Nvidia has begun recruiting talent needed to build a space data center, offering annual salaries up to $431,250 (about 670 million won).
According to a job posting on Nvidia's website on the 29th (local time), the company is hiring a principal system software (SW) architect for its Space-1 project, a space data center initiative. Space-1 is an orbital data center (ODC) module based on Nvidia's next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) platform Vera Rubin.
The principal system SW architect will develop core software to ensure the module operates reliably and can be managed remotely in the harsh environment of space, including strong radiation, extreme temperature swings, and maintaining idle power during eclipses. Nvidia has set a goal for the module to have the durability to last at least five years and withstand up to 8,000 thermal cycles in a sun-synchronous orbit.
Qualifications include more than 15 years of experience in system software such as servers and experience building space-related AI infrastructure or systems. The base salary ranges from $272,000 to $431,250 (about 420 million to 670 million won), with additional stock compensation.
As AI demand surges, discussions on building space data centers are gaining momentum among Big Tech. In particular, Tesla CEO Elon Musk drew attention earlier this year when he said, "Solar-powered space data centers will become a reality within two to three years." SpaceX, Musk's space company, has named building space data centers as one of its long-term projects, and Google said it will launch a prototype satellite by next year as part of its space data center plan, Project SunCatcher.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at a February earnings release this year that "the economics of space (data center) computing are not good right now, but they will improve over time."