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1. Saline+v3[view] [source] 2026-02-02 22:03:54
>>g-mork+(OP)
I still don't understand the "data center in space" narrative. How are they going to solve the cooling issue?
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2. sebzim+94[view] [source] 2026-02-02 22:06:02
>>Saline+v3
Cooling a datacenter in space isn't really any harder than cooling a starlink in space, the ratio of solar panels to radiating area will have to be about the same. There is nothing uniquely heat-producing about GPUs, ultimately almost all energy collected by a satellite's solar panels ends up as heat in the satellite.

IMO the big problem is the lack of maintainability.

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3. lifis+Vg[view] [source] 2026-02-02 22:51:17
>>sebzim+94
According to Gemini, Earth datacenters cost $7m per MW at the low end (without compute) and solar panel power plants cost $0.5-1.5m per MW, giving $7.5-8.5m per MW overall.

Starlink V2 mini satellites are around 10kW and costs $1-1.5m to launch, for a cost of $100-150m per MW.

So if Gemini is right it seems a datacenter made of Starlinks costs 10-20x more and has a limited lifetime, i.e. it seems unprofitable right now.

In general it seems unlikely to be profitable until there is no more space for solar panels on Earth.

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4. fuzzfa+bB[view] [source] 2026-02-03 00:25:44
>>lifis+Vg
All kinds of industries have been conserving more each decade since the energy crisis of the 1970's.

With recent developments, projected use is now skyrocketing like never seen since.

Before that I thought it was calculated that if alternative energy could be sufficiently ramped up, there would be electricity too cheap to meter.

I would like to see that first.

Whoever has the attitude to successfully do "whatever it takes" to get it done would be the one I trust do it in space after that.

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