Post by Wood Mackenzie

As AI drives a step-change in data centre power demand, some of the world’s largest technology companies are now exploring whether data centres in space could become part of the long-term solution. Our latest report finds that global data centre power demand stands at 460 TWh in 2026 and could reach 3,700 TWh by 2040, as terrestrial build-out faces real constraints from grid connections, gas turbine wait times, cooling water and rising construction costs. But the economics of orbital data centres are not yet close. We estimate that a hypothetical 1 GW orbital data centre would cost US$170 billion, more than three times the equivalent terrestrial facility. “The constraints on terrestrial data centres are genuine, and they are not going away quickly,” said Robert Liew, Research Director, Power & Renewables. For now, orbital data centres remain a serious long-term proposition, but still a bet on the cost curve. Read the full article: https://okt.to/omuTha