In Europe, the prices of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards were much higher than in the U.S.- the cheapest one will cost €1099

NVIDIA before the announcement of graphics cards GeForce RTX 40-series reduced the recommended prices for previous generation graphics cards in Europe (for example, GeForce RTX 3090 became cheaper by €350).
At the same time the company significantly raised the price of graphics cards GeForce RTX 40-series compared to its predecessors, and in Europe, the price increase was much more significant than in the U.S.
Source image: NVIDIA The recommended prices in the U.S.
for GeForce RTX 4090, RTX 4080 16GB and RTX 4080 12GB models are $1,599, $1,199 and $899 (excluding VAT).
By comparison, at the launch of sales the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB video card in the U.S.
was priced at $699.
It turns out that the most affordable version of the GeForce RTX 4080 is $200 more expensive than its predecessor.
In turn, the GeForce RTX 4080 16GB in the U.S.
was $400 more expensive than the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB.
And the flagship GeForce RTX 4090 is valued at $ 100 more expensive than the GeForce RTX 3090, but at the same time for $ 400 cheaper than the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.The situation with the recommended prices in Europe is much worse.
For example, in Germany the most affordable videocard of a new generation - GeForce RTX 4080 12GB - is evaluated by NVIDIA at 1099 euros (which is about the same as $1090)! In turn, GeForce RTX 4080 16GB and GeForce RTX 4090 got recommended prices of 1469 and 1949 euros respectively.Of course, German prices include VAT, which is 19%.
However, in the past, European prices were not that much different from American prices.
For example, the already mentioned GeForce RTX 3080 10GB got a recommended price tag of 719 euros in Germany.
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti was sold in the U.S.
and Germany for the same price of 1199, the only difference is that in the U.S.
it was dollars, and in Germany - the euro.But now the difference has become huge - the European were more than 20% higher than the American.
And this applies not only to Germany, but to all of Europe.
For example in Poland the cheapest video card of new generation is valued at 5,299 zlotys or 1,117 euros according to the current exchange rate.

European store has revealed Ryzen 7000 retail prices: 16-core - €851, 6-core - €371

AMD Ryzen 7000 processors are expected to be released next week.
The range of recommended prices for the new items, depending on the model, ranges from $299 to $699.
But in Europe, it seems, the chips will cost significantly more.Image source: AMDThe Professional Review found new Ryzen 7000 processors in the database of one of the Spanish retailers.
There they are priced between €371 and €852 depending on the model.The flagship 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X is priced at €852 (recommended $699), the 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X at €699 (recommended $549), the eight-core Ryzen 7 7700X at €491 (recommended $399), and the junior six-core Ryzen 5 7600X at €371 (recommended $299).
Image source: XtremMedia.comThe significant difference in processor prices is partly due to the current currency conversion rate.
The cost of the euro is almost at parity with the dollar.
In addition, you need to add value added tax, which is 21% in Spain, as well as a few euros in the form of profit of the store itself.It should be noted that in the same Spanish store 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X model on the Zen 3 architecture is offered much cheaper.
Still the current flagship is given for €564, which is €288 cheaper.
For this difference you can easily find a very good motherboard with Socket AM4 socket.

NVDIA has lowered European prices on the senior GeForce RTX 3000 FE: markdown up to 900 euros

NVIDIA has lowered the recommended prices in Europe for select GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards in its own reference Founders Edition.
Unfortunately, we are not talking about all models of graphics cards, but only the three older ones: GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 Ti.Image source: NVIDIAThe price of the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card at the start of sales was 2249 euros.
Now you can buy this gas pedal for only 1329 euros, which means the difference is 920 euros.
The GeForce RTX 3090 videocard fell in price not so much - from 1549 to 1199 euros (by 350 euros), and the price of GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has decreased from 1199 to 1089 euros (minus 110 euros).The remaining models in the reference versions, namely GeForce RTX 3080, RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition, are still offered by NVIDIA more expensive than it was originally announced.
Their prices are about 5% higher than the recommended prices.
Source image: NVIDIA GermanyWhen writing the portal VideoCardz, reference versions of graphics gas pedals NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series have dropped in price in Germany, France and Spain.Image source: VideoCardzWith the reduction of the reference graphics cards, it is very likely, should be even more cheaper non-reference versions of these gas pedals.
According to the German site Geizhals, the cost of graphics cards from NVIDIA itself is almost equal to the prices of non-standard gas pedals.

