SpaceX plans to put Nvidia-powered AI satellites in orbit next year

NEW: SpaceX plans to launch Nvidia-powered AI satellites into orbit next year, with Elon Musk's company aiming to put orbital data centers in space by the end of 2026.

SpaceX wants to put data centers in space. The plan is Nvidia powered AI satellites launching next year, with orbital computing up and running by the end of 2026.

Think about what that actually means. The chips everyone on Earth is fighting over, the ones powering the entire AI boom, strapped to satellites and fired into orbit. You can picture the pitch. Free solar power around the clock, no land, no water for cooling, no neighbours complaining about the hum.

And it's not a random pairing. Elon Musk already has the rockets and the Starlink network, and Nvidia makes the only chips that matter right now. If anyone can bolt those two things together, it's these two.

The catch is the calendar. End of 2026 means working orbital data centers in roughly sixteen months, from a company that famously treats deadlines as a mood. The chips are ready. The clock is the hard part.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.