Google energy chief: space data center costs could be up to 100 times those of ground-based facilities

Google's data center energy lead said this week that space data centers could cost up to 100 times as much as ground-based ones. Google itself is testing AI server chips in orbit, and the remarks poured a bucket of realistic cold water on the hot concept of space computing power. Google data center energy lead Peterson Corio also noted that as opposition to ground-based data centers is gradually rising in American society, a large part of the responsibility lies with a group of newly established companies with limited track records, and such companies deserve higher regulatory standards. She said that before this round of AI computing boom, companies that had been deeply engaged in data center construction for many years "all followed fairly standard practices," and their projects rarely sparked controversy. The launch cost of sending computing hardware into orbit is "extremely high, up to 100 times the cost of ground-based construction," Peterson Corio said. Beyond cost, operators also need to solve the difficulties of maintaining and upgrading in-orbit equipment. On the ground, data center staff can replace servers and rewire and debug systems at any time. Peterson Corio did not entirely dismiss the space computing concept; she called the direction "very interesting." The reason Google continues to invest in such high-risk frontier projects is that the company is accustomed to "thinking 10, 20, 30 years ahead." But bringing this technology to reality is "by no means just around the corner."