Google’s “moonshot” aspirations to expand its AI footprint are taking on a more literal meaning.
“One of our moonshots is to, how do we one day have data centers 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?” Pichai said.
Google will take its first steps in constructing extraterrestrial data centers in early 2027 in partnership with satellite imagery firm Planet, launching two pilot satellites to test the hardware in Earth’s orbit. According to Pichai, space-based data centers will be the new standard in the near future.
“But 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 centers,” he said.
All the while, speculation of an AI bubble threatens to create an oversupply of data centers, which could render the data center space race a dangerous overinvestment.
“The stakes are high,” the McKinsey report said. “Overinvesting in data center infrastructure risks stranding assets, while underinvesting means falling behind.”
Google has worked to reduce the energy needed to power its growing data centers, reporting it reduced its data center energy emissions by 12% in 2024, despite an increasing footprint. However, concerns about the lasting sustainability of data center expansion remain.
