SpaceX eyes orbiting a million solar-powered data centers to power AI

SpaceX has filed with the FCC to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million solar-powered data-center satellites in low Earth orbit, linked by lasers and intended to power AI workloads. SpaceX frames the project as cheaper and more environmentally friendly than land-based data centers, but the plan would greatly increase orbital debris and collision risk, sparking regulatory and scientific concerns even as the company uses large-satellite numbers as a negotiation starting point. The piece notes the project’s sci‑fi framing (Kardashev II) and includes a correction about the current number of active Starlink satellites.