Alphabet-owned Google has been negotiating with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over a possible rocket-launch agreement that would enable data centers to be placed into Earth orbit, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper cited sources familiar with the discussions.
Google also engaging other launch providers
According to the WSJ, Google is not only in talks with SpaceX but has also consulted with other companies that operate launch vehicles, with the aim of deploying space-based data centers into orbit. Reuters reported that neither SpaceX nor Google immediately responded to requests for comment.
Business context and rival relations
The potential partnership is notable because Elon Musk has previously publicly criticized Google’s efforts in artificial intelligence. This would be the second recent instance of Musk reaching a deal with a former AI competitor: last week Anthropic announced it would consume the full compute capacity of SpaceX’s Colossus 1 facility in Memphis and expressed interest in jointly developing orbital data centers.
Project Suncatcher
Google unveiled Project Suncatcher in November of last year, a research program specifically aimed at creating space-based data centers. Under the project’s plans, Google expects to launch two prototype satellites by early 2027.
Why it matters
Deploying data centers to orbit would raise significant technical and logistical challenges but could open new options for cloud services, data processing, and artificial intelligence. The talks also take place ahead of SpaceX’s widely anticipated IPO, adding strategic weight to any potential agreement.
Source: Reuters
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