Earlier quoted context omitted.
As I understand it, the problem is cooling. There isn't any medium to take away the heat, so the only option is to slowly radiate it away.
Anyone who has googled just once to ask if datacenters in space make any sense, has found out they don't because they can't get rid of heat. That leaves only two kinds of people left who are still talking excitedly about datacenters in space: The uninformed and the grifters.
Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
261–270 of 519 posts
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#262Earlier quoted context omitted.
The existence of starlink proves that this is false. Look at most current pitches, they don’t talk about GW-class monsters anymore. There’s absolutely nothing stopping a 20-30kW satellite bus the size of starlink (or I guess up to 100kW? once starship is available - it’s all about payload fairing diameter) from hosting ~1 rack of compute and antennas. The economics may or may not make sense, we’ll have to see. There’…
It's worth noting that GPUs have a much higher failure rate than traditional CPUs. Over 10x the failure rate due thermal stress. The amount of heat generated is very different. You can't really replace a GPU in a satellite (at least today?) which would place most of these satellites as space debris in a ~5 year horizon.
AI calcs may handle wrong calculations better than cpus where software will tend to panic.
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#263Earlier quoted context omitted.
Starlink satellites don't generate the sort of heat a datacenter full of GPUs does. The ISS has enormous radiators, and it's only in space because it's a space station. Putting datacenters there is just goofy given the amount of available space on the ground .
Why are you comparing the output of a datacenter to the output of a single sat? How much power do starlink sats draw and how does it compare to say 8x H200s?
27,500 satellites need launching - fast! - just for Claude to meet a demand spike?
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#264Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anyone who has googled just once to ask if datacenters in space make any sense, has found out they don't because they can't get rid of heat. That leaves only two kinds of people left who are still talking excitedly about datacenters in space: The uninformed and the grifters.
what do you mean they can’t get rid of heat? radiators exist
All that gets you 70kW of cooling. Radiating to vacuum isn't very efficient.
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#265I'm posting immediately after cancelling my claude subscriptions.
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#266Anthropic renting out the data center Elon built for Grok is the kind of plot twist you can't make up.
Plot twist but makes perfect sense for both companies. Anthropic gets the compute they so desperately need to keep growing. Elon rents out compute that xAI couldn't make use of due to little demand for Grok. SpaceX gets revenue on the books for IPO. PS. I want to translate this part: We’re very intentional about where we’ll add capacity—partnering with democratic countries whose legal and regulatory frameworks suppor…
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#267> As part of this agreement, we have also expressed interest in partnering with SpaceX to develop multiple gigawatts of orbital AI compute capacity. Anthropic is either taking this space business more serious than the general public, or posting this sentence was part of the deal to get the compute.
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#268Earlier quoted context omitted.
This natural gas burning is suited too close to where people live.
You do understand natural gas burns very clean? People burn it in their houses to cook with it!
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#269Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's worth noting that GPUs have a much higher failure rate than traditional CPUs. Over 10x the failure rate due thermal stress. The amount of heat generated is very different. You can't really replace a GPU in a satellite (at least today?) which would place most of these satellites as space debris in a ~5 year horizon.
Which is the same lifetime as a starlink sat
Re: Higher usage limits for Claude and a compute deal with SpaceX
#270Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yep - and in the meantime it's an asset of SpaceX to boost their IPO price, as long as this is done before people realize that xAI is apparently becoming a datacenter company not an AI one. Then you've got SpaceX buying 1200 cybertrucks from Tesla, so it's serving as failure laundering vehicle for all his endeavors.
Elon Musk has been failing any minute now since like what? 2015