Musk Promises Data Centres in Space, and the Most Powerful in AI Ask: What's the Point

When Elon Musk announces something grandiose, a wave of enthusiasm usually follows - this time, instead, come the questions. The idea of data centres in orbit, which would supposedly solve the hunger for computing power that torments the whole of artificial intelligence, met scepticism from the place where it would least be expected - from the people who themselves pour billions into the same industry.

The loudest among the sceptics is Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, the fund that pours huge sums into AI infrastructure on Earth. „What is the point of data centres in space?", Son asks openly. According to him, building such facilities in orbit „will not cut costs much" and will take too long. His point is simple: „In the battle for AI, the next few years are far more important than what might happen in a decade."

Son is not alone. Sam Altman of OpenAI has also questioned Musk's timeframe. The argument is technical, but the logic is clear to everyone - the problem with computing power is now, and a solution that will only be ready in ten years helps no one today. And even if it succeeds, the cost would be enormous.

Of course, it is worth asking who gains what from this scepticism. SoftBank is deeply invested in data centres on Earth - any solution from space directly threatens that model. That does not mean Son is wrong, but it means his criticism does not come from pure concern for the future of technology either. In this industry, both praise and criticism usually have an interest behind them. The question for the ordinary user stays the same - when so much money is poured into orbital dreams, who ends up paying the electricity bill these machines devour?