Big Tech Eyes Data Centers in Orbit
▼ Summary
– AI data centers are rapidly increasing electricity demand and emissions, with their power consumption potentially rising by 165% by 2030.
– OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other tech leaders have proposed placing data centers in space to address environmental concerns and energy needs.
– Startups like Starcloud, Axiom, and Lonestar are already developing orbital data center concepts, supported by millions in funding.
– Space-based solar power technology could potentially provide cheaper and continuous energy for these facilities, as demonstrated by recent research.
– Significant technical and resource challenges remain for building large-scale orbital data centers, despite decreasing launch costs and advancing solar technology.
The relentless expansion of data centers is placing unprecedented strain on energy grids, driving up emissions, and consuming vast quantities of water. Artificial intelligence facilities alone could see electricity demand surge by 165 percent before 2030, with more than half their power still sourced from fossil fuels. This trend threatens to undermine global climate progress, prompting some of tech’s most influential figures to propose a radical alternative: launching data centers into orbit.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently speculated about a future where data centers cover much of the Earth’s surface, a scenario he described as almost inevitable given current investment trends. He acknowledged public concern, particularly from environmental groups, and floated the idea of moving these energy-intensive operations off-planet. “Maybe we put them in space,” he remarked during a public discussion, though he admitted the concept remains largely theoretical.
Altman isn’t alone in exploring this futuristic vision. Industry heavyweights including Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt have also expressed interest in orbital data centers. Altman even referenced the concept of a Dyson sphere, a hypothetical structure built around a star to harness its energy, though such a project would demand resources far beyond Earth’s capacity and could render the planet uninhabitable.
More grounded proposals are already taking shape. Startups like Starcloud, Axiom, and Lonestar Data Systems have secured millions in funding to develop orbital data center technology. With over 5,400 data centers already operating across the United States, a number growing rapidly, the appeal of space-based solutions is clear. These facilities are projected to consume up to 12 percent of the nation’s electricity within four years. Moving them into orbit could provide continuous solar power while eliminating local pollution from noise, air, and water impacts.
Scientific groundwork for the concept already exists. Ali Hajimiri, an electrical engineering professor at Caltech, filed a patent in 2016 for a “massively parallel computational system in space”, essentially a data center in orbit. Since then, rocket launch costs have dropped to approximately $1,500 per kilogram, and solar panel technology has become lighter and more efficient. Hajimiri’s team recently designed a lightweight space-based solar array capable of generating electricity at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, cheaper than many terrestrial alternatives.
While the technology shows promise, significant hurdles remain. Hajimiri cautions that building data centers on the scale imagined by companies like OpenAI presents formidable engineering and logistical challenges. “I never want to say something cannot be done,” he noted, “but there are challenges associated with it.” For now, orbital data centers remain a compelling, if distant, prospect in the quest for sustainable digital infrastructure.
(Source: Wired)
