If only every sinkie has this creativity.

[syed putra]

Data centres to boldly go where no man has gone before: NTU researchers show the way​

The NTU researchers’ study follows a 10- to 20-year forecast from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for data centres in space

Summarise

Shikhar Gupta​

Published Mon, Oct 27, 2025 · 06:00 PM

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• Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit could be a solution to the land, water and energy demands of data centres. PHOTO: REUTERS
• Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit could be a solution to the land, water and energy demands of data centres. PHOTO: REUTERS
• Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit could be a solution to the land, water and energy demands of data centres. PHOTO: REUTERS
• Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit could be a solution to the land, water and energy demands of data centres. PHOTO: REUTERS
• Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit could be a solution to the land, water and energy demands of data centres. PHOTO: REUTERS

[SINGAPORE] Researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have outlined a “practical path” for space-based data centres in a study published in Nature Electronics on Monday (Oct 27).

That could potentially pave the way for sustainable computing with unlimited solar energy and free cooling, said the scientists.

The study followed a forecast from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos earlier this month, in which he predicted that gigawatt-scale data centres could be built in space in 10 to 20 years.


Data centres require large amounts of land, water and energy, while also generating significant carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon-neutral facilities in low-earth orbit, around 160 to 2,000 km above ground, could thus be a solution to all three issues.

NTU researchers claimed that space-based data centres could offer the advantages of “unlimited” solar energy and natural radiative cooling due to the extreme cold. This comes as Goldman Sachs data forecasts a 165 per cent rise in data centre power demand by 2030.

In Singapore, 7 per cent of national electricity is used by data centres; this is expected to rise to 12 per cent by 2030, indicated data from the Infocomm Media Development Authority.