‘Space next big frontier for data centres’

With AI and advanced computing driving an unprecedented demand for data storage, Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer, Jeetu Patel, has predicted that data centres could soon be built in space. Patel said while green, energy-efficient data centres will become more common on Earth, space-based facilities may help overcome critical power and infrastructure limitations.

He explained that in traditional data centres, most of the weight comes not from computers but from the cooling systems, which are essential to maintain performance. In space, however, the abundance of solar energy and different cooling dynamics could make operations more efficient and economically viable. Patel noted that designing such centres will require innovation in power management, cooling apparatus, and connectivity to ensure seamless operation where energy is most available.

Patel also highlighted the scale of future demands, saying that with billions of humans on Earth, AI systems could require tens or even hundreds of billions of agents operating around the clock. Meeting such infrastructure needs will be highly complex and non-trivial.

When asked about timelines, Patel said space data centres are already in early stages of development. He emphasized that the rapid pace of innovation means what used to take a decade can now happen in months. Challenges remain, including effective cooling in a vacuum and ensuring reliable global connectivity, but Patel believes these can be solved. He added that beyond space, data centres are expected to become more widely distributed across the globe, reflecting a new era of scale, efficiency, and technological ambition in data infrastructure.