Thursday, March 12, 2026

Huge technological dreams of placing data centers in space

Share

First of all, systems that imagine that process data is relatively ponderous compared to those on Terra company. They would be constantly bombarded by radiation, and “aging would be a problem” because making repairs or improvements would be complex. Hajimiri believes that data centers in space could once be a real solution, but he hesitates to say when this day can come. “It would definitely be feasible in a few years,” he said. “The question is how effective and how profitable they would become.”

The idea of ​​simply placing data centers in orbit is not restricted to bold considerations of technology or a deeper thought of scientists. Even some selected officials in cities where companies such as Amazon hope to build data centers. Tucson, Arizona, member of the council of Nikki Lee waxed poetic about her potential during the August interrogation, in which the council unanimously He voted for the proposed data center in his city.

“Many people say that data centers do not belong to the desert,” Lee said. But “if this is really national priority”, you should focus on “putting federal dollars of research and development in looking at data centers that will exist in space. And it may sound for you all and a bit of science fiction, but this happens.”

This is true, but it happens on an experimental, not industrial scale. The startup called Starcloud hoped that in August he would introduce a satellite for the size of the fridge several NVIDIA systems, but the release date was pushed away. Lonestar Data Systems has landed a miniature data center, Wearing valuable information such as the song Imagine DragonsOn the moon a few months ago, although the landing machine fell over and died in this test. More such premieres are planned for the coming months. But “it is very difficult to predict how quickly this idea will become economically enforceable,” said Matthew Weinzierl, economist of Harvard University, who studies strength on the market in space. “Space data centers may have some niche applications, such as the processing of cosmic data and ensuring the possibility of national security,” he said. “To be a significant rival for land centers, they will have to compete for the costs and quality of services like everything else.”

For now, placing the data center in space is much more exorbitant Data center valleywhere the demand for power can double in the next decade If it remains unregulated. And as long as staying on Earth remains cheaper, companies motivated by profit will promote the expansion of the data converter.

However, there is one factor that can encourage OpenAI and others to look at the sky: there are not many regulations. Building data centers on Earth requires obtaining municipal permits, and companies can be hindered by local governments, whose residents are afraid that the development of the data center can pour water, raise bills for electricity or overheat the planet. Michelle Hanlon, a political artist and lawyer, in space, in space there are no neighbors that runs the Air and Space Law Center at the University of Mississippi. “If you are an American company that tries to place data centers in space, the faster, the better before the congress is:” Oh, we have to regulate it. “

Latest Posts

More News