Starcloud

An analysis of Google's Project Suncatcher, which would link solar-powered, TPU-equipped satellites into orbital compute clusters. The piece frames space-based AI infrastructure — the market Starcloud is racing to build — as a serious next frontier now drawing in the largest tech players.

A Brookings analysis argues the rush toward orbital data centers is outpacing evidence that they can work, with unresolved questions like cooling in space. It warns that gaps in space governance and competition oversight let companies promote untested orbital computing plans largely unchecked.

Researchers weigh the accelerating push to put data centers in orbit against the engineering reality: abundant solar power makes space attractive for AI compute, but cooling, radiation exposure, maintenance, and orbital debris remain major unsolved hurdles to operating at scale.