InfoPower

The crown jewel of Industrial Revolution 4.0 is AI. As of March of 2026, many corporations are embracing it, but some are shunning it fearing they will lose employees. However, those favoring AI claim it will create more jobs for humans as well as new industries. There’s no denying, however, that AI sees the digital world like a black hole sees suns, moons, and planets at a galactic buffet, the former digesting and disseminating everything on the Web in yottabytes and Yoctoseconds. Obvious questions arise. None more important than which country will become the AI superpower. Will said country shut down its most powerful enemy’s electric grids and water treatment stations just to ensure world dominance? Pop culture is replete with computer and computer-aided villains from Star Trek to 2001: A Space Odessey, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Spectre, and a host of others. Should humans embrace or brace for AI? Is Vegas already cashing in on its algorithms? Will it give us odds on which country will become the AI superpower? So many questions.

While it’s true that many countries outside of the continental U.S. use North American plugs, and many countries beyond the continent of Europe use European plugs, the majority of countries have their own proprietary plug patterns that adhere to their own standards as well as its safety agency or agencies of choice. Complicated? Yes, and no.

UL 94 Testing Underwriters Laboratories’ (UL) 94 Standard for Safety Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances defines acceptable flammability ratings of plastic materials for parts in devices and appliances in North America, including cord sets. The First Edition of UL 94 appeared in September of 1972. On September 16, 1988, the Department of Defense (DoD) adopted UL 94.

Note: Though the CEE 7 standard was superseded by the IEC 60083 standard, many of the plugs and sockets have changed little in design—but perhaps more in material—since the last CEE 7 update was published. Despite the very earliest CEE 7 plugs and sockets having been more or less obsoleted, you will still find a few of them hiding out indoors in a few countries—specifically CEE 7/1 and 7/2, which were not grounded (earthed) plugs and sockets. However, the 7/3 German Type F socket that came soon after the 7/1 and 7/2 was the first grounded socket in the CEE 7 series.

What the IEC Does and Doesn’t Do The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), né Commission électrotechnique internationale, is an international standards organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, which writes and publishes international standards. IEC standards have been adopted by a majority of nations worldwide. Unlike safety agencies such as UL or VDE, the IEC does not test or certify its IEC 60320 electrical components—the safety agencies do that. While the standards are not codified or enforced by the IEC, the agencies representing countries worldwide—such as those listed above—can demand compliance from manufacturers to meet IEC standards as written. In Europe alone, 80% of European and electronic standards are IEC standards.