BBS:      TELESC.NET.BR
Assunto:  SpaceX acquires xAI to move AI computing power into space
De:       Mike Powell
Data:     Wed, 4 Feb 2026 09:47:08 -0500
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Elon Musk says a 'sentient sun' built from a million satellites is the aim of
the SpaceX and xAI merger - but big questions remain

AI data centers in orbit

    SpaceX acquires xAI to form a new mega-company
    Elon Musk is promising to move AI computing power into space
    Experts are split on whether the ambitious plans can work

Elon Musk has formed the most valuable private company in the world, reportedly
valued at a hefty $1.25 trillion, by merging rocket-making outfit SpaceX and
artificial intelligence developer xAI into one mega-business ready to take AI
computing into orbit.

SpaceX has now acquired xAI, to create "the most ambitious,
vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth" - that's
according to the official press release penned by Elon Musk himself, CEO of
both companies.

This follows on from news over the weekend that SpaceX plans to launch up to a
million satellites into space in the coming years, ready to shift AI computing
infrastructure from the ground into orbit.

With an unlimited amount of room in space and power provided by solar energy
- at least in theory - the thinking is that our ever-growing needs for AI
capabilities could be met by shifting the back-end of the operation out of
Earth's atmosphere.

To the stars

"In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale," says
Musk. "To harness even a millionth of our Sun's energy would require over a
million times more energy than our civilization currently uses!"

The solution is apparently to make a "sentient sun" out in space with satellite
constellations, according to Musk. These efforts will draw on all of the
expertise at SpaceX, and technologies currently used for Starlink satellites
and Falcon rockets.

Upcoming Starship rocket launches are scheduled to put more and more computing
power in orbit, and the aim is to get a terawatt of AI compute capacity
launched every year. In the long term, installations on the Moon are also
planned.

"The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will
fund and enable self-growing bases on the Moon, an entire civilization on Mars
and ultimately expansion to the Universe," concludes Musk.

Do the numbers add up?

As per Reuters, the deal could yet attract scrutiny from regulators, ahead of a
planned IPO (Initial Public Offering) for SpaceX. However, analysts believe
that the deal makes sense - combining revenues from both space operations and
AI.

Emma Wall, chief investment strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown, told the BBC
that the merger combined "two incredibly frontier technologies", but cautioned
that any benefits wouldn't be seen by users on planet Earth for at least a
decade.

Elon Musk isn't alone in thinking that the future of AI data centers lies in
space: Google, Amazon, and Nvidia are among the big tech companies that have
backed the idea, with Google planning an initial launch sometime in 2027.

Not everyone is convinced the numbers add up though. Space economist Pierre
Lionnet at Eurospace told the New York Times that the idea that space operating
costs would drop enough to make this work was "completely nonsensical".

Phil Metzger, a University of Central Florida physics professor, is more
optimistic that the economics will make sense in the short term. "As a business
case, it's plausible," he told the NYT. "It's been an evolving discussion."

In other words, while this ambitious plan has a long way to run, orbital AI
data centers are preparing for lift-off - and a new space race is brewing.


https://www.techradar.com/computing/elon-musk-says-a-sentient-sun-built-from-a-
million-satellites-is-the-aim-of-the-spacex-and-xai-merger-but-big-questions-re
main

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 * Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

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