The possibility of setting up data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) in space is very attractive. So much so that several CEOs of some of the largest technology companies in the US have not hesitated to get wet and ensure that support this strategy. Jeff Bezos predicted in early October 2025 that data centers will reach space over the next two decades with the purpose of solving in one fell swoop the power supply problems currently posed by these facilities on Earth.
Elon Musk did not take long to encourage the discussion even more. Shortly after Bezos’ statement posted a tweet in X in which he assured that SpaceX only needed to scale its Starlink V3 satellites equipped with high-speed laser links to bring this idea to fruition. In fact, he closed his tweet with a forceful statement: “SpaceX is going to do it”. However, the laws of physics are implacable. And SpaceX has had no choice but to acknowledge to its investors the daunting challenges that this project entails.
Orbital data centers may not come to fruition
According to ReutersSpaceX has delivered an official document to its investors in which it recognizes that both orbital AI data centers and human settlement on the Moon and Mars depend on technologies that have not yet been developed or tested, and that, therefore, may not be viable from a commercial point of view. SpaceX is preparing its IPOand this evaluation puts on the table the caution required by the legal obligation to be extremely honest with the risks to avoid future lawsuits from new shareholders.
“Our efforts to develop orbital AI computing and in-orbit, lunar and interplanetary industrialization are in the early stages and involve significant technical complexity and the use of technologies that have not yet been tested. For these reasons they may not be able to achieve commercial viability,” SpaceX clarifies. There is no doubt that the challenges that need to be solved for data centers to reach space are colossal.
The challenges that need to be solved for data centers to reach space are colossal
One of them is the impact of the ionizing radiation about the hardware. This form of radiation is a type of high-frequency energy, such as X-rays, gamma, alpha or beta, which is capable of tearing electrons from atoms, thus altering the structure of molecules. In space, server chips are not protected by the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field, which makes them very vulnerable to ionizing radiation, which has the ability to permanently degrade them.
To solve this problem it will be necessary to develop some type of shielding capable of protecting the hardware of the servers of the cosmic radiation. This requirement leads us to the next critical challenge: in space it is not possible cool servers using convectionas on Earth, because in the vacuum of space there is neither air nor water. In addition, it would be necessary to use enormous radiators. It is possible to propose several solutions to these problems, but we must not overlook that it is crucial to minimize the weight and complexity of the material that needs to be put into orbit. Otherwise its commercial viability will be non-existent.
The two challenges we just delved into are probably the most difficult to solve, but orbital data centers pose more difficulties. One of them is that to deliver the gigawatts per hour they require, it would be necessary to use enormous solar panels. Furthermore, in some applications the latency that these space installations would introduce would probably be unaffordable. And, on top of that, maintaining an orbital data center would be extremely expensive. In fact, it probably wouldn’t even be economically feasible, forcing its owners to introduce massive redundancy that would push it away from profitability.
Image | freepik
More information | Reuters
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