Elon Musk Says AI Datacenters In Space Are 'Much Easier' Than People Think, Targets 10,000 Launches A Year

Alphabet Inc. Class C
Alphabet Inc. Class A
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Morgan Stanley

Alphabet Inc. Class C

GOOG

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Alphabet Inc. Class A

GOOGL

0.00

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

GS

0.00

Morgan Stanley

MS

0.00

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that satellite-based artificial intelligence computing is simpler than what the industry thinks, as talks of datacenters in Space gather steam.

Orbital Datacenters In Focus

In an interview with Forbes on Tuesday, Musk said that datacenters in space were “much easier” than people might think, adding that SpaceX already had over 10,000 satellites in orbit. “In the future with Starship, we’ll be launching over 10,000 per year,” Musk said, touting enhanced capabilities compared to current iterations of the satellites.

“The way to access power that’s far beyond anything on Earth is space,” the billionaire said, adding that the company’s calculations suggested 1 TW of AI compute satellites annually being launched from Earth.

“The average power usage in the United States is half a Terawatt,” Musk said, outlining that SpaceX could launch “twice” the amount of electricity consumption in the U.S. per year. Musk then reaffirmed plans to build a base on the surface of the moon, as well as a mass driver to facilitate deep-space exploration.

Talks of Musk’s orbital datacenter goals recently got a boost as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) reportedly held talks with SpaceX over collaborating on developing technology to facilitate datacenters in space.

SpaceX Picks Goldman Sachs For IPO

The news comes as SpaceX has reportedly picked Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) to lead its upcoming IPO in June this year, with investment bank Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) also touted to play a leading role in the IPO.

SpaceX will be targeting a valuation of $1.75 trillion in the IPO, aiming to raise over $75 billion through its listing. SpaceX is also reportedly targeting a listing on the Nasdaq.

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