Sam Altman Calls Orbital Data Centres ‘Ridiculous’ as Elon Musk Pushes Space AI Vision and Google Eyes 2027 Test
Orbital data centres are emerging as a bold solution to meet the surging energy demands of artificial intelligence without adding pressure on Earth’s power grids. However, the concept has sparked debate among tech leaders, with Sam Altman openly questioning its practicality — even as Elon Musk champions the idea and Sundar Pichai confirms Google’s early steps toward a space-based future.
Altman: “We’re Not There Yet”
During his visit to New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman dismissed the feasibility of orbital data centres under current technological and economic conditions.
Speaking to Indian Express, Altman said:
“Putting data centres in space with the current landscape is ridiculous.”
He added that orbital infrastructure would not scale this decade due to launch costs and maintenance challenges, particularly when it comes to repairing hardware like GPUs in space.
“Orbital data centres are not going to matter at scale this decade due to the rough math of launch costs and how hard it is to fix a broken GPU in space.”
While critical of the timeline, Altman acknowledged the concept may become viable in the future:
“We’re not there yet.”
Elon Musk’s Push for AI in Space
Altman’s remarks come as Elon Musk actively promotes space-based AI infrastructure.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, Musk predicted:
“The lowest-cost place to put AI will be in space, and that will be true within two years, maybe three at the latest.”
Through his AI company xAI and rocket firm SpaceX, Musk envisions deploying large-scale orbital data centres powered by solar energy. Reports suggest SpaceX aims to eventually launch a “constellation of a million satellites” functioning as data hubs in orbit.
According to Business Insider, Musk has also floated the possibility of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots servicing such facilities in space.
SpaceX has reportedly begun hiring engineers for this ambitious project, signaling early groundwork for what could become one of the most futuristic bets in AI infrastructure.
Google’s ‘Moonshot’ Toward Space-Based Data Centres
Musk is not alone in looking skyward. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has described orbital data centres as a long-term “moonshot” project.
In an interview with Fox News last December, Pichai said:
“One of our moonshots is: How do we one day have data centers in space so that we can better harness the energy from the sun?”
He noted that Google plans to begin small-scale testing in 2027:
“We’ll send tiny racks of machines, have them in satellites, test them out, and then start scaling from there.”
Business Insider reports that Google has internally been developing the initiative under the codename “Project Suncatcher.”
Pichai believes that while the idea may sound unconventional today, space-based infrastructure could become more normalized within a decade.
Why Orbital Data Centres Matter
The growing AI boom has sharply increased demand for computing power, driving concerns over electricity consumption, environmental impact, and cooling requirements of terrestrial data centres.
Proponents argue that space-based facilities could:
- Harness uninterrupted solar energy
- Reduce strain on Earth’s power grids
- Minimize land and water usage
- Cut long-term carbon emissions
However, critics highlight major barriers, including:
- High launch and maintenance costs
- Hardware reliability in extreme conditions
- Limited repair capabilities
- Orbital debris and regulatory challenges
- AI’s Next Frontier: Space or Earth?
The debate between Sam Altman and Elon Musk highlights a broader question: where will the next generation of AI infrastructure be built?
While Musk projects rapid progress and Google prepares initial tests, Altman’s stance reflects caution rooted in cost and feasibility.
For now, orbital data centres remain a high-risk, high-reward experiment — a futuristic concept balancing ambition with economic reality.
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