Jeff Bezos wants to launch a huge network of satellites for data centers in space. “Severe Obstacles” on Earth
Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday to launch up to 51,600 satellites for the purpose of placing data centers in space, building on its own space internet network announced in January, AFP reports on Friday, according to Agerpres.
This so-called “Project Sunrise” is part of a larger effort by several major US tech companies – Google, SpaceX and Amazon – to move the massive computing power demands of the artificial intelligence revolution into space.
Demand for data centers already faces “severe obstacles” on Earth to keep up with the development of this technology, Blue Origin argues in support of its application, which was reviewed by AFP on Friday.
“Project Sunrise will alleviate increasing pressure on communities and natural resources in the United States by moving energy- and water-intensive computing power into space, reducing demand on land and pressure on water and electricity grids,” says the company of multibillionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Project Sunrise would consist of a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, between 500 and 1,800 km in altitude, of an unprecedented scale. SpaceX's Starlink constellation, which provides a worldwide high-speed Internet network, has about 7,800 operational satellites.
The Sunrise project is expected to build on the TeraWave intersatellite laser communications network, which Blue Origin unveiled in January, targeting a 2027 launch.
This network will be dedicated to institutional customers, while Starlink and Leo, Amazon's currently in-progress network, also target the general public.
The most optimistic predict operational data centers in space before the end of the decade. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp recently mentioned a time frame of five to ten years.
But many specialists still question the endurance of processors in orbit, given the extreme temperatures and high levels of radiation.
On Monday, Nvidia, the world's leading maker of AI chips, announced that it is finalizing chips designed specifically for orbital data centers.
