Robot-Manned Data Centers in Space? Amazon’s Bezos Says It’s Coming

Amazon's futuristic Jeff Bezos says that in the near future, people would live in space only if they wanted to.  Here's why. (pictured is one of his Blue Origin rockets at launch)

   Amazon founder envisions data centers in outer space

 According to Geekwire, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently gave a talk at an Italian international tech conference, where he dropped a few out-of-this-world tech and AI bombs---in a good way.

Bezos, appearing at the Italian Tech Week in Turin, Italy last week, laid out his plan for giant orbital data centers, largely run by AI-guided robots. Some people laughed when he launched his startup business from his garage, and decades later when he launched his Blue Origin Space Program.  But now, his company is helping to propel NASA satellites and other craft into space, and he plans another large launch in November.

Bezos says orbital data centers solve several terrestrial (earth) problems all at once. First, the issue of finding suitable land and locations for these data centers. Second, finding enough affordable power to keep them running.  Much has been said about the massive power needs in the Pacific Northwest for existing and planned Amazon and other data centers.

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That's why there's been a significiant push and development of small modular nuclear reactors, which can power huge cities and these businesses.

But Bezos says he thinks the outer space projects will happen in a window somewhere between 10 and 20 years from now. Weather-free solar power would provide unlimited free energy to keep them running, and AI-trained robots could perform most of the operations.  He said that way, people would only live in space if they wanted to, instead of having to (to run the centers).

According to Geekwire, Bezos told the conference attendees:

"Space will end up being one of the places that keeps making Earth better. It already has happened with weather satellites. It’s already happened with communication satellites. The next step is going to be data centers and other kinds of manufacturing.”

If you think this is far-fetched, Geekwire says several tech companies are almost ready to put smaller data centers into orbit. They include startups Starcloud and Sophia Space, who have Seattle tech connections, and Axiom Space. Geekwire says they are ready to launch what are called ODCs, or orbital data center nodes that provide cloud computing, AI learning, and storage space for earthly use.

To read more about his vision for this project, click here.