Where next for data centres – to infinity and beyond?

We recently wrote about the Government’s new grey-belt policies providing an opportunity for logistics sector growth but it seems some data-centre providers are aiming higher – quite literally. 

Lonestar Data Holdings recently launched a data centre payload, a spacecraft currently on route to the moon, to establish the feasibility of a lunar data centre (see here). Successful in-space data storage testing has already been carried out, with Lonestar now preparing for lunar surface operations. 

Nevertheless, we suspect that most providers will be looking to remain on terra firma. The Government is keen to encourage co-location of data centres with power generation facilities (including small modular nuclear reactors - as we wrote about here), and we are seeing this approach adopted globally. For example, Google has partnered with Intersect Power to provide co-located data centres and renewable power infrastructure across the US (see here). A recent report, Energy and AI, published by the International Energy Agency (the Energy Report) highlights the benefits of co-location due to its alleviation of electricity grid congestion. 

Indeed, in order to support the rising electricity demands of AI infrastructure, the Energy Report advocates reliance on a mix of established technologies (including renewables) and emerging technologies (like small modular nuclear reactors and geothermal), alongside investment in the grid. We wrote here about the need for changes in our grid connection process, with the Energy Report noting that in the UK there’s an average five- to seven-year wait for a new grid connection. 

It’s therefore no surprise that data centre providers are looking for new and innovative options for powering and locating their supercomputers – with a data centre already tested on the International Space Centre (see here) and plans to build six data storage satellites already under way (see here). 

Time will tell as to whether the Government’s range of new policies (see here and here) will encourage providers to locate their AI infrastructure in the UK, as opposed to extraterrestrially.