We May Need Data Centers in Space to Build Better AI

As AI models grow larger and cheaper to run, Earth’s data centers face limits in energy, cooling, and community tolerance. Space offers continuous solar power, zero local externalities, and radiation-based cooling—making it an ideal compute environment. Yet orbital infrastructure comes with its own challenges: launch logistics, maintenance, and governance. The likely path forward starts small—with AI models running alongside satellites—before scaling to full orbital training campuses. It’s a glimpse of a future where most AI computing happens beyond Earth’s atmosphere.