Samsung SDI seeks partner to build battery plant in Europe

Samsung SDI's decision last month to build a $2.5 billion traction battery plant in the United States with automaker Stellantis may not be the last of its kind.
Korean media reports that formal head of Samsung Lee Jae-yong (Lee Jae-yong) during his visit to Europe may find a partner among the automakers to organize the local production of traction batteries for electric cars.Image source: Samsung SDINot for sure, as explained by Business Korea, this partner will be Stellantis, because the issue will be discussed during the visit of Samsung Electronics vice-president to Germany, where the position of the auto industry is traditionally strong.
The European subdivision Samsung SDI already has enterprises in Hungary and Austria, while the new site will have to be developed jointly with one of the interested carmakers.
The program of Samsung's European visit also includes visits to the headquarters of Siemens and Infineon Technologies.
The Korean conglomerate has a long-standing relationship with the former, and the latter could reportedly be an asset Samsung would like to buy.
Lee Jae-yong will also visit the Netherlands, Belgium, Britain and France.
In the first of these countries, he is interested in talks with ASML on the supply of lithographic equipment, and in the second, he will talk to the authorities of the united Europe about the possibility of Samsung receiving subsidies if it builds new plants in the region.

The Swedish company Northvolt has started commercial deliveries of traction batteries manufactured in Europe

Europe has managed to become the second largest market for electric cars after China, ahead of the US, but without localizing production it is impossible to achieve acceptable prices, and the process itself entails organizing battery production in the vicinity of assembly lines.
Northvolt has recently started supplying its first mass-produced batteries to customers.Image source: NorthvoltThe enterprises of South Korean companies producing lithium batteries have long been present in Europe and the Chinese one under the brand CATL will soon start operating, but there have been no \"native European\" companies in this segment so far.
Thus, as Automotive News Europe explains, the Swedish company Northvolt has become the first European supplier of locally produced lithium batteries for customers in the region.
The first batches of traction batteries were shipped to customers last week, although Korean media reports claim that Northvolt's yields are not yet that high and that its equipment needs to be replaced with more reliable ones as a matter of urgency.
The company now employs about a thousand people but is adding an average of 150 each month and could eventually reach not 3,000 but the full 4,000 workforce.
Northvolt has already managed to collect $50 billion in orders from electric car manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and its subsidiary Polestar.In Norway, Northvolt simultaneously started a joint venture with Hydro to recycle end-of-life traction batteries.
It has become the largest in Europe and will be able to recycle 25,000 traction batteries each year.
The processes involved will recover for recycling a significant portion of the raw materials, which at the current rate of growth in electric vehicles will constantly become more expensive and remain in short supply.
One of the founders of Tesla, Jeffrey Brian Straubel, predicts that over time the electric car industry will be able to fully meet its needs in raw materials for traction batteries just by recycling already used batteries.
However, with an average service life of 15 years, we will have to be patient before such predictions become a reality.

Tesla Supercharger stations are now available in the UK, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Austria to charge any electric vehicle

Tesla is expanding the presence of \"open\" Supercharger charging stations in Europe - not only Tesla electric vehicles, but also traction batteries of other manufacturers' cars can be charged at them.
While previously a similar program operated at some Supercharger stations in the Netherlands, Norway and France, now Tesla charging stations have become available to everyone in the UK, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Austria.Image source: johnjakob/pixabay.comSince last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked about expanding the program to charge any electric vehicles at Tesla stations in the United States, but how the project will be implemented is not yet reported.
There, local Superchargers use Tesla proprietary ports, while Europe uses the CCS2 standard, which supports most local electric vehicles - in accordance with local laws.
What's more, North American electric vehicles, for the most part, have CCS1 charging ports, and variants like the Nissan Leaf have CHAdeMO charging ports.Residents of European countries participating in the pilot program can find compatible charging stations in the Tesla app.
If a user owns both a Tesla and another electric vehicle, they can search the app for the right Supercharger for each type.
In addition to the electricity fee, owners of third-party vehicles will have to pay an additional fee, which is also listed in the app.