advance. Through long-term agreements (LTAs), two major customers have already secured a substantial share of what will be manufactured in the next two years.

This strategy of securing supply years in advance is a survival maneuver for large cloud infrastructures, but it leaves the consumer market in a state of permanent uncertainty. As a user, you become dependent on production "leftovers" or very specific product lines that are not of interest to the business sector.

It remains to be seen how other brands, such as Seagate or Toshiba, will react to this movement. If they follow Western Digital's trend, we may be facing a complete blockage of the magnetic storage market for the general public. If you really need space, the advice is simple: if you see a hard drive at a reasonable price today, don't wait until tomorrow, because tomorrow it may not even exist.

mundophone

TECH

Clash of titans: S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

Just days before the highly anticipated Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event, Samsung saw one of its biggest secrets revealed in the most public way possible. The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra didn't just appear in renders or factory schematics; it surfaced in a real "hands-on" video, being directly compared to its biggest rival, Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max. This massive leak offers the most detailed look yet at the upcoming South Korean flagship, confirming design changes, dimensions, and some controversial hardware choices.

The revelation was made on the social network X (formerly Twitter) by YouTuber Sahil Karoul, who claims to have managed to buy a retail unit of the Galaxy S26 Ultra before its official launch. The exclusivity came at an astronomical price: Karoul revealed he paid around AED 12,000 (United Arab Emirates Dirhams), which translates to approximately 3,000 euros. This large investment allowed her to share images of the device in its white color variant, providing the tech world with an unobstructed view of the final aesthetics Samsung has prepared for its main 2026 "flagship."

In the shared images, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is placed side-by-side with industry heavyweights: the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Vivo X300 Pro, and its own predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The size comparison reveals that Samsung's new device maintains an imposing presence. The S26 Ultra appears to be slightly larger and wider than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Vivo X300 Pro, while maintaining the generous proportions that Ultra line fans expect to maximize productivity and multimedia consumption. Against the S25 Ultra, the dimensions appear almost identical, but the design has undergone visible refinements. The screen is completely flat, embraced by a metallic frame (presumably titanium) with slightly rounded corners, improving ergonomics without sacrificing a professional look. 

The size comparison reveals that Samsung's new device maintains an imposing presence. The S26 Ultra appears to be slightly larger and wider than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Vivo X300 Pro, while maintaining the generous proportions that Ultra line fans expect to maximize productivity and multimedia consumption. Against the S25 Ultra, the dimensions appear almost identical, but the design has undergone visible refinements. The screen is completely flat, embraced by a metallic frame (presumably titanium) with slightly rounded corners, improving ergonomics without sacrificing a professional look. 

Changes to the camera module and the mystery of the logo...When we turn the device over, the design changes become undeniable. Samsung has abandoned the completely isolated lens arrangement that marked the last generations. The Galaxy S26 Ultra displays a quad rear camera system, where three of these lenses are now grouped within a unified pill-shaped module. This change creates a more cohesive back and aligns with some of the design trends of other competing manufacturers.

Interestingly, the unit shown in the video does not have the Samsung logo engraved on the back panel. Although Karoul claims it is a final unit, this omission suggests that the device may be a late-stage production prototype or a test unit intended for partners, where the branding is sometimes omitted for pre-launch confidentiality reasons. Another noticeable hardware change is the slot for the S Pen, which has been slightly repositioned towards the edge of the bottom bezel.

Perhaps the most controversial revelation of this leak is related to Samsung's iconic stylus. Karoul claims that the S Pen included with the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not support Bluetooth connectivity features.

If this information is confirmed, it means that users will not be able to use the S Pen as a remote control — a feature popularized in previous generations that allowed taking photos ("click-to-capture"), controlling slideshows, or pausing music remotely with a click of the pen's button. This would not, however, be an absolute first. Samsung had already removed Bluetooth capabilities in the previous generation, the S25 Ultra, likely justifying the decision with space considerations, the stylus's battery life, or simply usage data indicating that few consumers took advantage of this remote tool.

