AWS says data centers in space won't be viable for 10 or 20 years
Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman claims that data centers in space are "highly unlikely to be economically viable or practical in the next decade or two." Garman said as much on Alex Heath's Sources podcast, published Nov. 10, where he addressed the feasibility of bringing AI infrastructure into orbit. Garman pointed to current launch limitations: "As a world we don't do even one launch a day…
Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman stated on a recent podcast that data centers orbiting the Earth are unlikely to become a reality within the next decade or two. During the interview, Garman highlighted the current limitations in space launches, noting that only one launch occurs daily on average. AWS is experiencing a surge in demand, adding a GPU to its systems every 14 seconds, yet still facing capacity shortages in the coming years.
The CEO emphasized the physical challenges of operating data centers in space, including the weight of GPU racks, the difficulty of dissipating heat without air, and the pervasive radiation that would necessitate additional protective measures. Among the proposed locations—space, oceans, and deserts—Garman believes deserts to be the most probable choice for establishing data centers.
Even with this option, AWS projects a shortfall in capacity for several years. For Mexico and Latin America, Garman concluded that terrestrial computing infrastructure will continue to be the primary constraint for at least a decade. He acknowledged that while these hurdles are technically surmountable, significant advancements in launch economics, frequency, and cooling systems would be required before orbital computing systems cease to be science fiction.
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