SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated on the 24th (local time) that the first artificial intelligence (AI) satellite powered by Nvidia chips will be launched in the fourth quarter of next year, with substantial deployment expected by 2028.

In a post on X that day, Musk stated, "In collaboration with Nvidia, we have designed Nvidia's 'Vera Rubin NVL72 system' optimized for space, targeting a launch in the fourth quarter of next year, and it will reach a significant scale by 2028."

He explained, "Our design is much simpler, lower in cost, higher in density, and lighter than traditional racks."

Previously, ahead of SpaceX's IPO in June, Musk posted a 31-minute video on X detailing plans for solar-powered orbital AI data centers.

According to the prototype blueprint of the AI satellite revealed in that video, each satellite is capable of up to 150 kW of computing power and features a wingspan reaching 70 meters.

The computing capacity is comparable to a single Nvidia GB300 rack used in ground-based data centers.

Musk explained that the AI satellites have a simpler structure than existing Starlink satellites, making mass production easier.

At the time, Musk outlined a goal to deploy 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI computing in space annually by the end of 2027 and expand it tenfold each year thereafter to reach the terawatt (TW) level, while adding the caveat to "take this with a grain of salt."

However, skeptics argued that this plan is unrealistic from a cost perspective.

Research firm Wood Mackenzie estimated that building a 1 GW space data center would cost $170 billion, which is more than three times the cost of building a ground-based data center.

At the time, Musk argued, "The point where the cost of deploying AI in space becomes lower than on Earth will come much faster than most expect, likely in two or three years."

SpaceX is pushing to reduce launch costs using its heavy-lift space rocket, Starship.

SpaceX has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to launch up to 1 million satellites for space data centers.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)