In a December interview with Fox News, he discussed the exploration of innovative computing solutions, including the idea of relocating data centres to orbit to harness solar energy directly.
“One of our moonshots is to, how do we one day have data centres in space so that we can better harness the energy from the sun that is 100 trillion times more energy than what we produce on all of Earth today?” he stated, as reported by Fortune.
He indicated that preliminary steps might start around 2027, with pilot satellites assessing the viability of such systems. According to him, within a decade, space-based data centres could become a more conventional method for developing computing infrastructure.
“There’s no doubt to me that a decade or so away we’ll be viewing it as a more normal way to build data centres,” he remarked.
The discussion gained traction following a viral post on X by entrepreneur Peter H. Diamandis, which highlighted Pichai’s comments and connected them to similar sentiments expressed by Elon Musk over the years.
The post implied that the era of “orbital computing” might be approaching sooner than anticipated, especially as leading technology figures synchronize their ideas.
True https://t.co/eZUICBzqPu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2026
Musk responded succinctly, with “true,” reinforcing a stance he has maintained for years.
He has long championed the expansion of infrastructure into space, deploying thousands of satellites through SpaceX’s Starlink project.
Space-based data centres involve computing infrastructure placed in orbit instead of on terrestrial locations. This concept seeks to utilize continuous solar energy while mitigating issues such as cooling and land usage that traditional data centres encounter.
Such systems may also considerably decrease energy consumption and environmental footprints. However, this concept is still in its infancy and necessitates significant technological advancements, reduced launch expenses, and infrastructure development.
