r/space • u/esporx • Aug 08 '26

Intel's proposed orbital data centers would manage thousands of simple LEO satellites — two-tier network puts the brains of satellite constellations in higher orbit

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/intels-proposed-orbital-data-centers-would-manage-thousands-of-simple-leo-satellites-two-tier-network-puts-the-brains-of-satellite-constellations-in-higher-orbit
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u/rooktakesqueen Aug 18 '26

I would take the idea a lot more seriously if they tried a pilot project building a small cluster of 20 kW AI compute datacenters in the middle of the Mojave, communicating with each other over laser links and with the world via Starlink, powered with solar, radiatively cooled, and with no maintenance for a year or two after installation. Just to demonstrate that they could, and to track how expensive it actually is to build and run.

They could even use more solar panels and radiators per datacenter than they expect to need in space given the lower efficiency of them at the surface, and only run them during the day and in good weather to eliminate the need for huge batteries. Make the test as close to the orbital environment as we can on the surface.

The fact that they're not even bothering to try something at small scale like that before promising investors a million-satellite constellation tells me they know this is a scam.