Could AI Data Centers Be Moved to Outer Space?

Here ε is the emissivity of the object—how effectual it is arsenic a radiator (0 < ε < 1), σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, A is the aboveground area, and T is the somesthesia (in Kelvin). Since we person somesthesia to the 4th power, you tin spot that hotter things radiate much much powerfulness than cooler things.

OK, accidental you privation to play Red Dead Redemption successful space. Your machine is gonna get hot—maybe 200 F (366 Kelvin). To support it simple, let's accidental this is simply a cube-shaped PC with a full aboveground country of 1 quadrate meter, and it's a cleanable radiator (ε = 1). The thermal radiation powerfulness would past beryllium astir 1,000 watts. Of people your machine is not a cleanable radiator, but it looks similar you’d beryllium fine. As agelong arsenic the output (1,000 watts) is greater than the input (300 watts), it’ll chill down.

Now accidental you privation to tally immoderate humble AI stuff. That’s a bigger job, truthful let’s standard up our cubical machine with edges doubly arsenic agelong arsenic before. That would marque the measurement 8 times larger (2³), truthful we could person 8 times arsenic galore processors, and we request 8 times arsenic overmuch powerfulness input—2,400 watts. However, the aboveground country is lone 4 times (2²) larger, truthful the radiative powerfulness would beryllium astir 4,000 watts. You inactive person much output than input, but the spread is narrowing.

Size Matters

You tin spot wherever this goes. If you support scaling it up, the measurement grows faster than the aboveground area. So the larger your abstraction computer, the harder it is to cool. If you were picturing an orbiting Walmart-size structure, similar the information centers connected Earth, that's conscionable not going to happen. It would melt.

Of course, you could adhd connected outer radiation panels. The International Space Station has these. How large would they person to be? Well, accidental your information halfway runs connected 1 megawatt. (Existing AI information centers connected Earth usage 100 to 1,000 megawatts.) Then you’d request a radiating country of astatine slightest 980 quadrate meters. This is getting retired of hand.

Oh, and these radiators aren't similar star panels, connected by wires. They request systems to behaviour vigor distant from the processors retired to the panels. The ISS pumps ammonia done a web of pipes for this. That means adjacent much material, which makes it that overmuch much costly to hoist into orbit.

So let’s instrumentality stock. Even though we acceptable this up with favorable assumptions, it’s not looking precise good. We’re not adjacent taking into relationship the information that star radiation volition vigor up the machine arsenic well, which volition necessitate adjacent much cooling. Or that aggravated star radiation volition apt harm the electronics implicit time. And however bash you marque repairs?

However, 1 happening is clear: Because cooling is inefficient successful space, your “data center” would person to beryllium a swarm of tiny satellites with amended area-to-volume ratios, not a fewer ample ones. That’s what astir proponents, similar Google’s Project Suncatcher, are present suggesting. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has already requested FCC support to motorboat a cardinal tiny AI satellites into orbit.

Hmm. Low Earth orbit is already congested with 10,000 progressive satellites and immoderate 10,000 metric tons of abstraction junk. The hazard of collisions, possibly adjacent catastrophic Kessler cascades, is already real. And we’re going to adhd a 100 times arsenic galore satellites? All I tin accidental is, “Look retired below.”