This Startup Wants to Put AI Data Centers in Space, and It Just Hit a $1 Billion Valuation
Starcloud raised $170 million to build 88,000 satellites that run AI in orbit using solar power. Yes, you read that right.
If you thought the AI race couldn't get any wilder, a company called Starcloud just raised $170 million to build AI data centers... in space. And investors valued the company at $1.1 billion, making it an instant unicorn.
The idea sounds like science fiction, but the logic actually makes sense. The biggest problem facing AI right now isn't the technology itself. It's power. AI data centers are absolute energy hogs. They need massive amounts of electricity and cooling, and they're starting to strain power grids around the world.
Starcloud's solution? Put the computers in orbit where they can run on near-continuous solar power with the vacuum of space handling the cooling for free. Their plan calls for a constellation of 88,000 satellites, and they've already tested Nvidia hardware in space with AWS technology.
Now, 88,000 satellites is a LOT. For comparison, SpaceX's Starlink has about 6,000 up there right now. But the fact that serious investors just put over a hundred million dollars behind this idea tells you something about how desperate the AI industry is for more computing power.
As reported by Reuters via TechStartups.
Source: TechStartups via Reuters
Sponsored