Altman calls Musk's space data center plan 'ridiculous'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just called Elon Musk's plan for space-based data centers "ridiculous"—at least for now.
While Musk announced a merger of SpaceX and xAI to build orbital computing facilities, Altman says orbital data centers are not something that's going to matter at scale this decade.
He admits space tech will matter someday, but says, "orbital data centers are not something that's going to matter at scale this decade."
Altman explains why orbital data centers are ridiculous
Altman points out that launching hardware into orbit is way more expensive than running things on Earth.
The cost to launch something is way higher than the cost of power on Earth, he explains.
Plus, if a GPU breaks in space? Good luck fixing it—"we are not there yet."
Instead of chasing sci-fi solutions, he wants urgent investment in real-world infrastructure and smart regulation here on Earth.
OpenAI's recent partnership with Tata Consultancy Services in India shows just how big the demand for AI-ready data centers is right now.