Forward-looking: Data centers, the crux of all things digital, are also enormous energy and water hogs. While the industry has been putting in place more sustainable operating practices, they don't touch the eco-friendly benefits offered by another idea: data centers that operate in space. A new European study has found that not only is this concept technically feasible, but it could also eventually deliver a significant return on investment.

The demand for data centers is surging, thanks in large part to the explosion of AI. Unfortunately, this growth comes with enormous pressure on energy supplies and resources. Data centers are responding by implementing new technologies to reduce the energy required to power and cool their servers. However, one initiative takes things much further – into space, to be precise.

Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between aerospace-and-defense companies Thales of France and Leonardo of Italy just unveiled the ASCEND (Advanced Space Cloud for European Net zero emission and Data sovereignty) study that looked at the feasibility of space-based data centers. One advantage was immediately apparent: space data centers would not need water to cool them.

"The idea [is] to take off part of the energy demand for data centers and to send them in space in order to benefit from infinite energy, which is solar energy," said Damien Dumestier, manager of the project.

The study compared the environmental impacts of both space-based and Earth-based data centers as well as exploring whether operating such a center in orbit was even technologically feasible.

The project would require the development of a launcher that is ten times less emissive over its lifecycle, which the study found to be possible. ArianeGroup, one of the 12 companies participating in the study, is working on this aspect of the project, with the first eco-launcher set to be ready by 2035.