Google wants data centers in space: 'creative plan' with major challenges

The AI ​​gold rush is in full swing, and countless new data centers are springing up worldwide. If Google has its way, it won't stop there; we'll soon even be bringing our AI from space.

A space data center doesn't look like one on Earth: there won't be a massive warehouse orbiting Earth. Google's plan revolves around a cluster of satellites with AI chips on board, capable of communicating with each other via lasers.

The main advantage of a satellite system is that it's much easier to obtain energy in space. Energy is the largest cost for data centers on Earth, and the capacity of the energy grid is a limiting factor for the construction of new data centers.

The Google satellites would be placed in an orbit where they would be almost constantly exposed to the sun. Solar panels on such a satellite could generate eight times as much power as a solar panel on Earth.

A major challenge is communication between the satellites. This is done using lasers, but that's very energy-intensive. One solution is to have the satellites fly close to each other, at a distance of less than a kilometer.

But that also carries the risk of collisions, says Rob van den Berg, a space expert at Naturalis. This is caused by space debris, the remains of old satellites and rockets still orbiting Earth. "If a satellite is hit by space debris, it can fly out of formation and hit other satellites."

This could even mean that satellites will never be able to fly at that altitude again, because the orbit will become unusable due to the spreading debris, says satellite expert Marco Langbroek of TU Delft.

Another disadvantage of space is the large amount of cosmic radiation that bombards satellites. Google has exposed its AI chip to a large amount of radiation in the lab and expects it to be able to operate in space for five years, the expected lifespan of its satellites.

It's not yet financially viable to send AI chips into space, but the cost of launching satellites has fallen rapidly in recent years. Google expects that in about ten years, it will cost just $200 (€175) to launch one kilogram into space. At that level, satellite data centers could become cost-competitive with a data center on Earth.

Van den Berg also expects launch costs to drop rapidly. "It's a creative plan, but it's never been done before. Quite a few issues will need to be resolved before this can truly take off."

Google expects to launch two prototype satellites in early 2027 to test their performance and the viability of their AI chips in space. Other tech companies are also considering space data centers, including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Crashing space debris can produce spectacular images. Earlier this year, a piece of a rocket burned up over the Netherlands: