Tag: data centers
-
NASA Administrator Backs Solar-Powered AI Data Centers in Earth Orbit
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has endorsed placing artificial intelligence data centers in Earth orbit, arguing that space-based computing could draw directly on abundant solar energy while reducing pressure on terrestrial power grids, water supplies and land. Isaacman outlined the concept in an August 26, 2026, interview with Nexstar DC. He described the sun as a…
-
NASA Chief Floats Orbital Data Centers as AI Infrastructure Push Extends Into Space
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has publicly endorsed the idea of placing data centers in orbit, arguing that space-based computing infrastructure could eventually address growing concerns over the energy consumption, land use, and local opposition associated with terrestrial AI facilities. Speaking on a recent podcast appearance, Isaacman suggested that future data centers could take advantage of…
-
Why Is China Going to Such Lengths to Send Computing Power into Space?
China is working to give satellites an additional “brain” by combining artificial intelligence and onboard computing with traditional space capabilities. The objective is not simply to process data in orbit, but eventually to enable autonomous spacecraft, robotic servicing and the construction of large-scale computing infrastructure and human bases in space. What Is Space-Based Computing? Space-based…
-
SpaceXAI Selects Nvidia Vera CPUs to Power Agentic AI on Earth and Future Orbital Computing Systems
SpaceXAI has selected Nvidia’s Vera CPU architecture and the broader Vera Rubin platform to support its next-generation agentic artificial intelligence infrastructure, marking a significant expansion of the partnership between Elon Musk’s AI ambitions and Nvidia’s rapidly growing AI computing ecosystem. The announcement positions Nvidia’s first CPU specifically designed for AI agents at the center of…
-
Starcloud Secures $250 Million to Expand Orbital Data Center Ambitions Amid Growing Launch Capacity Crunch
Starcloud has raised a $250 million extension to its Series A financing round, giving the orbital computing startup fresh capital as it races to deploy space-based AI infrastructure in an increasingly competitive launch market. The new funding values the company at approximately $2.3 billion and comes just months after Starcloud achieved unicorn status with a…
-
AI plus IP: Sophia Space and Caltech secure a patent for orbital data centers that use passive cooling
An artist’s conception shows a data center satellite that makes use of Sophia Space’s tile-based architecture. (Sophia Space Illustration) Sophia Space has secured a patent for a technology that could pave the way for solar-powered orbital data centers that passively radiate excess heat into space. Developed in partnership with Caltech, Sophia’s architecture tackles a major…
-
Symphony Space Unveils Orbital Data Center Platform With Upgradeable AI Hardware
Virginia-based startup Symphony Space has unveiled a new orbital data center platform designed to support artificial intelligence workloads in space, expanding its ambitions beyond hosted payload services and into the rapidly emerging market for space-based computing infrastructure. The new platform, known as Adagio-XL, builds on the company’s previously announced Adagio hosted payload satellite and is…
-
SpaceX Unveils AI1 Orbital Computing Satellite Ahead of Planned IPO
SpaceX has revealed plans for a new satellite designed to function as a data center in orbit, marking a significant expansion beyond the company’s traditional focus on communications and launch services. The spacecraft, called AI1, is intended to serve as the first generation of a future constellation of computing satellites capable of processing artificial intelligence…
-
Orbital AI: Seattle-area startup Starcloud hits $1.1B valuation to build space-based data centers
Image of a Starcloud deployment of its space-based data center. (Starcloud Photo) Starcloud, a startup building solar-powered data centers that operate in space, announced $170 million in new funding Monday, vaulting it to unicorn status with a $1.1 billion valuation. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is now the fastest in Y Combinator history to hit that…
-
51,600 more satellites? Blue Origin adds another twist to the data center space race with Project Sunrise
An artist’s conception shows a constellation of satellites in orbit. (OneWeb Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is asking the Federal Communications Commission for authority to send up to 51,600 data center satellites into low Earth orbit, signaling its entry into an increasingly crowded space race. The proposed constellation, dubbed Project Sunrise, would complement…