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 has disclosed a strategic ambition focused on artificial intelligence (AI), announcing that all of the company's future AI data centers will be built exclusively using chips supplied by Nvidia.
Additionally, the company revealed a collaboration with the manufacturer to create computers capable of running AI models directly on orbital satellites. Elon Musk stated that SpaceX's goal is to achieve over 2 gigawatts of computational capacity dedicated to AI by the end of 2026, with plans to expand this infrastructure to approximately 10 gigawatts by the end of 2027.
This infrastructure will serve both the development of SpaceX's own AI models and the provision of cloud computing services to clients. During the presentation, Musk praised the new Nvidia platform, stating: 'We consider the Vera Rubin the best computer for artificial intelligence. And we highly value our close cooperation and partnership with Nvidia at various levels.'
The partnership between the companies aims to develop space computing systems capable of executing AI models directly on solar-powered satellites. The project, named Starmind AI1, will involve the use of Nvidia Rubin GPUs and Vera CPUs, aiming to deliver performance comparable to terrestrial data centers.
According to SpaceX, the idea is to perform part of the processing in space and only send the results back to Earth via the Starlink satellite network. This would help reduce latency and take advantage of the constant availability of solar energy in the space environment.
SpaceX argues that space computing can be a solution to the growing difficulty in obtaining sufficient energy for new data centers on the Earth's surface. The satellites will utilize technologies already present in the Starlink constellation but adapted to handle the demands of artificial intelligence workloads. Among the highlighted advantages are:
To realize this project, SpaceX is building the Gigasat Factory, located in Bastrop, USA. This facility will be responsible for the large-scale manufacturing of satellites intended for artificial intelligence and should enable the production and launch of thousands of units starting from the end of 2027.
The company has already expressed its intention to put up to one million satellites dedicated to computing into orbit. This plan, which has not yet been proven in practice, raises concerns among scientists due to the risk of increased space debris and potential environmental consequences.
The space robotics company Lunar Outpost announced on Thursday, the 23rd, that it will incorporate Nvidia-developed Jetson chips into its next vehicle destined for the Moon. This project represents the likely introduction of graphics processing units (GPUs) onto the surface of Earth's natural satellite.
This robotic automobile will be transported in an Intuitive Machines landing module and propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. It will utilize these electronic components to operate the laser detection system. The artificial intelligence architecture will work alongside conventional programs, allowing for autonomous interpretation of environmental data.
This initiative aligns with NASA's program, which provides funding to private companies to investigate the selenitic soil for strategic resources, such as water. The ultimate goal is to establish sustainable robotic infrastructure and operational conditions before the return of human crews, scheduled to begin in 2028.
The focus on using these semiconductors lies in optimizing power consumption and their compact form factor. Justin Cyrus, CEO of Lunar Outpost, stated that the technical team is conducting comparisons between the Nvidia platform and traditional space flight systems to measure the benefits of graphics processing in critical scenarios.
The mission will take the robot to challenging areas, such as craters and the Reiner Gamma region, known for exhibiting magnetic anomalies. According to the company leader, combining deterministic algorithms with physical AI enables the fleet to make agile decisions in environments subject to cosmic radiation, severe lunar nights, and large temperature variations.
In addition to terrestrial exploration, Nvidia technology will be used on a Firefly Aerospace satellite for image processing in orbit. The startup's leadership explained that the long-term goal includes building a permanent base, the realization of which depends on autonomous robots capable of executing large-scale tasks.
Deployments of smaller vehicles are scheduled for later this year. Justin Cyrus assessed that future plans include the Pegasus rover, designed for astronaut transport, but this awaits the release of the Blue Origin rocket, which recently faced technical issues, maintaining the goal of supporting human missions until 2028.
