Musk's 'space AI data center' to launch next year, carrying NVIDIA chips on its first flight

[Financial News] The space artificial intelligence (AI) data center being pursued by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, will head into space for the first time next year. The plan is to launch a satellite equipped with NVIDIA's next-generation AI system, Vera Rubin, in the fourth quarter of 2027 and begin scaling up in earnest from 2028.
On the 24th (local time), Musk said on social media platform X, "We have designed the 'Vera Rubin NVL72' system with NVIDIA for a space launch in the fourth quarter of next year," adding, "It will reach significant scale in 2028."
The system jointly designed by SpaceX and NVIDIA adapts AI servers used in terrestrial data centers for the space environment. Musk explained that it is "much simpler, lower in cost, denser and lighter than conventional racks."
NVIDIA also said it will equip SpaceX's first-generation AI satellite, the AI Satellite, with a computing system based on the Vera Rubin NVL72. This is the first step toward realizing the concept of an "orbital data center," in which AI processing is performed onboard the satellite rather than in a ground-based data center.
In a video released in June ahead of SpaceX's planned listing, Musk presented a blueprint for a solar-powered space AI data center. According to the AI satellite design unveiled at the time, each satellite would have computing power of up to 150 kW, roughly equivalent to one NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 rack for ground data centers. Its wingspan reaches 70 meters.
Musk outlined a plan to build 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI computing capacity in space by the end of next year, then expand it tenfold each year after that, eventually scaling it to terawatt (TW) levels. SpaceX has already applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to launch up to 1 million satellites for space data centers.
The key issue is cost. Energy market research firm Wood Mackenzie estimated that building a 1 GW space data center would require about $170 billion, or roughly 235 trillion won. That is more than three times the cost of a ground-based data center of the same size. Since satellites and launch costs account for about 60% of total expenses, the project would need to cut current costs by about 70% to become economically viable.
Musk believes the gap will narrow quickly as Starship, the reusable heavy-lift spacecraft, sharply reduces launch costs. He previously said, "The point at which deploying AI in space becomes cheaper than on Earth will come much sooner than most people expect," arguing that cost parity could be reached within two to three years.
As ground data centers face shortages of power, cooling water and land, competition over space data centers is also beginning. However, major technical challenges remain, including radiation, thermal management, communications infrastructure, and maintenance. With Musk now setting a first launch schedule for next year, the space data center concept, once close to science fiction, is moving into a stage where its commercial viability will be tested.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter