Elon Musk’s SpaceX has filed an application to deploy up to one million satellites in low-Earth orbit to support artificial intelligence computing.
The company argues that “orbital data centres” would be the most cost- and energy-efficient way to meet the rapidly growing demand for AI processing power, claiming that current land-based infrastructure is already being stretched beyond its limits.
Unlike traditional data centres, which rely on massive warehouses filled with servers, SpaceX says AI workloads are beginning to outpace what terrestrial systems can handle.
If approved, the plan would dramatically expand SpaceX’s presence in orbit. Its existing Starlink network already consists of nearly 10,000 satellites and has faced criticism over space congestion — claims Musk has dismissed.
The proposed system would use solar-powered satellites and could eventually provide computing capacity for “billions of users worldwide,” according to the filing with the US Federal Communications Commission. No timeline was included.
SpaceX also framed the project as a step toward becoming a “Kardashev Type II civilisation,” referring to a theoretical society capable of harnessing the full energy output of the Sun.
Musk said the satellites would be spaced so far apart that they would be difficult to see from one another, adding that the scale of space makes the network less visually disruptive than critics suggest.
Like Starlink, the satellites would operate between 500 and 2,000 kilometres above Earth and are pitched as a greener alternative to traditional data centres, which consume vast amounts of electricity and water.
Experts, however, warn that space-based infrastructure remains expensive and complex, and that the rising number of satellites increases the risk of collisions, debris, and damage to astronomical research.