{"id":8695,"date":"2026-05-13T09:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T07:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/non-categorise\/spacex-and-google-want-data-centers-in-orbit\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T18:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:39:31","slug":"spacex-and-google-want-data-centers-in-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/news\/spacex-and-google-want-data-centers-in-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX and Google want data centers in orbit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> revealed on May 12, 2026: <strong>SpaceX and Google are reportedly in advanced negotiations<\/strong> to deploy data centers\u2026 in Earth\u2019s orbit. Neither company has officially confirmed the information. And yet, it\u2019s hard to simply wave it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Putting servers in space? It sounds crazy at first glance. Until you look at the numbers. And then the idea starts to look less like science fiction, and more like a serious response to a very concrete problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s why this prospect, as spectacular as it may be, is becoming credible and achievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"why-ai-is-suffocating-terrestrial-data-centers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why AI is suffocating terrestrial data centers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The starting point is a silent but massive energy crisis. In 2024, data centers consumed <strong>415 TWh<\/strong> of electricity worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency. The projection for 2030? <strong>945 TWh<\/strong>. That\u2019s an increase of +128% in six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>1,000 TWh<\/strong> threshold could even be crossed as early as 2026 \u2014 equivalent to Japan\u2019s total electricity consumption. To power increasingly hungry AI models, dedicated servers are growing at a rate of <strong>+30% per year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the problem is that Earth presents three physical walls to this growth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Electricity<\/strong>: grids are saturating, costs are exploding, connection lead times are growing longer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land<\/strong>: finding available land close to a reliable energy source is becoming a quest<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water<\/strong>: cooling systems consume millions of liters every day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is no longer a growth problem to manage. We\u2019re talking about a <strong>physical wall<\/strong>. This is exactly what <a href=\"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/actualite\/xai-datacenter-memphis-investissement\/\">the massive investments in AI data centers<\/a> illustrate, such as xAI\u2019s in Memphis \u2014 titanic projects at staggering costs, just to scrape together a few extra megawatts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/spacex-google-datacenters-orbite-05-13-01.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX and Google want data centers in orbit?\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"orbit-as-a-radical-solution-the-concrete-advantages\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Orbit as a radical solution: the concrete advantages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Space breaks all three of these constraints at once. Not metaphorically \u2014 physically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In orbit, solar panels capture <strong>5 times more energy<\/strong> than on the ground. No night, no atmosphere to filter and attenuate. Continuous, stable, predictable output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For cooling, the spatial vacuum at <strong>\u2212270 \u00b0C<\/strong> does the work for free. No more energy-hungry air conditioning, no more water basins. The savings are massive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then, zero terrestrial regulatory constraints. No building permits. No neighbors. No national power grid to negotiate with for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The proof of concept already exists: at the end of 2025, <strong>Starcloud<\/strong> became the first company to train an LLM directly in orbit. This is no longer a theoretical hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Radically advantageous on paper, then. The obstacles come a little further down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-spacex-brings-to-the-table\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What SpaceX brings to the table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SpaceX isn\u2019t coming to these negotiations empty-handed. Far from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company has filed a request with the FCC for <strong>1 million satellites<\/strong> at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2,000 km. This is not a rumor \u2014 it\u2019s an official, public, consultable document. These satellites would carry a projected AI computing capacity of <strong>100 gigawatts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SpaceX also has three unique assets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The already-deployed <strong>Starlink<\/strong> network, with its operational inter-satellite communications<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Starship<\/strong>, the only launch vehicle capable of delivering massive payloads at a potentially viable cost<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vertical mastery of the entire chain \u2014 from launcher to constellation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Elon Musk stated in early 2026 that space would become the most profitable place for AI within <em>\u201c30 to 36 months\u201d<\/em>. His timelines are often optimistic \u2014 that\u2019s an established fact. But <a href=\"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/news\/spacex-wants-1-million-satellites-for-data-centers\/\">SpaceX\u2019s request for one million satellites dedicated to data centers<\/a> is real and documented.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/spacex-google-datacenters-orbite-05-13-02.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX and Google want data centers in orbit?\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"googles-secret-project-suncatcher\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google\u2019s secret project: Suncatcher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On Google\u2019s side, the WSJ mentions the <strong>Suncatcher project<\/strong> \u2014 an internal initiative, a code name, not yet an announced product. No official confirmation at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plan as described: two prototype satellites equipped with <strong>TPUs<\/strong> \u2014 Google\u2019s in-house AI chips \u2014 scheduled for early <strong>2027<\/strong>. Sundar Pichai is said to have internally discussed the vision of a \u201cnormal orbital data center\u201d within ten years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"tpus-in-orbit-an-innovation-within-an-innovation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">TPUs in orbit: an innovation within an innovation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) is a chip designed specifically for machine learning computations. Google has been equipping its own data centers with them for years \u2014 it\u2019s their competitive advantage in silicon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem? Space is a <strong>hostile radiation environment<\/strong>. Cosmic particles degrade consumer electronics within weeks. Getting a TPU to survive and perform in orbit is an innovation within an innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Google succeeds with this prototype, it\u2019s not just a victory for Google. It\u2019s a paradigm shift for the entire space semiconductor industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"technical-obstacles-not-to-be-underestimated\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical obstacles not to be underestimated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear-eyed. Between the idea and an operational infrastructure, there is a list of obstacles that are anything but symbolic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Radiation-resistant hardware<\/strong>: the entire current chip ecosystem needs to be rethought to survive in orbit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inter-satellite laser communications<\/strong>: transferring petabytes from space with acceptable latency remains an unsolved challenge at scale<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Orbital debris management<\/strong>: one million additional satellites in an already crowded space is a real systemic risk \u2014 Kessler syndrome is not a metaphor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Launch economics<\/strong>: even with Starship, the cost per kilogram remains a major limiting factor for multi-ton infrastructures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Competition<\/strong>: Amazon and Blue Origin are working on similar projects \u2014 this race has multiple runners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To power all of this, terrestrial energy solutions are already showing their limits. Projects like <a href=\"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/actualite\/tesla-megapack-data-center-bresil\/\">Tesla Megapack-based data center power solutions<\/a> illustrate just how much every kilowatt-hour counts \u2014 and why orbit, with its permanent sunlight, makes engineers dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question is no longer really <em>whether<\/em> orbital data centers will exist. The signals \u2014 FCC filings, prototypes, investments \u2014 are converging too clearly. The real question is <strong>when<\/strong>. And today\u2019s obstacles are precisely tomorrow\u2019s roadmaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/economie\/article\/2025\/04\/10\/intelligence-artificielle-d-ici-a-2030-la-consommation-d-electricite-des-data-centers-sera-equivalente-a-la-consommation-totale-du-japon_6593755_3234.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the experts consulted<\/a> by Le Monde confirm: by 2030, data center consumption will reach the equivalent of Japan\u2019s total consumption. At that level of pressure, even the most radical solutions become reasonable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Wall Street Journal revealed on May 12, 2026: SpaceX and Google are reportedly in advanced negotiations to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_appearance_grid":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[141,142],"class_list":{"0":"post-8695","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-model-3","9":"tag-model-y","10":"cs-entry","11":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"onesignal_meta_box_present":null,"onesignal_send_notification":null,"onesignal_modify_title_and_content":null,"onesignal_notification_custom_heading":null,"onesignal_notification_custom_content":null,"_yoast_wpseo_title":null,"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":null,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":null,"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8695"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8700,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8695\/revisions\/8700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesliens.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}