AI INFRASTRUCTURE
How space could accommodate AI workloads The appeal of space is not just about the obvious: more space for data centres. It is about solving the energy problem that is threatening to throttle AI development.
What makes space attractive, Jeff argues, is access to power that Earth-based facilities cannot match.
Solar panels orbiting the planet can generate electricity continuously, dodging the interruptions caused by night-time and weather that hamper ground-based solar farms.
“ These giant training clusters, those will be better built in space, because we have solar power there, 24 / 7. There are no clouds and no rain, no weather,” he explains.
Those training clusters are groups of interconnected computers used to train AI models – a process that devours computing power and energy at an alarming rate.
That constant energy supply could make space-based operations cheaper to run than terrestrial facilities relying on grid power or intermittent renewable sources.
“ We will be able to beat the cost of terrestrial data centres in space in the next couple of decades,” Jeff says.
He frames the idea as part of an established pattern where orbital infrastructure ends up supporting life on Earth. Weather satellites already provide the data that makes accurate forecasting possible, while communication satellites enable global telecommunications and internet services.
“ It already has happened with weather satellites. It has already happened with communication satellites. The next step is going to be data centres and then other kinds of manufacturing,” he says.
It is a compelling argument, but what matters is whether anyone is actually building these things.
Inside Crusoe and Starcloud plans for the first commercial space cloud Enter Crusoe and Starcloud, two companies that have decided not to wait for Jeff’ s two-decade timeline.
The AI infrastructure provider based in Denver, Colorado, has announced a partnership with Starcloud to deploy
78 February 2026