> As part of this agreement, we have also expressed interest in partnering with SpaceX to develop multiple gigawatts of orbital AI compute capacity.

Anthropic is either taking this space business more serious than the general public, or posting this sentence was part of the deal to get the compute.

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Sevii 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Anthropic needs any compute they can get. So if Elon wants to build orbital data centers Anthropic would be happy to run models on it. There isn't really any doubt Elon can build orbital data centers the question is if they are economical compared to earth based.

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23rf 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I love how this line of thinking completely avoids the issue re. improvements in local models.

I suppose if you are desperate to justify a large investment this what you would do - frame the story in a particular way.

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2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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cyclopeanutopia 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What are you talking about

There is no doubt that it's not a serious idea.

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charlieflowers an hour ago | parent [-]

Help me understand why not? I know solar power generation in space, and "beaming" the power back, was a naive idea. But this would actually use the power up there, mostly for training, but also for inference.

That claim seems reasonable. I have zero knowledge of the economics of launching and maintaining satellites though.

	▲	PufPufPuf 7 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		As I understand it, the problem is cooling. There isn't any medium to take away the heat, so the only option is to slowly radiate it away.

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joshstrange 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Ehh, I think they are just "kissing the ring". This was part of the agreement for the terrestrial datacenter access, pretend like the space orbital compute is more than the boondoggle that it clearly is.

I want to be clear, I do think that one day something like that will exist, I just don't think it's anywhere close to being a reality, much like FSD.

Also it costs them, almost [0], nothing to say it and then later come up with some reason why they are no longer interested.

[0] Maybe a little bit of respect

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anthonypasq 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

most of the big tech ceos have mentioned this.

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re-thc 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> or posting this sentence was part of the deal to get the compute

All it says is expressed interest.

That's like asking a casual how are you...

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JMKH42 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I don't think space compute is going to work out, but I would certainly say "yes happy to buy space compute from you in the future if you offer it at a good price"

If it happens it happens, if not, it doesn't.

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CamperBob2 2 hours ago | parent [-]

It makes no sense. We're being presented with a forced choice -- put them in space, or put them in the middle of downtown Seattle.

This is stupid. I don't understand what's happening... specifically, what mental virus is spreading that lowers everybody's IQ by 10-20 points, evidently including my own. Put the data centers in the ocean, powered by solar and networked with Starlink or LEO. Put them in the desert. Put them 20 miles south of Nowhere, Idaho.

But space?!

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Karrot_Kream 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Because the US has levied high tariffs on solar cells, can't build their own solar cells economically enough, and has such a torrid permitting system that it can't build transmission lines. Natural gas is the only form of generation that's easy to permit outside cities (due to pipeline agreements and this admin fast-tracking natural gas generation approval) but few cities will allow one. DCs need to be built within low latency interconnect of urban areas or else they become uncompetitive.

Elon claims (which I take with a huge grain of salt because he's made endless broken promises in investor calls and interviews) that he disagrees with the administration's stance on solar and would use it to power his DCs if he could, but contends that permitting is a huge problem.

The US needs to figure out how to build again.

> This is stupid. I don't understand what's happening... specifically, what mental virus

"Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes"

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CamperBob2 2 hours ago | parent [-]

What does that have to do with my point? Space-based data centers need solar cells too. They are just like terrestrial data centers, only more expensive. For every dollar you save on the PV array, you'll spend two more on radiators.

And you don't need permits in international waters, any more than you need them in orbit. Lease space on container ships.

	▲	Karrot_Kream 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The argument is that it's too hard to gain the necessary approvals on Earth such that space is faster and easier. Not sure I buy it fully (I do see it somewhat), but that's the argument.

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Rover222 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It’s weird to not take this seriously. It’s obvious it’s serious and they’re pursuing it.