- Google and SpaceX are reportedly in talks for data centers in orbit
- It is the infrastructure in which many large technology companies invest
- However, there are concerns about how feasible the technology actually is
A lot of effort and money is going into plans to put data centers in space – mostly to meet the growing demands for AI processing – and Google and SpaceX are now reportedly in talks to clutter up Earth’s orbit even more.
According to The Wall Street Journal and “people familiar with the discussions,” talks are underway between the two tech giants. Google would provide the data centers and SpaceX would provide the rockets to get them where they need to be.
There aren’t many other details here, though the report says Google is discussing its options with “other rocket launch companies.” It’s a sensitive time for SpaceX, with an IPO expected in just a few months, and deals like this certainly wouldn’t hurt the company’s valuation.
It’s also worth noting that Google owns 6.1% of SpaceX. Google has made no secret of its plans to put data centers in space: “There’s no doubt in my mind that in a decade or so we’ll see it as a more normal way to build data centers,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Fox News in an interview last November.
But can it work?
Given that so many big companies are investing in this technology, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all ready to go – but that’s not quite the case.
As it stands, the technology isn’t currently available due to various technical challenges, and people like OpenAI’s Sam Altman don’t think this is a viable idea in the short term.
On the plus side: there’s a lot of space up in the room (though not quite as much as there used to be), and a lot of power, thanks to the constant availability of solar energy. There would be no need to disrupt neighborhoods or overload the power grid every time a huge new data center had to be built.
However, this is also incredibly expensive and incredibly difficult from a technical perspective. Current data center technology is not built to withstand the extremes of space conditions, and there is also the question of how repairs can be carried out in orbit.
For those who fully believe in the future of technology, these problems can be overcome with time, funding and further research. However, it will be a while before we see this work on a large scale.
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