SpaceX plans to build space data centers using Nvidia chips for artificial intelligence

SpaceX revealed an ambitious plan to expand its presence in the field of artificial intelligence. During the company's earnings call this Tuesday, Elon Musk declared that all future company data centers will be built exclusively with processors supplied by Nvidia.

This announcement was covered in this week's 'Fala AI' column, which features Roberto «Pena» Spinelli, a physicist from the University of São Paulo specialized in Machine Learning from Stanford University, and is also a columnist for Olhar Digital.

SpaceX conducted the thirteenth launch of the giant Starship rocket this Thursday, the 17th. The company, led by Elon Musk, had a ninety-minute window to start the takeoff, and the flight was expected to last a little over an hour.

Mission Objectives and Flight Performance

The main objective of this mission was to monitor the system's operation in various phases, such as module separation, engine ignition, and vehicle return. A major concern was the performance of the Super Heavy booster. In a previous flight, which took place in May of this year, this stage failed to return properly for a controlled landing, resulting in its fall into the ocean.

According to SpaceX itself, adjustments were implemented to both hardware and software to address the problems detected in that past mission. However, upon reaching space, it was observed that not all engines appeared to have been activated, and Super Heavy again faced difficulties.

Starlink Equipment Demonstration

In addition to testing the rocket, this operation served as a demonstration for new components of the Starlink network. During the test, twenty Starlink V3 satellites were released. These satellites will follow a suborbital trajectory and will be destroyed upon re-entering the atmosphere.

The company reported that the Starlink V3 models are larger and have the potential to substantially increase the capacity of the satellite internet network. The satellites also attempted to establish communication with the Starlink constellation using high-capacity lasers before their atmospheric re-entry. Six of these units were equipped with cameras intended to record images of Starship and its heat shield throughout the flight.

Starship Launch History

Analyzing the history, Flight 1, in April 2023, ended with Starship exploding still attached to Super Heavy due to engine failures that activated the vehicle's self-destruct system. Flight 2, in November 2023, allowed the initial separation of the ship from Super Heavy, but the booster subsequently exploded, leading to the loss of Starship before the completion of the flight.

Flight 3, in March 2024, lasted approximately fifty minutes and represented a significant advance, despite the ship being lost before the scheduled landing. In June 2024, Starship managed to achieve a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean, while Super Heavy landed in the Gulf of Mexico.

In October 2024, SpaceX succeeded in catching Super Heavy on the launch tower for the first time, and Starship also executed a controlled re-entry. Flight 6, in November 2024, recorded a controlled landing of the booster and the reactivation of an engine in space.

Subsequent events include Flight 7, in January 2025, where Starship was lost after an explosion during the test. Flight 8, in March 2025, saw the upper stage lose stability about eight minutes after launch and be destroyed. Flight 9, in May 2025, marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy, although failures prevented some planned experiments.

The mission of Flight 10, in August 2025, achieved crucial goals, such as tests with satellite simulators, engine reignition in space, and controlled re-entry. Flight 11, in October 2025, successfully concluded the Starship V2 phase, encompassing the controlled landing of Super Heavy, the ship's re-entry, and new operational tests.

Finally, Flight 12, in May 2026, was the first test of the Starship V3 version, showing notable progress, such as the launch of satellite simulators and two modified Starlink satellites. However, the Super Heavy booster experienced a failure during the return attempt because the engines did not reignite correctly after separation.