The Download: soccer’s data renaissance and China’s big nuclear plans

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. Inside soccer’s data renaissance Imagine tuning in to the opening kickoff of a World Cup match and seeing a player intentionally kick the ball out of bounds. You may question the logic of surrendering possession seconds into a game. If you were Jesse Davis, though, you’d know that this play could be a prime setup to score. Davis is a professor of computer science at KU Leuven in Belgium and head of its Sports Analytics Lab, which has been at the vanguard of a data awakening in soccer. Using AI and data analytics, his team has uncovered hidden tactical patterns and challenged long-held assumptions about how the game should be played. Many of the insights hitting soccer pitches today trace back to the lab’s work. Read the full story on how computer scientists are changing the world’s most popular sport . —Andrew Zaleski This story is from the next edition of our magazine. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands! Why China is betting on big nuclear reactors In China, large reactors are coming together at a stunning pace. The country has nearly doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearly 60 gigawatts of total power capacity. Construction started on six new reactors in 2025, and two more have begun in 2026. It’s incredibly difficult to build the massive projects that dominate the nuclear industry today. Up-front investment can run well into the billions, and designs are complex. Yet China is moving ahead rapidly. By 2030, the country is on course to overtake both the US and the EU in installed nuclear capacity. Find out why bigger might be better when it comes to nuclear power . —Casey Crownhart This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Autonomous drones may have killed soldiers for the first time A drone-maker said Russian troops were killed in a test. ( New Scientist $) + The US has used a sea drone to rescue a helicopter’s crew. ( NYT $) + Europe has a drone-filled vision for war. ( MIT Technology Review ) 2 Solar power has finally surpassed coal in US electricity generation It’s the leading source of new power. ( Guardian ) + Meanwhile, Trump is increasing coal investments. ( BBC ) + The US is in a power struggle over coal. ( MIT Technology Review ) 3 Russia’s FSB has taken control of the country’s internet The KGB successor now determines access. ( Financial Times $) + Rage over the restrictions is boiling over. ( NYT $) 4 OpenAI says China is fomenting dissent over AI on ChatGPT It claims to have foundinfluence operations on the bot. ( Reuters $) + The propaganda also targeted data centers and tariffs. ( Politico $) 5 SpaceX’s listing price is expected to be revealed today It could lead to the biggest IPO ever. ( NPR ) + And turn 4,400 employees into millionaires. ( NYT $) 6 EPA scientists say they’re pushed to downplay risks of household products They’re under pressure to alter reviews of chemicals in products. ( CNN ) 7 Anthropic has walked back a policy that “sabotaged” research It would have limited Claude’s ability to develop competing AI models. ( Wired $) 8 Congress wants in on the data center backlash Members are jumping on the fervor with new policy plans. ( Axios ) + Should we be moving data centers to space? ( MIT Technology Review ) 9 Your search results are getting sloptimized Companies are gaming the chatbot internet. ( Atlantic $) 10 Scientists have discovered that humans prefer to walk anticlockwise It’s a discovery that could improve crowd and evacuation management. ( Guardian ) Quote of the day “We’re the extracted and exploited colony of what is going to be one of the most highly valued entities in the world. Peo