Space debris looms over Google's ambitious orbital AI data center plan

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence and cloud services is driving an enormous appetite for computing power, and with it, a surge in electricity demand from data centers that can rival the needs of tens of thousands of homes or even a small city. To ease that strain, some technology leaders are turning their attention to space, where sunlight is abundant and continuous, and where solar-powered systems could host AI infrastructure off the planet.

On November 4, 2025, Google announced Project Suncatcher, a proposal to place an 81-satellite constellation in low Earth orbit that would act as a solar-powered AI data center cluster. Instead of beaming power back to Earth, the constellation would use onboard solar arr

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