Former NASA Robotics Head Explains How Space Data Centers Could Work for AI
SpaceX
Blue Origin
NASA
Dr. Robert Ambrose, former head of NASA's Software, Robotics, and Simulation Division, believes that placing data centers in orbit could solve energy consumption and environmental issues of terrestrial data centers. However, launches remain expensive, and maintenance would require robots and predictive analytics.
Former NASA head of robotics Dr. Robert Ambrose predicts that in the near future, part of the computing workload and data will be processed in space data centers. According to him, orbital data centers will be able to obtain energy from solar panels and dissipate heat into space without consuming Earth's resources. Already today, satellite monitoring data is processed directly in orbit. The main challenges are the high cost of launch (currently $2,900 per kilogram for SpaceX, which needs to fall below $500) and maintenance. Ambrose notes that new heavy-lift rockets from SpaceX and Blue Origin could reduce costs. For repairs in orbit, robots and predictive analytics similar to ISS maintenance will be needed: replacing components before they fail based on life expectancy data. Communication delays will not be an issue for geostationary orbit (300 km), but placing data centers on the Moon would introduce a 1.6-second delay. Large companies are likely to maintain their own backup space data centers, resilient to Earth-based disasters.
Source: ZDNet AI —
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