"The rivalry between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos is shifting from rockets to AI infrastructure. Both entrepreneurs envision a future in which data centers no longer operate on Earth but in orbit around the planet, a market with potentially enormous value. Blue Origin has been researching the technology needed to operate computing clusters in space for some time."
"The concept faces major technical hurdles. Satellites that run AI models must operate at a level currently achievable only in large data centers on Earth. Critics expect that costs, risks, and physical limitations in space will limit the business case for the time being. Proponents, on the other hand, point to advantages such as virtually unlimited solar energy and the elimination of restrictions on land and grid capacity."
"Nevertheless, interest is growing. Google and Planet Labs want to launch two test satellites with AI chips in 2027. That mission should demonstrate that clusters of orbital systems can function as fully-fledged computing platforms. According to Google, thousands of satellites are needed for a one-gigawatt data center. Even if successful, there is still a long way to go to make the concept scalable and affordable."
"Bezos also sees opportunities. During a meeting in Italy, he stated that data centers will eventually be more logical in space due to the constant availability of solar energy. Meanwhile, Blue Origin is continuing to work on New Glenn, the rocket designed to launch large numbers of satellites. Interest extends beyond the big three. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is said to have investigated whether his organization should acquire a launch company to bring AI capacity into space itself."
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are shifting competition from launch vehicles to orbital AI infrastructure and satellite-based data centers. Both envision data centers operating in orbit to exploit continuous solar energy and avoid terrestrial land and grid limits. Blue Origin has developed technology for computing clusters in space while SpaceX plans Starlink satellites to carry AI hardware. Technical hurdles include matching Earth-based data center performance, managing costs, risks, and physical constraints. Google and Planet Labs plan two AI-chip test satellites in 2027 to assess cluster viability. Thousands of satellites would be required for gigawatt-scale capacity, and other companies are exploring launch or prototype options.
Read at Techzine Global
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