AI demand is soaring. Could space be the next data center hub?

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Data centers are moving to space. And you could get one for $575,000 a month. That's the pitch from Atomic 6, a Georgia based startup that says it could launch orbital data centers as soon as 2029.

[00:00:16]And the pitch makes sense on paper. In orbit, you get constant solar power and the cold vacuum of space handles cooling, two of the biggest challenges for data centers on Earth. And instead of fiber cables, data could be beamed back to Earth through laser. Now, the idea isn't new. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have talked about moving computing for the internet and AI off the planet for years, but Atomic 6 wants to be one of the first to actually sell it. However, experts aren't convinced.

[00:00:52]They point to questions around economic visibility and physical limits. And there's an environmental concern, too.

[00:00:59]These data centers only last about 5 to 7 years. And you can't exactly send a repair crew up there. So, when they're done, they just burn upon re-entry.

[00:01:11]And that burning hardware releases chemicals that are bad news for the ozone layer. Even SpaceX admitted on a preIPO filing that they might not be commercially viable. So, it doesn't seem like they're going to replace groundbased data centers anytime soon.

[00:01:28]But as demand for AI keeps growing and building here gets more and more contested, it makes sense that someone's going to start looking up. See how this demand is playing out on one Georgia town, the carpet capital of the world, on our full episode on the AJC YouTube