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benj111today at 7:24 AM1 replyview on HN

You can put computers underground. Cheaper than launching into space.

Why put them in space? Power? We have that on earth.


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b112today at 7:52 AM

There are literally enormous problems powering AI data centers on the Earth right now. No, we don't have the power on Earth.

In terms of launch cost, Starship makes launch cost negligible. Some estimates are that it will cost less to launch a tonne to orbit, than to ship across the US by train.

Even if this figure is slightly low, that has nothing compared to the cost of real estate, construction costs, all of the building codes required to build a data center on Earth. These things all still apply underground, and underground is going to require additional shoring and structural engineering, to ensure that the structure is not crushed, damaged, and so forth.

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