Artificial Intelligence (AI) requires huge amounts of electricity, water and space to run. In many countries including America and Europe, voices have also started being raised against the exploitation of natural resources by AI data centers, due to which new data centers are now becoming a headache for companies. Meanwhile, in view of the increasing needs of Artificial Intelligence, Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX has made a surprising proposal.
Plan to launch 1 million solar-powered satellites into space
The company has filed an application with America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking permission to launch about 1 million solar-powered satellites in space. SpaceX says that these satellites will actually be data centers working for AI. According to the company, the demand for AI computing power is increasing rapidly and this can be the most effective way to meet it. These satellites present in space will run on solar energy, which will make computing possible on a large scale.
Step towards new civilization
SpaceX has not limited this project to just technology, rather this proposal can open the doors of a new civilization for humanity. SpaceX has mentioned in its proposal to become a ‘Kardashev II’ level civilization. It is an advanced civilization that has the power to utilize the full energy of its star (Sun). Musk believes that if we have to send humans to other planets, we will have to use the unlimited energy of space.
The company believes that this network can take humans towards a multi-planetary future, where human civilization will not be limited to just the Earth, but will also strengthen its presence in space.
Legal challenges and fears of space debris
However, there are many big obstacles in the way of sending 10 lakh satellites. Recently, the FCC has given permission to SpaceX to launch 7,500 new Starlink satellites, but has banned the remaining 15,000 satellites. Experts believe that the number of ’10 lakh’ may only be a starting figure so that future negotiations can be done.
The biggest concern is about ‘space debris’ i.e. space waste. There are currently about 15,000 satellites orbiting the Earth, which has already increased the risk of debris and collisions. If millions of new satellites are sent, the space environment could become even worse.
