SpaceX and Google are in talks to launch data centers into orbit

SpaceX and Google are discussing a deal to launch orbital data centers, WSJreports , citing sources. Google, according to the newspaper, is also in talks with other companies providing launch services.

Orbital data centers are still an unrealized technology. The idea is to bring computing power to solar-powered satellites, solving the main problems of terrestrial AI infrastructure: energy and land shortages. Skeptics, however, point to a serious economic problem: according to calculations by an engineer at space startup Varda Space Industries, orbital computing so far costs about three times more than ground-based computing.

SpaceX is preparing the ground for this direction: in January, the company filed an application with the American regulator FCC to launch up to a million satellites for orbital data centers. Last week, Anthropic agreed to lease all the capacity of the Colossus 1 data center in Memphis - it was built by the SpaceX acquired company xAI, which itself moved to Colossus 2 - and at the same time expressed interest in joint orbital projects. The idea of ​​orbital data centers became the central element of SpaceX’s pitch to investors on the eve of the company’s IPO, which could become the largest in history (we told you more about the problems Musk’s space AI company encountered during its preparation here ).

Google, for its part, has been developing Project Suncatcher since November: together with Planet Labs, it is planned to launch two prototype satellites by 2027. Google is one of SpaceX's shareholders with a 6.1% stake, and company representative Don Harrison sits on SpaceX's board of directors.