Elon Musk and other tech leaders are planning to move artificial‑intelligence compute to orbit, envisioning satellite constellations that could host massive data‑center workloads. Early analyses, however, show that the cost of building and launching such orbital facilities far exceeds that of traditional ground‑based centers. High launch prices, expensive satellite manufacturing, thermal‑management challenges, radiation exposure, and limited solar‑panel lifespans all contribute to the unfavorable economics. While inference workloads may eventually find a niche in space, experts agree that significant technology breakthroughs and cost reductions are required before orbital AI becomes viable. Leer más →

Google is developing Project Suncatcher, a plan to place AI‑focused data centers on a free‑fall satellite constellation. The design calls for tightly spaced satellites—within a kilometer or even several hundred meters—to maintain power links, a formation tighter than any existing constellation but deemed feasible by Google’s models. To keep costs down, Google intends to reuse Earth‑based hardware, testing its durability by exposing its latest Cloud TPU to intense radiation. Prototype satellites could launch by early 2027, with broader deployment targeted for the mid‑2030s when launch costs may fall dramatically, offering a potential solution to the environmental and community challenges of terrestrial data centers. Leer más →