SpaceX has taken a more cautious stance on the "space data center" concept that Elon Musk has optimistically emphasized.
Reuters reported on the 21st that SpaceX, in a prospectus submitted ahead of its initial public offering (IPO), listed uncertainties related to orbit-based artificial intelligence (AI) computing and space industrialization as key risk factors.
In the document, SpaceX said that orbit-based AI computing, in-orbit industrialization, and plans for lunar and interplanetary industrialization are still in the early stages and involve significant technical complexity and unproven technologies. Because of this, it said the possibility that they may not reach commercial realization cannot be ruled out.
In particular, SpaceX specifically pointed out the operational risks of space data centers. The company said that AI orbital data centers that could be built in the future must operate in a harsh and unpredictable space environment and could be exposed to various space-specific hazards that may cause equipment malfunctions or system failures in the process.
Reuters explained that the risk factor section included in a prospectus both informs investors of potential uncertainties and serves to prepare for possible future legal liabilities.
This language differs somewhat from the confidence Musk has shown in public. In Jan., at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Musk said, "Building AI data centers in space is such an obvious choice," adding, "Space could be the most cost-efficient place to put AI infrastructure, and it is feasible within 2 to 3 years."
Even after he released the merger of AI startup xAI and SpaceX in Feb., Musk noted that space-based AI is the only way to scale.