This start-up is building data centres in space

As AI energy demands soar, one pioneering start-up is taking data infrastructure off the planet. Starcloud is building space data centres to tap into the vast, uninterrupted solar energy available in orbit.

Unlike Earth, where data centres face space and energy limitations, orbital centres can expand up to 50 times larger. These modules, each the size of five shipping containers, combine into massive 4km by 4km solar-powered structures with radiators stretching a kilometre long.

While the initial launch has an environmental cost, over time these space data centres emit ten times less CO2 than Earth-based ones powered by fossil fuels. They also help preserve land by avoiding the need to cover forests and fields with solar panels.

In addition to supporting AI, the vacuum and chill of space offer optimal conditions for quantum computing—eliminating the need for energy-intensive cooling on Earth.

With AI-related electricity consumption expected to grow 50% annually through 2030, Starcloud plans to launch its first orbital data centre in August 2025, followed by a more powerful version in 2026. Within a decade, the company believes most new data centres will be in space.