U.S., China Pursue Orbital Data Centers as Google and Nvidia Back Space Computing
Updated
Updated · Nikkei Asia · May 12
U.S., China Pursue Orbital Data Centers as Google and Nvidia Back Space Computing
8 articles · Updated · Nikkei Asia · May 12
Orbital data centers are emerging as a new technology race, with the U.S. and China both pushing to move computing infrastructure into space.
Google, Nvidia and startups are helping drive that push, tying major tech companies to efforts to build data-processing capacity beyond Earth.
Asia’s supply chain is already gearing up for the projects, signaling that the contest is moving from concept toward hardware and deployment.
The effort casts space as the next frontier for data-center construction, extending competition in AI and computing infrastructure into orbit.
As corporations build data empires in orbit, who will write the rules for this new unregulated frontier?
With launch costs plummeting, are we on the verge of an orbital gold rush or a high-tech bubble?
Is solving AI's energy crisis on Earth worth creating an unsolvable pollution problem in our orbit?
From Earth to Orbit: The $3.8 Billion Push for Space-Based AI Data Centers by 2034
Overview
Driven by the escalating demands of artificial intelligence, the global race to build data centers in orbit is accelerating. As AI's immense compute and energy requirements outgrow traditional terrestrial infrastructure, technological innovation is moving beyond Earth's atmosphere. This shift is reflected in the rapid growth of the space-based data center market, which is valued at $1.28 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $3.81 billion by 2034. North America leads this emerging sector, holding a significant market share. The move to orbit aims to overcome the challenges of powering and cooling AI systems on Earth, opening a new frontier for advanced computing.