BREAKING: SpaceX wants to turn Space into the World’s Biggest AI Data Center.

X ^ | 01/31/2026 | DogeDesigner

[SmokingJoe]

BREAKING: SpaceX wants to turn Space into the World’s Biggest AI Data Center.

• SpaceX is seeking approval to launch and operate up to one million satellites designed to function as orbital data centers.

• These satellites would provide massive computing power to support advanced artificial intelligence and data processing.

• The system would rely on near constant solar energy in space, reducing operating costs and environmental impact compared to Earth based data centers.

• Satellites would operate between 500 km and 2,000 km in altitude, across multiple orbital shells, to handle global demand.

• High speed laser links would connect the satellites with each other and with the Starlink network, enabling petabit level data transfer.

• Data would ultimately be routed to authorized ground stations around the world.

• SpaceX says demand from AI, machine learning, and edge computing is growing faster than terrestrial infrastructure can handle.

The company frames this as a major step toward a future where humanity becomes a multi planetary civilization powered by space based infrastructure.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: astronomy; data; datacenters; elon; investing; musk; nasa; satellites; science; spacedatacenter; spacedatacenters; spacex

[SmokingJoe]

SpaceX Wants to Launch Up to 1 Million Satellites as Orbital AI Data Centers

• Seeking approval to deploy and operate up to one million satellites functioning as orbital data centers.
• Provides massive computing power for advanced AI and data processing.
• Relies on near-constant solar energy in space to cut operating costs and environmental impact vs. Earth-based centers.
• Satellites would orbit between 500 km and 2,000 km altitude, in multiple orbital shells for global coverage.
• High-speed laser links connect satellites to each other and the Starlink network for petabit-level data transfer.
• Data routed to authorized ground stations worldwide.
• Driven by exploding demand from AI, machine learning, and edge computing that terrestrial infrastructure can't keep up with.
• Framed as a step toward multi-planetary civilization powered by space-based infrastructure.

Source: DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) on X – Posted Jan 31, 2026

[Kudsman]

Oh my. That Elon is really something.

[ansel12]

A short story that made a big impression on me when I was a boy.

The Machine Stops
by E. M. Forster

The short story.
https://archive.org/details/e.-m.-forster-the-machine-stops_202008/page/n1/mode/2up

The audio version.
https://archive.org/details/TheMachineStopsByE.M.Forster

[Blennos]

There is talk about a possible Tesla/SpaceX merger, essentially folding SpaceX into Tesla as its space branch. Makes sense as Tesla is moving heavily into AI and SpaceX could provide the oribital solar-powered AI data centers. Essentaiily free power for megawatt-hungry AI servers.

I wonder what effect this would on TSLA stock. (my view is up substantially)

https://www.jalopnik.com/2088957/tesla-may-merge-with-spacex/

[quantim]

I recall Elon talking about this a couple weeks ago thinking yet another thing us consumers have to pay for, AI data centers. Musk said something about energy usage was going to be provided by attached solar panels on the satellites.

Either way we are going to pay for it, either higher Internet bills for usage or the feds finance this project and pile it on the enormous national debt.

[Blennos]

Either way we are going to pay for it, either higher Internet bills for usage or the feds finance this project and pile it on the enormous national debt.

Your view is more pessimistic than mine. I see lower Internet monthly bills as the largest cost of the servers(electrical energy) will be provided by the satellites themselves.

And both Tesla and Musk have vast amounts of capitol available. 100s of billions. The upcoming SpaceX IPO would raise even more 100s of billions. I don't see the need for any taxpayer involvement in these projects. (And Musk has repaid all of the money loaned to his companies by the government -- with interest).

[SmokingJoe]

You are not going to pay for any of Elon’s satellites or data centers, same as you are not paying for them now.

[Blennos]

Oops. “Capitol” in my last post should, of course, be “capital.”

[SmokingJoe]

Musk is richest man in history.
SpaceX is richest Space company and getting richer.
They don't need government subsidies for anything.

[equaviator]

At altitudes between 500-2,000km, orbital AI centers like this might get in the way of some of the space junk out there.

[SmokingJoe]

We have over 8 billion humans on earth.
Most of earth’s surface is the sea, yet we don’t collide into each other.
Far more area on orbital space than on earth,

[trebb]

Brought to mind Asimov’s short story - “The Last Question”

In this science fiction short story, after Mankind is gone and the universe has died, a supercomputer grapples with the problem of entropy and ultimately recreates the universe with the phrase, “Let there be light.”

[one guy in new jersey]

multi-planetary never

can we please recognize/admit this and pivot toward reality

[nathanbedford]

Elon's genius presents us with stunning upside possibilities and daunting downside potential risks.

Let's consider some downside questions: this concentration of compute in high orbit is invaluable for human progress but equally strategic for human capacity to make war and as such it poses perhaps an irresistible target to adversaries.

Spitballing well beyond my technical reach, it occurs that this target in the sky would be vulnerable to asymmetric warfare in which relatively cheap rockets could disable immensely expensive space farms. How are these obvious strategic targets to be defended? Could we possibly envision orbital golden drones protecting them?

Would they be protected by hunter killer satellites? Who would control them? Who would pay for them? Space X would want the taxpayers, read American taxpayers, to defend them with our Space Force. American taxpayers might insist that shareholders of Space X pay. Shareholders of SpaceX might insist that the ratepayers foot the bill for the defense of the system that services them.

Is the defense system to be multinational? Now the questions of command-and-control and financing immediately become far more complex.

Are we in to expect a multinational, global super agency to regulate these things? Should we look to the Atomic Energy Commission for guidance? Are we unintentionally going to birth another United Nations?

[PIF]

Oh my. That Elon is really something.

—
Yes and the pending merger of SpaceX/Tesla/Xai, plus the SpaceX proposed IPO at a $1.5 trillion valuation makes for an interesting proposition. Of course later on, the data centers become self-aware and well, we’ve seen where that leads ...

[SmokingJoe]

No one's stopping you from “administering” earth.

[Tell It Right]

My first thought is that Musk is presenting this idea to hype up investor interest before SpaceX IPO’s.

[PIF]

Possibly looks like the unknown ??objects?? that form a precise-edged shadow across 15 G & M class stars surrounding our star, with Tabby’s Star being the most famous of the 15. There is no plausible natural explanation so far.

[SmokingJoe]

“Are we in to expect a multinational, global super agency to regulate these things?”

Nope.
That's the last thing we need.
A bunch of EU bureaucrats who don't produce anything but spend their lives trying to destroy innovative American companies.