Space startups develop orbital data centers for AI computing

Companies are increasingly looking toward space to address the growing power and cooling demands of artificial intelligence. US-based Orbital has proposed a plan to deploy up to 100,000 satellites to create a massive orbital computing network. German startup Reflex Aerospace has signed a development agreement to serve as the exclusive satellite platform provider for Orbital, with the first prototype, Orbital-1, expected to be completed by late 2027.

These space-based data centers aim to utilize solar power and the vacuum of space to manage the high energy and thermal requirements of AI chips. To handle heat, the satellites will use large radiators to expel waste heat via radiation. The Orbital-1 is planned to operate in a dawn-dusk orbit to minimize extreme temperature fluctuations.

In a similar pursuit of orbital computing, TM2Space Technologies Pvt Ltd is developing satellites equipped with GPUs and storage to offer computing and storage as a service in low Earth orbit. Their service, OrbitLab, successfully demonstrated technology in 2024, and their next satellite, MOI One, is scheduled for launch in October 2026 to resume commercial availability.