| ▲ | mbesto 4 hours ago |
| Datacenters in space is about circumventing nation states masked as ambitions to generate more power. Follow the rationale: 1. Nation states ultimately control three key infrastructure pieces required to run data centers (a) land (protected by sovereign armed forces) (b) internet / internet infra (c) electricity. If crypto ever became a legitimate threat, nation states could simply seize any one of or all these three and basically negate any use of crypto. 2. So, if you have data centers that no longer rely on power derived from a nation state, land controller by a nation state or connectivity provided by the nation state's cabling infra, then you can always access your currency and assets. |
|
| ▲ | __turbobrew__ 4 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-satellite_weapon |
| |
|
| ▲ | wat10000 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Putting data centers on ships in international waters would be just as effective at evading government control (i.e. not very) while being orders of magnitude easier and cheaper to build and operate. |
| |
| ▲ | bouncycastle an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | Recently the USA blew out some some boats in international waters and came back to finish off the survivors, despite thin evidence and no due process, while maintaining that it was legal. If those data centers on ships ever become declared as a 'threat to national security' then they might get the same treatment. | | |
| ▲ | collinmcnulty an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | I think GP's point is that an advanced nation-state could just as easily shoot down an orbiting data center as an oceanic data center and that "international space" offers an equally flimsy defense as "international waters" but a much larger price. | |
| ▲ | gpm an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | This would be equally true in space. |
| |
| ▲ | echelon 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | They've always been able to do this. Microsoft was talking about submarine data centers powered by tidal forces in the early 2000s. There have been talks of data centers on Sealand-like nation states. Geothermal ... Exotic data center builds will always be hyped. Always be within the realm of feasibility when cost is no object, but probably outside of practicality or need. Next it'll be fusion-powered data centers. | | |
|
|
| ▲ | zie 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Except the people that run and manage that satellite will be on earth, under some nation state's rules... |
| |
| ▲ | PunchyHamster 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | corporations will use their knowledge in tax dodging to avoid that too. | | |
| ▲ | MadnessASAP 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | If they're already well versed in dodging fiscal rules, why do they need a space computer? | | |
| ▲ | suriya-ganesh 4 hours ago | parent [-] | | Physical location is difficult to dodge unfortunately. Fiscal rules are sort of man made. | | |
| ▲ | mandevil 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | The Outer Space Treaty is very very clear: anything launched into space is the responsibility of the country that launched it. Even if a private company payts for it and operates it, it's still the responsibility of the launching nation. Even if you launch from international waters, your operating company is still registered to a specific country, and the company is made up of citizens of one or more countries, and it is those countries which are responsible for the satellites. Those countries, in fact, have the responsibility to make sure that their citizens follow their laws and regulations. Unless you and your entire team are self-sustaining on that datacenter in outer space (maybe possible a century from now? Maybe not possible ever), you will be hunted down by the proper authorities and held to account for your actions. There is no magic "space is beyond the law" rules; it is just as illegal- and you are just as vulnerable to being arrested- for work done on a datacenter in space as work done on a datacenter on the ground. |
|
|
|
|
|
| ▲ | AndrewStephens 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| This is the only "advantage" I can see with space-based datacenters. Crypto will remain a joke but putting devices beyond the reach of ground-based jurisdictions is a libertarian dream. It will probably fail - you still need plenty of ground infrastructure. |
|
| ▲ | Analemma_ 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| I'm sorry, but this is stupid. It's the same dumb thinking behind Sealand: "we're outside state borders! nobody can touch us!", which was only true as long as nobody cared what they were doing. Once Sealand actually started angering people, the Royal Navy showed up and that was that. "Datacenters in space" wouldn't fare any better: multiple nations have successfully tested anti-satellite weapons. |
| |
|
| ▲ | Spooky23 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Data centers in space is about leading investors to circumvent their brains and jump on the hype train at worst, and developing technology around data center infrastructure at best. Microsoft did something similar with their submarine data center pilots. This gets more press because AI. |
|
| ▲ | dudeinjapan 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| Nation states can fire missiles at your space datacenter, bruh. |
| |
| ▲ | hedora 3 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Or just triangulate any signals being sent to it, and fire missiles at the source. | |
| ▲ | ikiris 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Or just blast it with a laser... |
|
