IT之家 News on October 31: The world's richest man, Elon Musk, posted a tweet today (October 31) on the X platform,predicting that by 2029, the AI and cloud computing processing power deployed in low Earth orbit will far exceed ground-based compute.
IT之家 attaches the relevant screenshots below:
Musk predicts that by 2028, the monthly new deployment of orbital compute (space computing power) will exceed ground-based compute, and by 2029 will "far exceed" ground-based compute. Here, "orbital compute" refers to AI / GPU and other computing power deployed in satellites or space data centers, whose potential advantages include space solar power supply, thermal dissipation conditions, and the ability to launch and deploy at large scale.
As AI training and inference demand surges, ground-based data centers are facing multiple constraints including power shortages, slow grid expansion, tight land and water resources, and community opposition. Supporters believe that sending servers, GPUs, and storage devices into low Earth orbit can take advantage of stronger and more continuous sunlight in space, freeing them from dependence on the ground power grid.
In a suitable sun-synchronous orbit, satellites can receive sunlight almost around the clock, thereby providing stable power for high-energy-consuming AI chips. Industry research points out that solar irradiance in space can reach about 1361 watts per square meter, unaffected by day-night cycles and weather.
This race no longer belongs to Musk alone. Google's "Suncatcher" project already sent its first experimental spacecraft into orbit in October, exploring the feasibility of running machine learning compute in space; Bezos-backed Blue Origin also submitted a proposal to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission named "Project Sunrise," planning to deploy up to 5.16万 (51,600) data center satellites.
SpaceX's ambitions are even grander. The company has applied to build an orbital data center constellation of up to 1 million satellites, operating at altitudes between 500 and 2000 kilometers, and plans to coordinate data transmission with the Starlink network.