Sure! Here's your engaging podcast-style summary and key points for the article "Could data centres ever be built in orbit?" from The Economist:

🎙️ Podcast Summary:

Could your future cloud storage be orbiting above Earth? The Economist dives into a bold idea: building data centres in space. Yes, outer space. With the explosion of digital demand—from AI models to video streaming—the Earth-bound data centre is becoming a power-hungry, heat-spewing beast. But in orbit, things get interesting. Space offers free cooling (thanks, vacuum!), endless solar power, and the potential to offload Earth’s carbon-heavy digital footprint. Of course, launching servers into space is no FTP upload—it’s expensive, risky, and comes with a space-junk side hustle. Still, startups like Lonestar and tech giants are tinkering with the tech, betting that the high upfront costs may pay off with energy savings and performance boosts. The future of cloud computing might not just be in the cloud—it might be in the stars.

💡 Key Points:

• Why space?: Data centres on Earth consume up to 3% of global electricity (and rising). In orbit, there’s unlimited solar power and a natural vacuum for cooling, eliminating the need for power-hungry refrigeration systems.

• Startup pioneers: Companies like Lonestar are already launching small server prototypes into low-Earth orbit to test the feasibility of space-based data storage. Lonestar's pitch? "A backup for Earth itself."

• Environmental math: Moving data centres off-planet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions—if the launch and maintenance emissions don’t offset the gains. Right now, launching a single kilogram of cargo emits over 200 times more CO2 than flying the same distance by plane.

• Technical challenges: Radiation in space can fry sensitive electronics, and maintenance is, well, a little tricky when your server’s zooming around the planet at 28,000 km/h.

• Use cases first: Mission-critical backups, disaster-resilient archives, and support for satellite networks are the likely first customers—not your TikTok feed or Gmail server.

• Bigger players interested?: Companies like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services haven’t announced orbital data centre plans yet, but given their partnerships with space firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin, the idea isn't too far-fetched.

• Quote to note: “Even if it is ten times as expensive to get data centres into orbit, if it’s 20 times cheaper to run them up there, you win,” says Chris Stott, CEO of Lonestar.

🚀 Tech already making moves:

• Lonestar’s 1st prototype launched on a SpaceX rocket in 2022. They plan larger launches tied to lunar missions.

• Microsoft’s Project Natick (Earth-based, underwater data centres) shows interest in alternate server environments.

• China's Orbital Data Storage initiative is another early-stage player in this cosmic competition.

🎯 Verdict?

It’s not a mainstream solution yet, but think of orbit-based data storage as cloud computing’s distant cousin with a telescope. The tech is early, the costs are high, but the stars might just align—literally and economically.

End of episode. Stay curious! ☁️🛰️📡
Link to Article