Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites into Earth's orbit to power artificial intelligence (AI).
The application claims "orbital data centres" are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.
Traditionally, such centres are large warehouses full of powerful computers that process and store data. Musk's aerospace firm claims processing needs due to the expanding use of AI are already outpacing "terrestrial capabilities".
It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit drastically. Its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies.
30 Comments
tomiant@piefed.social · 55 pts · 223d
You know, I am beginning to think that a single private individual shouldn't have the power to do things like this.
Mihies@programming.dev · 26 pts · 223d
Also why is an US agency (well, the Orange in this case) deciding for entire space? The same goes to other countries.
MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com · 14 pts · 223d
I agree, but unfortunately that same thing happens terrestrially. One country decides to reverse course on renewables and the whole world suffers the consequences. Companies pollute one river and the trash and chemicals can be found worldwide. We have not been good stewards of the earth, and I fear space will just be a continuation of that. I can't believe AI has found a new way to ruin the environment already. I'd laugh about all the techbros insisting we have to invest in AI because then the AI will solve every problem, only to then have them use AI as an excuse to ruin the environment, but it's all too much.
Mihies@programming.dev · 6 pts · 223d
At least there are some international laws for river pollution, I think. But yes, humanity behaves like there's no tomorrow. AI is a huge environmental (and otherwise) disaster.
jtzl@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 218d
In principle, sure. In practice, it seems like the ornery and the thin-skinned rise wayyyyyyy past the humble and the competent.
fox2263@lemmy.world · 46 pts · 223d
Littering
FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com · 29 pts · 223d
Ugh
No.
He's such a dickhead
He's determined to ruin ground-based astronomy because of his ego
Xanthobilly@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 223d
Yah, China doesn’t seem to have a problem producing enough power.
abbadon420@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 223d
I interpreted this as not a power issue, but a cooling issue. So it's a solution to using less water.
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 223d
Cooling is much, much harder in space. You lose out on easy heat transfer through convection and conduction due to being in vacuum and are limited to using massive and inefficient radiators that can barely cool spacecraft running slow, decades-old chips (hardening modern chips to survive cosmic radiation is another problem Musk probably has no answer for). The thought of running a modern data center in space is absurd.
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 16 pts · 223d
He probably thinks that because space is cold, it automatically keeps anything in it cold with no efforts needed. He has the worldview and general understanding of a particularly dense child.
Tuscy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 223d
This pedo is gonna bring hellfire to earth when those 1 mil satellites overheat and rain down on us.
jtzl@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 218d
Will they not be incinerated upon re-entry?
Tuscy@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 223d
This pedo is gonna bring hellfire to earth whe those 1 mil satellites over heat and rain down on us.
RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 223d
Space is drastically worse for cooling things afaik. Like extremely worse than earth.
FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com · 6 pts · 223d
He's just making noise because ce craves attention
Nobody likes him, he's pathetically insecure, and he's afraid that he won't be remembered if he doesn't keep doing stupid shit
Tuscy@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 223d
What he should really be is in jail. Epstein list reminder.
wewbull@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 223d
As other have said, it's not cooling. Vacuum is a great insulator. I think it's about planning permission.
harmbugler@piefed.social · 28 pts · 223d
Fucking LOL he’s such a space cadet. Cooling a computer in space is an engineering challenge. Down here on earth you can just blow on it.
Zombiepirate@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 223d
They'll use the heat to turn a steam turbine which powers a laser pointed at the polar ice caps.
frunch@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 223d
This mention of a "growing demand for AI computing power" doesn't make even a shred of sense to me. Who exactly needs even more power for that? We're fully inundated with this shit, enough is enough.
Blackfeathr@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 223d
Growing demand by billionaires*
AshMan85@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 223d
This pedo should be in prison
brillotti@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 223d
The cascading satellite collisions event (Kessler syndrome) might start earlier than I was hoping for. Good grief.
Cocodapuf@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 223d
Well, this is a stupid idea and it's probably not going to happen. That said, if someone were to do this, it probably wouldn't contribute much to Kessler syndrome because you wouldn't actually want a million free floating satellites, you'd want a million physically connected satellites. Picture satellites designed to link up into a giant grid. Effectively, that's just adding 1 large satellite, built over a thousand launches. And you wouldn't want it in low earth orbit either, you'd want it higher, where it could get sunlight 24/7 365. And at those middle orbits, between leo and gso, there's really no competition for space there, that zone is empty.
dandylion@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 223d
horseloaf@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 223d
First step in building The Singularity's Dyson Sphere? This is probably Grok's idea.
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 223d
Dyson Spheres were about surrounding stars and are not necessarily about the singularity.
But yeah, I could see Grok scrambling the things up and giving fElon the idea of shooting e-waste into space...
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 223d
We should nationalize SpaceX.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 223d
Ughh.... Can you not?
jtzl@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 218d
Is that true? How do we know that? Is it cuz you can't vent it?