WASHINGTON ― Citing the skyrocketing demand for artificial intelligence tools to synthesize data and speed decision-making, including in the national security market, industry officials and investors are increasingly hyping orbital data centers (ODCs) as the new “It” tech in the space world.
Essentially servers in space, with large constellations of satellites carrying large numbers of high-capacity GPUs to replicate the warehouse-sized data centers popping up here on Earth, it’s easy to see why the tech community would be intrigued by the concept. And given the Pentagon’s current appetite for all things AI, it’s also easy to see why so many companies are pitching ODCs as relevant to the defense space.
Despite the big push in the tech world, there is little solid interest in ODCs being expressed by Pentagon or Intelligence Community (IC) officials, according to a dozen government and industry officials interviewed by Breaking Defense.
One industry official in the thick of the ODC boom told Breaking Defense the only government agency that has expressed any real support and actual funding is NASA as part of its game plan for future lunar operations. Instead, multiple sources said, potential national security customers are waiting to see if the commercial industry can actually demonstrate the technical capability and, just as importantly, the business case for ODCs.
