While the media attention is focused on other things, one piece of news is going almost unnoticed: in China, the company Betavolt has announced the start of mass production of a nuclear battery the size of a coin, capable of supplying energy for 50 years. No need to recharge and no dangerous radiation emissions.
The BV100, powered by the radioactive isotope nickel-63, converts beta decay into electricity using diamond semiconductors. The prototype, which provides a nominal voltage of about 3 volts and a power of 100 microwatts, is up and running and is poised to power a new generation of autonomous technologies. It is billed as a game-changer for satellites, industrial sensors, and medical devices. But it doesn’t adequately emphasize its military applications: the age of cyborgs is about to begin!
At the moment, the power delivered by a single BV100 cell is clearly insufficient for energy-intensive applications. However, with a view to modular oversizing of the battery pack - that is, assembling hundreds or thousands of microcells - and with the technological evolution already announced, a significant improvement in performance is expected. This will allow the creation of increasingly powerful, scalable systems capable of meeting the operational needs of increasingly sophisticated autonomous platforms.
In the coming years, a further reduction in size and a significant increase in energy yield will take place. This means that modules as large as a cell phone or car battery will be able to power families of robotic systems that will operate for decades.
So far, energy limitations have been a brake on the development of fully autonomous and miniaturized systems. We are no longer talking about remote-controlled drones or exoskeletons tied to lithium batteries that need replacing after a few hours. These are combat units with autonomous (or independent!) artificial intelligence, equipped with sensors active 24 hours a day, capable of learning on the field, striking with precision and - crucially - resisting on the front for weeks, months, years, even without a logistics chain.
The iconic images at the Terminator did they seem like distant visions? Reality has not only reached them: it has surpassed them. A military cyborg is now a concrete line of development and obliged. The scenario changes radically: an electronic brain does not tremble, does not sleep, does not complain. It does not need pay, overtime, shifts, or legal protection. There are no unions, no holidays. No safety regulations can slow down its use. It is designed to fight in any condition. And it will, always.
But there is a flaw: every ethical constraint imposed on combat AI represents an advantage for the adversary. While in the West there is discussion of protocols and regulations to guarantee a “responsible use” of artificial intelligence in war, in China they have already experimented with entrusting entire chains of command to autonomous systems. It is no longer the man who pulls the trigger: it is an advanced algorithm that decides whether to do so. And in a direct confrontation, whoever forces AI to wait for human authorization will lose against those who have programmed it to react instantly.
The war in Ukraine has shown starkly that 1.000 deaths per day (on each side) is an unsustainable rate for any Western country. There is no public opinion, nor a political culture, capable of sustaining a prolonged symmetrical conflict. A “war without victims” - at least on the friendly front - has therefore become a necessity, not a "choice". And "killer" artificial intelligences (suicide drones, loitering munitions...), have been operating - on a smaller scale - for years and on many fronts.
The war machine of the future will be small, autonomous, tireless and, above all, replaceable. Once produced, it will be able to fight for years without maintenance, without food, without permits.
Every biological component now represents a limit: in terms of training, duration, fragility, pain, error.
As China and the US accelerate toward this new frontier, some questions should emerge forcefully: Which weapons models should we favor? Does it still make sense to finance traditional, manned combat systems, ignoring intelligent machines capable of operating without human limitations?
The technologies exist. Are European companies already developing components and algorithms for systems capable of competing and winning against the adversaries that will inevitably appear in front of us? Or will we be defeated and subjected to the regimes and rules that will be imposed on us?
Ignoring this race is not an option. It is choosing to lose.
Images: OpenAI / Betavolt
