{"id":16390,"date":"2026-01-14T13:22:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/14\/the-download-next-gen-nuclear-and-the-data-center-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:22:57","slug":"the-download-next-gen-nuclear-and-the-data-center-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/14\/the-download-next-gen-nuclear-and-the-data-center-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: next-gen nuclear, and the data center backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is today\u2019s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

How next-generation nuclear reactors break out of the 20th-century blueprint\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The popularity of commercial nuclear reactors has surged in recent years as worries about climate change and energy independence drowned out concerns about meltdowns and radioactive waste. The problem is, building nuclear power plants is expensive and slow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A new generation of nuclear power technology could reinvent what a reactor looks like\u2014and how it works. Advocates hope that new tech can refresh the industry and help replace fossil fuels without emitting greenhouse gases. \u00a0Here\u2019s what that might look like<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

Next-gen nuclear<\/a>\u00a0is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies this year. If you want to learn more about why it made the list,\u00a0sign up to receive The Spark<\/a>, our weekly newsletter all about energy and climate change, tomorrow. You can also check out the rest of the technologies on the list\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Data centers are amazing. Everyone hates them.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The hyperscale datacenter is a marvel of our age. A masterstroke of engineering across multiple disciplines. They are nothing short of a technological wonder. People hate them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

People hate them in Virginia, which leads the nation in their construction. They hate them in Nevada, where they slurp up the state\u2019s precious water. They hate them in Michigan, and Arizona, and South Dakota. They hate them all around the world, it\u2019s true. But they really hate them in Georgia.\u00a0Read our story about why they\u2019re provoking so much fury<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Mat Honan<\/em><\/p>\n

This story first featured in The Debrief with Mat Honan, a weekly newsletter about the biggest stories in tech from our editor in chief.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get the next one in your inbox on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Iran is systematically crippling Starlink<\/strong>
The satellite internet service is meant to be impossible to jam\u2014<\/em>but the Iranian authorities are doing just that. (Rest of World<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+\u00a0Messages getting around Iran\u2019s internet block suggest that thousands of people have been killed.<\/em>\u00a0(NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0On the ground in Ukraine\u2019s largest Starlink repair shop.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 Studies claiming microplastics harm us are being called into question<\/strong>
Some scientists say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. (The Guardian<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 Trump is trying to temper the data center backlash\u00a0<\/strong>
He hopes cajoling tech companies to pay more and thus reduce people\u2019s energy bills will do the trick. (WP<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+\u00a0Microsoft has just become the first tech company to promise it will do just that.<\/em>\u00a0(NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0We know AI is power hungry. But just how big is the scale of the problem?<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 US emissions jumped last year<\/strong>
Thanks to a combination of rising electricity demand, and more coal being burned to meet it. (NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0But it\u2019s not all bad news: coal power generation in India and China finally started to decline.\u00a0<\/em>(The Guardian<\/a>)
+\u00a0Four bright spots in climate news in 2025.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

5 Elon Musk needs to face consequences for his actions<\/strong>
If we tolerate him unleashing a flood of harassment of women and children, what will come next? (The Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+\u00a0The US Senate has passed a bill that could give non-consensual deepfake victims a new way to fight back.\u00a0<\/em>(The Verge<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

6 Why the US is set to lose the race back to the moon\u00a0<\/strong>\"\ud83d\ude80\"\"\ud83c\udf14\"
Cuts to NASA aren\u2019t helping, but they\u2019re not the only problem. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

7 Google\u2019s Veo AI model can now turn portrait images into vertical videos<\/strong>
Really slick ones, too. (The Verge<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0AI-generated influencers are sharing fake images of them in bed with celebrities on Instagram.<\/em>\u00a0(404 Media<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

8 Former NYC mayor Eric Adams has been accused of a crypto \u2018pump and dump\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>
He promoted a token that saw its market cap briefly soar to $580 million before plummeting. (Coindesk<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 Are you a middle manager? Here\u2019s some good news for you<\/strong>
Your skills are not being replaced by AI any time soon. (Quartz<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 Even miniscule lifestyle tweaks can extend your lifespan<\/strong>
A study of 60,000 adults found just a little bit more sleep and exercise makes a huge difference. (New Scientist<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Aging hits us in our 40s and 60s. But well-being doesn\u2019t have to fall off a cliff.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m hopeful for in \u201926 is for more people speaking up. Speaking truth to power is the point of freedom of speech, is the point of American society.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman tells\u00a0Wired<\/a>\u00a0he wants more people in Silicon Valley to start pushing back against the Trump administration this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

One more thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"two<\/p>\n
DEEP LEARNING INDABA 2024<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What Africa needs to do to become a major AI player<\/h4>\n

Africa is still early in the process of adopting AI technologies. But researchers say the continent is uniquely hospitable to it for several reasons, including a relatively young and increasingly well-educated population, a rapidly growing ecosystem of AI startups, and lots of potential consumers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, ambitious efforts to develop AI tools that answer the needs of Africans face numerous hurdles. Taken together, researchers worry, they could hold Africa\u2019s AI sector back and hamper its efforts to pave its own pathway in the global AI race.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Abdullahi Tsanni<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet \u2019em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Still keen to do a bit of reflecting on the year behind and the one ahead? This\u00a0free guide<\/a>\u00a0might help!
+ Turns out British comedian Rik Mayall had some\u00a0pretty solid life advice<\/a>.
+ I want to stay in this\u00a0house<\/a>\u00a0in S\u00e3o Paolo.\u00a0\u00a0
+ If you want to stop doomscrolling, it\u2019s worth\u00a0looking at your\u00a0sleep habits<\/a>. ($)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of\u00a0The Download,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16390\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}