- Starcloud and Crusoe want to move data centers off Earth
- Nvidia’s H100 GPUs will operate beyond Earth’s atmosphere for the first time
- Orbital data centers could reach multi-gigawatt capacity using unfiltered solar radiation
Plans to bring Nvidia’s H100 GPUs into orbit are moving from speculation to reality, led by Starcloud and Crusoe.
The two companies are collaborating to build the world’s first space data centers, aimed at harnessing solar energy beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Starcloud, a Redmond-based Nvidia Inception-backed company, develops scalable orbital computing platforms capable of reaching gigawatt capacities.
Transforming Sunlight into Computing Cycles
Crusoe, known for its cloud computing services, will deploy its Crusoe Cloud platform on one of Starcloud’s satellites scheduled for launch in 2026.
By early 2027, the company plans to offer limited GPU-based computing power from orbit, describing this as “a new paradigm for AI factories.”
The central idea of these space data centers lies in their use of direct solar energy.
Without the filtering effects of Earth’s atmosphere, orbiting solar panels can harness sunlight at full intensity.
The companies say this will enable “nearly unlimited, low-cost renewable energy” to power AI workloads in space.
Estimates suggest that such infrastructure could reduce energy costs by up to ten times compared to land-based facilities, even taking into account launch costs.
Starcloud will launch the first Nvidia H100 GPUs into space in November 2025, a move that could redefine how large-scale computing is handled.
Crusoe plans to run AI models and LLMs directly on these GPUs through its cloud platform.
Space systems could, in theory, provide faster access to solar energy and more predictable thermal conditions.
Nvidia has suggested that the vacuum of deep space could serve as an “infinite heat sink,” enabling unconventional cooling techniques different from those used on Earth.
However, the long-term feasibility of such an approach remains uncertain, particularly given the absence of traditional convection in weightlessness.
The ambition behind these orbital data centers is clear, but questions persist about their practical and economic viability.
Space launches, hardware maintenance, and radiation exposure all introduce risks that could outweigh the energy savings.
The idea of an off-planet data infrastructure may seem futuristic, although its implementation will depend on solving complex technical and operational challenges.
Via Tom’s material
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