Google and SpaceX explore orbital AI data centers

google and spacex are negotiating to place data centers in orbit, based on the premise that space will become the most cost-effective venue for ai processing. spacex is reportedly pitching this narrative to investors ahead of a planned $1.75 trillion ipo, leveraging a recent partnership with anthropic to access xai's facilities. google is simultaneously engaging other launch providers and developing project suncatcher, with a goal of deploying prototype satellites by 2027. while proponents argue orbital centers avoid terrestrial opposition, critics maintain that current launch and hardware costs make them significantly more expensive than earth-based options.