Artificial Intelligence Solution from NASA: Can Data Centers Be Moved to Space?

While discussions about the energy consumption and environmental impacts of data centers continue in the USA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Director Jared Isaacman suggested on August 27 that data centers be moved to Earth orbit in order to meet the increasing energy needs of the artificial intelligence sector.

This proposal brought the long-discussed "space-based data center" idea back to the agenda, and it became a matter of curiosity whether it was technically possible to establish data centers in space.

Environmental problems caused by data centers worry local residents

According to news in the US press, the color of the water flowing from the tap in the area where the data centers are located changes in color, its pressure decreases, the surrounding trees dry up and the cooling systems cause sound pollution.

The couple, Beverly and Jeff Morris, who live just 300 meters away from the Meta Stanton Springs Data Center in Georgia, USA, are one of the four families who filed a lawsuit against Meta in August 2026.

Data centers in space are at the center of international competition

The acceleration of the USA and China's work on space-based data centers has raised the question of who will control the global digital infrastructure in the future.

The fact that these systems have become a part of international tensions, become the target of possible attacks, and the risk of chain collisions increases with increasing space traffic, brings about discussions on the legal and security aspects of the issue.