Overview

• Speaking at Italian Tech Week, Jeff Bezos said the first gigawatt‑scale computing hubs could be built in orbit within a decade or two to run on uninterrupted sunlight.
• The plan relies on heavy‑lift rockets, with Blue Origin envisioned to ferry components and support maintenance of space‑based facilities.
• IEA projections cited in the coverage estimate data centers could consume about 945 terawatt‑hours annually by 2030, with a sizable share still tied to coal or nuclear power today.
• Reporters highlight major obstacles including radiation shielding for sensitive hardware, extreme automation with robotic upkeep, and heat rejection in space.
• Latency from low Earth orbit is estimated at 20–40 milliseconds, limiting real‑time uses, though Bezos argues delay‑tolerant, energy‑intensive AI tasks could be viable; similar orbital solar concepts, such as Iceland’s 2030 plan to beam power to Earth, underscore broader interest without near‑term deployments announced.