SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [Reuters]
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [Reuters]

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced plans to launch the first AI satellites powered by Nvidia chips in the fourth quarter of next year and expand the constellation to a significant scale by 2028.

Writing on X on Monday (local time), Musk said SpaceX had worked with Nvidia to design a space-optimized version of Nvidia's Vera Rubin NVL72 system, targeting a launch in the fourth quarter of next year. "By 2028, the AI satellites will be at significant scale," he added.

He said the design is far simpler, less expensive, denser and lighter than conventional racks.

Earlier, ahead of a potential SpaceX listing, Musk released a 31-minute video on X in June outlining his vision for solar-powered orbital AI data centers.

According to a prototype design unveiled at the time, each satellite would carry up to 150 kilowatts of computing power and span roughly 70 meters — comparable to a single Nvidia GB300 rack used in above-ground data centers.

Musk said the AI satellites are structurally simpler than existing Starlink satellites, making them easier to mass-produce.

At the time, Musk outlined a goal of deploying 1 GW of AI computing capacity in orbit by the end of 2027, then scaling tenfold each year until reaching the terawatt level. He cautioned listeners to take the projections with some skepticism.

The ambition has drawn skepticism over its cost.

Research firm Wood Mackenzie estimated that building a 1 GW space-based data center would cost $170 billion — more than three times the cost of an equivalent above-ground facility.

Musk has argued that the point at which deploying AI in space becomes cheaper than on the ground "will come much sooner than most expect — probably two or three years." SpaceX is pursuing launch cost reductions through its heavy-lift Starship rocket.

SpaceX has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for approval to launch up to 1 million satellites for its space-based data center network.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com