Data Centres in Space: The Next Frontier for Digital Infrastructure

Data Centres in Space: The Next Frontier for Digital Infrastructure

Recent announcements from major technology and aerospace players have highlighted plans to deploy orbital data centres powered by constant solar energy and cooled by the vacuum of space. Proponents argue this approach could address some of the industry’s biggest challenges, including power availability, cooling efficiency, land constraints and sustainability.

Space-based data centres are being positioned as a future layer of global digital infrastructure, capable of supporting AI processing, edge computing and real-time data analysis closer to where data is generated in orbit. At the same time, governments and private firms alike are racing to establish leadership in what is emerging as a new strategic domain.

However, significant challenges remain. High launch costs, hardware resilience, orbital congestion and regulation will all play a critical role in determining how quickly — and how widely — space-based computing can be adopted.

While space data centres are unlikely to replace terrestrial facilities in the near term, they underline a broader trend: as digital demand accelerates, innovation in where and how data is processed is becoming increasingly essential. Datanet continues to monitor these developments as part of the evolving global data centre landscape.

The future of data centres may not just be bigger or greener — it may be orbital.