Orbital Data Centres Pose New Target for Military Strikes Amid AI Boom

Companies including Alphabet, Blue Origin and SpaceX are pursuing orbital data centres to supply the massive computing power required for artificial intelligence, with test satellites already launched and proposals for tens of thousands of units. Experts caution that placing valuable infrastructure in space makes it an attractive target for kinetic weapons, jamming, cyber intrusion and directed-energy attacks, potentially creating debris that would render sun-synchronous orbits unusable.

Recent attacks on ground-based data centres in West Asia and Russia illustrate the perceived military importance of such facilities. The U.S. Space Force says it can defend U.S. space interests, while nations such as the United States, China, Russia and India have demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities. Designers of orbital servers, like Axiom Space, say security must be built in, but critics argue the concept is under-thought and could spark a new arena of conflict.