With the visual confirmation of the design and dimensions, Samsung now needs to focus on the device's internals during the official event. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be powered by a custom "Snapdragon S8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy" processor, promising unprecedented levels of performance and Artificial Intelligence processing.

Confirmation of all these details will take place at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, scheduled for February 25th in San Francisco. Until then, this "hands-on" video has already cleared up much of the physical mystery surrounding the most important launch in the Android ecosystem at the start of this year.

mundophone

DIGITAL LIFE

Splinternet: How digital blackouts that block web access are becoming cheaper and easier to impose

During the digital blackout imposed by Iran in January, the population could still access something resembling the internet. It was possible to exchange messages on government-monitored apps, watch videos on local platforms, and read state news. What was not possible was accessing international media or disseminating images and reports about the repression that left thousands dead in one of the most violent weeks in the country's recent history.

The analysis comes from The Guardian, which points to the advance of the so-called "splinternet": the fragmentation of the global network into national versions, controlled by governments.

The Iranian case is not isolated. More than half of Russia's regions already operate with limited access to mobile internet, restricted to government-approved content. China maintains its "great firewall," blocking global platforms like Google and The Guardian itself. Authorities in Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have also been testing targeted outages.

For nearly two decades, the United States funded censorship circumvention tools that made dividing the internet expensive and complex. These programs helped maintain the network as a "global common good," where information accessible in London could also be read in Delhi, Johannesburg, or São Paulo. Today, this model is under pressure.

Censorship technology becomes exportable...On one hand, cuts or redirections in American funding weaken anti-censorship initiatives. On the other, blocking and filtering technologies are being improved and exported.

Chinese companies sell equipment that allows precise control over data traffic, enabling governments to define what enters and leaves the country. According to the Guardian, similar technologies underpin the current Iranian digital control model.

For experts, the risk is clear: when governments want to avoid international scrutiny, they shut down the internet.

Fragmentation as State Policy...Building an isolated internet is not simple. The network was conceived as decentralized and interdependent. Still, the Iranian example suggests that fragmentation is becoming more viable and potentially cheaper.

Russia and other authoritarian regimes have been working for years to create national versions of the internet, capable of operating autonomously if disconnected from the rest of the world.

In parallel, the discourse on "sovereign data," "sovereign AI," and, in some cases, "sovereign internet" is growing in the West. European countries advocate keeping critical infrastructure and databases, such as health records, within their own borders.

Although this strategy is seen as protection against the growing influence of American big tech companies, critics warn that the nationalization of infrastructure could facilitate abuses if authoritarian governments take power.

The future of the internet as a common space...Digital activists have been pressuring the European Union to assume some of the funding previously provided by the US for anti-censorship technologies. But there are doubts about resources and political priority.

In a scenario of increasing geopolitical tensions, defense and traditional security tend to occupy the top of the agenda. Nevertheless, what is at stake is the global informational environment: the shared factual basis that underpins markets, international politics, and even the functioning of democracies.

If this trend consolidates, the internet may cease to be a global and open network and become a mosaic of walled national gardens, each with its own rules, filters, and versions of reality.

Splinternet (or fragmented/Balkanized internet) is the division of the global network into distinct national or regional sub-networks, driven by political, commercial, and security factors. Governments establish digital sovereignty, censoring content and restricting access to foreign platforms to control information, resulting in digital "islands" like the Chinese Great Firewall.

Key aspects of Splinternet (below):

-Geopolitical fragmentation: Cyberspace is dividing along national borders, with countries like China, Russia, and Iran creating their own versions of the network.

-Censorship and control: States use technology to block social networks (e.g., Facebook, X/Twitter) and news sites, aiming for social control and national security.

-Accelerated by nationalism: The process is driven by geopolitical tensions, where the Ukraine-Russia conflict intensified Russian digital isolation.

-Economic impact: Local companies emerge (e.g., Tencent, Yandex) at the expense of Western giants (Google, Meta), also fragmenting the digital market.

Consequences: The "splinternet" limits the free flow of information, promotes state propaganda, increases misinformation, and fragments users' worldviews.

mundophone