Elon Musk this week announced another ambitious initiative – the creation of large-scale solar-powered data centers directly in space. This was reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
The billionaire plans to launch up to a million satellites into orbit to expand the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots. According to Musk's plan, this will avoid overloading power grids and reduce electricity costs, as "it's always sunny in space!".
Asset consolidation and IPO
To finance this grandiose project, Musk announced the merger of his space company SpaceX with his artificial intelligence business. A primary public offering (IPO) of this newly formed combined company is planned for the future, which is expected to attract significant investment.
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Space AI is obviously the only way to scale
Technical and environmental obstacles
However, despite Musk's enthusiasm, scientists and industry experts express serious doubts about the project's implementation. Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University, Josep Jornet, points to the main problem – heat dissipation.
Although space is cold, a vacuum does not allow for efficient cooling of objects that generate a huge amount of heat, as data centers do.
An uncooled computer chip in space will overheat and melt much faster than on Earth
On Earth, significant amounts of water and air are used to cool data centers, while in space, the absence of convection creates unique challenges for cooling systems. In addition, launching a million satellites into orbit carries significant environmental risks associated with the growth of space debris and potential collisions.
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