- Bezos imagines orbital data centers powered by constant sunlight beyond Earth’s atmosphere
- The plan promises infinite energy, without clouds and weather interference.
- Launching and maintaining space servers could cost billions in failed missions
Jeff Bezos has sketched a future in which data center operations are no longer tied to Earth.
Speaking at Italian Tech Week, the Amazon founder described a potential move towards an orbital computing infrastructure.
He suggested that within two decades, gigawatt-scale installations could operate in space using solar power without interruption.
A new frontier for computing power
The idea is based on the argument that space offers advantages that no earthly location can match.
This includes permanent sunshine, absence of weather disturbances and theoretically unlimited electricity production.
Bezos said “giant training groups” for AI tools would be better hosted beyond Earth’s atmosphere, where cooling and energy supplies are less limited.
In a public conversation with John Elkann, chairman of Ferrari and Stellantis, Bezos said: “These giant training poles will be better built in space, because we have solar power there, 24/7. There are no clouds, no rain, no weather.”
“We will be able to beat the cost of terrestrial data centers in space within the next two decades.”
The principle relies on the immense power requirements of artificial intelligence, particularly GPU clusters used to train large-scale models.
As data centers on Earth consume large amounts of electricity and water, the concept of orbital facilities offers a possible solution to growing sustainability issues.
Bezos predicted that the cost of operating these space systems could eventually be lower than on Earth.
However, this vision raises technical and economic questions. Maintaining data centers in orbit presents challenges that require special attention.
Hardware failures, upgrades, and the need for human or robotic maintenance would all be costly and risky.
Each launch would depend on expensive and complex rocket missions, and even small malfunctions could jeopardize large-scale systems.
Critics might see it as an idealistic project that underestimates the logistics needed to maintain critical IT infrastructure in an environment where spare parts are hundreds of miles away.
Observers view Bezos’ own Blue Origin rockets as potential catalysts for this change, even though the company has yet to demonstrate the reliability or capacity needed for continued orbital construction.
The plan would require not only reusable rockets but also highly autonomous systems capable of managing thermal regulation and communication between Earth and orbiting clusters.
Bezos compared the current rise of AI to the dot-com era, suggesting that despite the risk of speculative “bubbles,” AI’s societal impact will be lasting.
His remarks reflected both optimism and caution, as he insisted that short-term market volatility should not overshadow the technology’s long-term promise.
Via PK Press Club
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