data centers in space

Extracted Attributes

• Target Orbits

  Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Geostationary orbit

• Alternative Name

  Orbital AI infrastructure

• Cooling Mechanism

  Radiative cooling into deep space

• Primary Power Source

  Space-based solar power

• Environmental Benefit

  Zero fresh water consumption and reduced terrestrial grid burden

• Starcloud Unit Capacity

  40 megawatts (approximately 100 tons)

• Economic Viability Threshold

  $200 per kg launch cost

Timeline

• Starcloud releases a white paper detailing plans for gigawatt-scale AI compute in orbit. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-09-01

• Starcloud deploys an NVIDIA H100-class system and becomes the first to train an LLM in space. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-01-01

• SpaceX files plans with the FCC for millions of satellites to extend cloud and AI computing into orbit. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2026-01-01

• Blue Origin announces the TeraWave constellation of 5,400 satellites for high-throughput networking. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2026-01-15

• Projected date for orbital data centers to become cost-competitive with terrestrial facilities based on Google research. (Source: CivAI Blog)

  2035-01-01

Space-based data center

Space-based data centers or orbital AI infrastructure are proposed concepts to build AI data centers in the sun-synchronous orbit or other orbits utilizing space-based solar power. Electric power has become the main bottleneck for terrestrial AI infrastructure.

Web Search Results

• Inside The Startup Launching AI Data Centers Into Space - YouTube

  >> Yeah. So we see a world where almost all data centers, anything that doesn't require very low latency [music] is operating in space purely because of the constraints we're facing on energy terrestrially. And so we're building with a vision to build extremely large full 40 megawatt data centers. It's about 100 tons. It's what you can fit in one full Starship halo bay. And if this works, what does the world look like? It takes a huge burden off the grid on Earth. Both the grid and the water supply. The way that data centers on Earth keep cool is essentially they evaporate lots of fresh water. This is actually causing huge problems in certain parts of the US where they're just sucking the rivers and the lakes dry in order to keep these [music] data centers cool. Our data centers in space [...] initially to provide GPU compute to other satellites and then later to compete on energy cost even with terrestrial data centers. StarCloud's goal is to build the world's first orbital data centers. Massive GPU clusters powered by constant solar energy to run AI compute at scale. Operating in a sun-synchronous orbit, they'll draw uninterrupted sunlight for energy, radiate heat into deep space, and run with zero fresh water and much lower carbon emissions than data centers down here on Earth. By taking the cloud off Earth, StarCloud can scale almost indefinitely, free from land, grid, and cooling limitations and ultimately compete with the cost of the largest terrestrial data centers. Tell us more about how far along you are. We started about a year and a half ago. We've designed, built, [...] if something is too easy, it probably doesn't have the same potential outcome. And so we decided to do the biggest most ambitious thing we could and that's build almost all data centers in

• Are data centers in space the future of cloud storage?

  In their research, which will be published in a future scientific paper, the team outlines three possible scenarios for the data centers. The first two scenarios involve two satellites in the same orbit: one gathers data, while the other processes it. In the first, a small satellite detects wildfires and sends raw data to a larger satellite, which analyzes the data and transmits key findings to Earth. In the second, a satellite in LEO transfers unspecified data to a geostationary space data center (which rotates along the Earth’s orbit) that has the advantage of continuous ground station connectivity. The third scenario imagines a lunar lander acting as a data center, processing information from exploration rovers and sending relevant findings to Earth via a relay satellite. [...] Elsewhere in Europe, a team of IBM researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, has partnered with Poland’s KP Labs, a company focused on building AI-powered software and hardware for space applications, to study orbital data centers for the European Space Agency (ESA). [...] In addition to benefits such as lower costs and reduced environmental impact, space-based data stations could offer data availability to remote locations on Earth, connectivity during natural disasters and, theoretically, unlimited physical space for expansion. But there are hurdles, too. For one thing, it’s still really expensive to launch a satellite into orbit. (Lumen’s estimates hover at USD 8.2 million.) Latency issues because of distance might rule out certain applications, such as financial transactions. The severe environment of space, including the presence of cosmic radiation or space debris, could result in hardware failure or data corruption that’s difficult to repair.

