SpaceX has filed an ambitious request with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for authorization to launch and operate a constellation of up to one million satellites. These satellites would function as orbital data centers, primarily aimed at providing the massive computing capacity required for advanced artificial intelligence applications.
The proposed network would harness solar power in orbit, which SpaceX argues will be more cost-effective and environmentally sound than terrestrial data centers that consume vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling. The filing states the project is a "first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization—one that can harness the Sun’s full power." This move comes amid reports of a potential merger between SpaceX and Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, which could leverage this space-based infrastructure to compete with major AI players like Google and OpenAI.