Could data centres ever be built in orbit?
A startup called Starcloud has plans to do just that
WHERE IS THE best place to build a data centre? Not on Earth at all, but in orbit, claims Philip Johnston, chief executive of Starcloud. The cost of launching things into space is falling fast, and once it has fallen far enough “It’s completely inevitable that all data centres will go into space,” he says.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “AI pie in the sky?”
From the April 12th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
An interstellar object is cruising through the solar system
Its appearance puts a new branch of astronomy to the test
RFK junior wants to ban an ingredient in vaccines. Is he right?
Studies show that thimerosal does more good than harm
AI is helping to design proteins from scratch
They could treat diseases, test drugs and boost crop yields
A new project aims to synthesise a human chromosome
The tools developed along the way could revolutionise medicine
How sea slugs give themselves superpowers
Their slimy shenanigans might have applications for humans, too
Is being bilingual good for your brain?
Perhaps. Learning languages offers other, more concrete benefits