Nvidia announced the launch of a computing platform for orbital data centers that is expected to be the next step in artificial intelligence in space at the GTC 2026 conference on Monday.
“The final frontier of space computing has arrived,” said CEO Jensen Huang. “As we deploy satellite constellations and explore deeper into space, intelligence must reside wherever data is generated.”
The company said in a press release that the Vera Rubin Space-1 modules, including the IGX Thor and Jetson Orin, will be used in space missions led by multiple companies. The chip is specifically “designed for size, weight, and power constrained environments.”
Partners include Axiom Space, Starcloud, planet.
Huang said NVIDIA is working with partners to develop new computers for orbital data centers, but there are still technical hurdles to overcome.
“In space, there’s no convection, there’s only radiation. So we have to find a way to cool these systems in space, and a lot of great engineers are working on that,” Huang said in his GTC keynote.
It has been pointed out that the expansion of data centers to promote demand for AI is the cause of soaring electricity costs. Sending orbital data centers into space is considered one solution, but the high cost and low availability of rocket launches remain barriers.
Still, AI companies are racing to tap into space’s virtually limitless solar power. In November, google announced its “Project Suncatcher” initiative to explore the concept of computing in space.
Elon Musk’s xAI was acquired by SpaceX last month in a $1.25 trillion deal to build data centers in space. The company is one of Nvidia’s biggest customers.
SpaceX asked the Federal Communications Commission for approval to launch 1 million satellites for the AI center in January, a plan opposed by scientists citing environmental threats such as light pollution and orbital debris.
CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