• Data centers in space makes no sense - CivAI Blog

  Our Work Blog Press About Us Careers Donate Contact Us Our Work Contact Us Home › Blog › Data centers in space makes no sense # Data centers in space makes no sense • by Andrew Yoon SpaceX acquired xAI on Monday, forming a $1.25 trillion behemoth with the goal of sending data centers into space. They’re not alone either: Google and a host of startups like Lonestar, Axiom, and Nvidia-backed Starcloud are scrambling into the field. Endless solar power, free real estate, and most importantly, huge rockets! What more could you want? [...] A study from Google last year looked at the viability of doing AI in space. The authors envision a constellation of 81 satellites flying in close proximity, and argue that if the cost of launching stuff into low earth orbit fell to $200/kg, it could be competitive with an equivalent ground-based data center. They project this might happen around 2035 if SpaceX’s Starship program succeeds. But even if we stipulate that radiation, cooling, latency, and launch costs are all solved, other fundamental issues still make orbital data centers, at least as SpaceX understands them, a complete fantasy. Three in particular come to mind: [...] 3. Data centers in space only make sense if they are cost effective relative to normal data centers. This means that even if, in 2035, the cost of rockets and extremely specialized satellite hardware fall to the point where they’re competitive with an AI server today, they will still need to be competitive with the price of running a normal AI server in 2035, and for as long as data centers exist. Ground-based solar panels have been getting more cost effective for decades and show no sign of slowing down. With every improvement in normal energy production, data centers in space make less and less sense.

• These companies want to send data centers into space

  Data center power demand will increase 165% by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs. Some data centers use renewables, and others are being constructed with renewable energy generation on-site, but clean energy sources like solar and wind farms require physical space, as does data center infrastructure. Now, some are looking to put data centers into space, bypassing the problem of finding available land. Space also offers better access to solar energy, without the cloud cover, the darkness of nighttime or the seasonality of Earth. In Europe, the ASCEND project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of space-based data centers for reducing CO2 emissions. [...] “My view is that in 10 years’ time, almost all new data centers will be being built in space, purely because of the constraints we are facing on building new energy projects terrestrially,” Philip Johnston, its CEO, said in the email. The main challenges to overcome first are dissipating large amounts of heat in a vacuum and making the chips work in a high radiation environment, he added. Still, it’s very early days for the sector — and a giant leap to launch data centers big enough to offer an alternative to those on Earth. Cost will be key, with launch costs dependent on the weight of the payload. Related article Pioneering CO2-neutral data centers, windCORES hopes to revolutionize the IT industry. windCORES [...] Last year, France-based Thales Alenia Space, which led a European Commission-funded study into the feasibility of ASCEND, found that sending data centers to space to take advantage of continuous solar energy could offer “a more eco-friendly and sovereign solution for hosting and processing data.” But that would be contingent on technological advancements in several areas, said Xavier Roser of Thales Alenia Space. While the total emissions from rocket launches are currently only a fraction of those from the aviation industry, rockets release pollutants at higher altitudes, where they last longer.

• Space-based data center

  In the 21st century, advances in small satellites, reusable launch vehicles, and high-performance computing revived interest in space-based data centers, with governments and private companies exploring orbital or near-space platforms for edge computing, secure data handling, and low-latency processing of Earth-observation data. In September 2024, Y Combinator-backed Starcloud released a white paper detailing plans to build multiple gigawatts of AI compute in orbit. It was the first widely cited proposal to actually start building large orbital data centers. In 2025, Starcloud deployed an NVIDIA H100-class system and became the first company to train an LLM in space and run a version of Google Gemini in space. [...] [edit] Early thinking about space-based computing infrastructure grew out of mid-20th-century visions for large orbital industrial systems, most notably proposals for space-based solar power, which were popularized in both technical literature and science writing by figures such as Isaac Asimov in the 1940s. These ideas emphasized exploiting the vacuum, continuous solar energy, and thermal characteristics of space to support power-intensive activities that would be difficult or inefficient on Earth. [...] In January 2026, SpaceX filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for millions of satellites, leveraging reusable launches and Starlink integration to extend cloud and AI computing into orbit. Around the same time, Blue Origin announced the TeraWave constellation of about 5,400 satellites, designed to provide high‑throughput networking for data centers, enterprise, and government customers. Meanwhile, China announced a 200,000‑satellite constellation, focusing on state coordination, data sovereignty, and in-orbit processing for secure, time-critical applications. ## Feasibility [edit]