The Download: computing’s bright young minds, and cleaning up satellite streaks

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Meet tomorrow’s rising stars of computing

Each year, MIT Technology Review honors 35 outstanding people under the age of 35 who are driving scientific progress and solving tough problems in their fields.

Today we want to introduce you to the computing innovators on the list who are coming up with new AI chips and specialized datasets—along with smart ideas about how to assess advanced systems for safety.

Check out the full list of honorees—including our innovator of the year—here. 

Job titles of the future: Satellite streak astronomer

Earlier this year, the $800 million Vera Rubin Observatory commenced its decade-long quest to create an extremely detailed time-lapse movie of the universe.

Rubin is capable of capturing many more stars than any other astronomical observatory ever built; it also sees many more satellites. Up to 40% of images captured by the observatory within its first 10 years of operation will be marred by their sunlight-reflecting streaks.

Meredith Rawls, a research scientist at the telescope’s flagship observation project, Vera Rubin’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time, is one of the experts tasked with protecting Rubin’s science mission from the satellite blight. Read the full story.

—Tereza Pultarova

This story is from our new print edition, which is all about the future of security. Subscribe here to catch future copies when they land.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 China has accused Nvidia of violating anti-monopoly laws
As US and Chinese officials head into a second day of tariff negotiations. (Bloomberg $)
+ The investigation dug into Nvidia’s 2020 acquisition of computing firm Mellanox. (CNBC)
+ But China’s antitrust regulator hasn’t confirmed if it will punish it. (WSJ $)

2 The US is getting closer to making a TikTok deal
But it’s still prepared to go ahead with a ban if an agreement can’t be reached. (Reuters)

3 Grok spread misinformation about a far-right rally in London
It falsely claimed that police misrepresented old footage as being from the protest. (The Guardian)
+ Elon Musk called for a new UK government during a video speech. (Politico)

4 Here’s what people are really using ChatGPT for
Users are more likely to use it for personal, rather than work-related queries. (WP $)
+ Anthropic says businesses are using AI to automate, not collaborate. (Bloomberg $)
+ Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT. Clients are triggered. (MIT Technology Review)

5 How China’s Hangzhou became a global AI hub
Spawning not just Alibaba, but DeepSeek too. (WSJ $)
+ China and the US are completely dominating the global AI race. (Rest of World)
+ How DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbook. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Driverless car fleets could plunge US cities into traffic chaos
Are we really prepared? (Vox $)

7 The shipping industry is harnessing AI to fight cargo fires
The risk of deadly fires is rising due to shipments of batteries and other flammable goods. (FT $)

8 Sales of used EVs are sky-rocketing
Buyers are snapping up previously-owned bargains. (NYT $)
+ EV owners won’t be able to drive in carpool lanes any more. (Wired $)

9 A table-top fusion reactor isn’t as crazy as it sounds
This startup is trying to make compact reactors a reality. (Economist $)
+ Inside a fusion energy facility. (MIT Technology Review)

10 How a magnetic field could help clean up space
If we don’t, we could soon lose access to Earth’s low orbit altogether. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ The world’s next big environmental problem could come from space. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“If we’re going on a journey, they’re absolutely taking travel sickness tablets immediately. They’re not even considering coming in the car without them.”

—Phil Bellamy, an electric car owner, describes the extreme nausea his daughters experience while riding in his vehicle to the Guardian.

One more thing

Google, Amazon and the problem with Big Tech’s climate claims

Last year, Amazon trumpeted that it had purchased enough clean electricity to cover the energy demands of all its global operations, seven years ahead of its sustainability target.

That news closely followed Google’s acknowledgment that the soaring energy demands of its AI operations helped ratchet up its corporate emissions by 13% last year—and that it had backed away from claims that it was already carbon neutral.

If you were to take the announcements at face value, you’d be forgiven for believing that Google is stumbling while Amazon is speeding ahead in the race to clean up climate pollution.

But while both companies are coming up short in their own ways, Google’s approach to driving down greenhouse-gas emissions is now arguably more defensible. To learn why, read our story.

—James Temple

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Steven Spielberg was just 26 when he made Jaws? The more you know.
+ This tiny car’s huge racing track journey is completely hypnotic.
+ Easy dinner recipes? Yes please.
+ This archive of thousands of historical children’s books is a real treasure trove—and completely free to read.

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