Why the Future of Data Might Be Off Earth

Data centers in space are a hot topic. Hyperscale data center builders like Google and Crusoe are planning space-based facilities, and tech veterans like Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk also have ambitions for deploying data centers in space.

All these headlines have folks wondering - are data centers in space a pipe dream, or the next phase in digital infrastructure?

To find out, I sought out someone who has actually deployed data storage on the moon. Chris Stott is the executive chairman of Lonestar Data Holdings, whose mission is to provide data storage in outer space, including on the surface of the moon.

On today's show, Chris shares about Lonestar's missions to the moon, what's involved in deploying IT infrastructure in space, how data sovereignty works above the earth, and the future growth prospects for data centers in outer space. This was a really fun conversation, which I think you'll enjoy.

00:00 - Data Centers in Space - The Final Frontier?

01:30 - Meet Chris Stott of Lonestar Data. Chris shares about his career in the space industry.

03:00 - Why Lonestar Data Holdings was founded, and details on its lunar missions

05:25 - Why the Moon for Data Storage?

10:20 - How Operating in Space is Different - Cooling, Radiation and more

16:20 - Data Sovereignty in Space (and how it differs from Terrestrial Data Storage)

19:00 - Why are There so Many Space Data Center Initiatives?

23:45 - Free Power? A Closer Look at Solar Arrays in Space

26:40 - The Road Ahead: Lonestar Data's Roadmap for Data Storage in Space

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness https://datacenterrichness.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Lonestar Data Holdings
https://www.lonestarlunar.com/

Lonestar on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lonestar-data-holdings/

Lonestar Data Makes it to the Moon
https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/edge-computing/article/33037610/lonestar-data-makes-it-to-the-moon-on-im-1-lunar-lander

Chris Stott on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-stott-aa0820/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:
Data Center Innovation in the Age of AI
https://youtu.be/P_0U0SLFJc8?si=Khxv-My10V0V3slU

Why Every Data Center Pro is Talking About Power Now
https://youtu.be/GJiBqvUl5rU?si=KqZsV0pkwb_aywdq

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

The data center landscape is changing fast, as AI drives innovation in both energy and cooling. In a industry dominated by big companies and big requirements, it's a tricky time for data center startups.

Yuval Bachar is the founder of ECL, a startup that set out to pioneer hydrogen-powered data centers. With the arrival of ChatGPT and the AI data center boom, ECL has changed along with the industry.

Today on the Data Center Richness podcast, Yuval is here to share how ECL has moved to the cutting-edge of AI, deploying the very latest NVIDIA high-density racks in a hydrogen-powered, liquid-cooled data center. It's a story that reinforces the importance of an engineering mindset, and always being ready to innovate.

Let's get started ….

CHAPTERS GO HERE

00:00 - How data center startups navigate in an era of big, fast change

01:45 - Meet Yuval Bachar and learn about his "Data Center Journey"

09:30 - Managing Hydrogen-Powered Liquid-Cooled NVIDIA Racks

15:35 - Building Out the Executive Team at ECL

18:00 - Growth Opportunities in Texas with Natural Gas and Hydrogen

22:00 - The Shape of Inference and the Role of Data Centers

28:15 - The Evolution of Modular Data Center Design

31:40 - Cooling: How Dense Can We Go?

36:25 - The Road Ahead

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights:
https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack:
https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web:
Data Center Richness
https://datacenterrichness.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

ECL Web Site
https://ecldc.com/

Yuval Bachar on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuvalbachar/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

How Factory-Built Designs Speed AI Deployments
https://youtu.be/hZ6vuoDJ8Nc?si=qIhnFjV_CvhSDqst

Data Center Innovation in the Age of AI
https://youtu.be/P_0U0SLFJc8?si=Khxv-My10V0V3slU

Why Every Data Center Pro is Talking About Power Now
https://youtu.be/GJiBqvUl5rU?si=KqZsV0pkwb_aywdq

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

AI is changing the way we design and build data centers. Meanwhile, cloud computing and enterprise companies continue to need lots of IT capacity.

This creates a challenge for the teams that design data centers, who must navigate rapid change amid tensions between workloads and technologies. AI or cloud? Air-cooled or liquid-cooled?

This is Sara Martin's world. Sara is an Associate Principal at HED, an integrated design end engineering firm that works with many data center clients. On today's podcast Sara provides an inside look at how the rise of AI is creating new challenges, and how leading data centers are using design to build for the future in a period of big fast change.

Here's an overview of the conversation with Data Center Richness host Rich Miller and Sara Martin of HED:

00:00 - Why AI Challenges the Status Quo in Design

01:15 - Sara Martin shares her Data Center Journey, and what HED does.

05:10 - The AI Transition and Modular Designs

10:00 - Hybrid Cooling in Multi-Tenant Data Centers

14:45 - The Pace of Change as a Design Challenge

21:20 - Data Center Water Usage and Community Pushback

27:00 - Trends in Closed-Loop vs. Evaporative Cooling

32:30 - The Future Path of Power and Cooling

39:00 - Supply Chains and Why Modular Matters

At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1

NOW ON SUBSTACK!

Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/

On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterrichness.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

HED's Data Center Portfolio https://hed.co/stories/mission-critical

Sara Martin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-martin-7b61b546/

Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

RELATED VIDEOS:

How Factory-Built Designs Speed AI Deployments https://youtu.be/hZ6vuoDJ8Nc?si=qIhnFjV_CvhSDqst

Data Center Innovation in the Age of AI https://youtu.be/P_0U0SLFJc8?si=Khxv-My10V0V3slU

Can Data Centers Be Good Neighbors? https://youtu.be/syRpAj9aCSg?si=4r6IQJEjukwQ67Eu

All video by Data Center Richness.

Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx