Such structures would have better latency due to locality, they wouldn't be subject to transmission interference from weather, they'd be far more accessible for replacements/upgrades, and being underground naturally aids in cooling and noise suppression.
While it would be resource intensive to dig out the underground structure, I'd be surprised if it even came close to the resource expenditure required to launch all your computer hardware into stable orbit, not even accounting for the fact that the former is a one-time, up-front cost, while the latter would have to be re-done every time you replace hardware.
This is an idea that is getting a lot of airtime but not sure if anyone practical minded thinks it is viable in the next 15 years.
It was never a serious proposal, it's just some zillionaire's daydream about having their own Neuromancer-style space-station, a place where their word is law and their dynasty assured by a pet superintelligence.
The only "data-center in space" we're likely to see will be tiny low-power satellites, offering themselves as extraterritorial hosting (i.e. actual data, versus processing) for stuff like an oligarch's ill-gotten crypto-currency.
Yeah, Jeff Bezos gives it some lip-service, but that's to promote Blue Origin as a company to launch rockets. Somebody will probably launch a symbolic little temporary thing to claim the prestige of "first datacenter in space".
But beyond that? Nobody's planning exaflops of compute in orbit, if they're sinking deep investment in satellites at all, it'll be for their classical role of relaying (or collecting) data.
If the issue was "leaving more room and resources for humans and wildlife", it would be much cheaper and easier to put DCs into the ocean. Yes, it's a hostile environment for such hardware, but it would still be much cheaper to handle all the downsides for the same amount of compute - including maintenance, which is currently economically impossible for DCs in orbit.
one of the biggest threats to AI accelerationism longterm is the public rioting or foreign governments launching attacks against data centers
the plebians won't be able to burn the data centers if you put them in space though.
This is more indicative of the general NIMBY effect.
If the DCs had to go it alone, wait who are we kidding? They never even thought of that path, it's all about how to push the costs on to locals. They want all the freebies they can get.
They bring nothing to the table
[EDIT: damn. y'all in the comments. whoosh]
You would wish but it's way too prevalent to call oneself "Republican" or "Democrat" and promise lifetime loyalty. Take almost anything they are mad about when the "other" side does it and ask how they'd feel if "their" side did it.
Where?!? I have travelled all over the USA and I have never a met a person like this.
He can say billionaires are unethical ipso facto, that the poor shouldn't die from lack of healthcare, and that corruption is bad. But then say he has no choice but to vote Republican because "Democrats are worse" and "they want to turn boys into girls.". He thinks Fox News is too liberal.
They certainly exist, and in great numbers, if there aren't 75 Democratic senators and 300+ Democratic House reps by 2028.
I have some friend circles where upwards of 50% people do this.
To be fair it is far less prevalent outside of the US thank god.
You can reject the category of Republicans in all situations or zero situations but doing so only some of the time is not a defensible position.
Don't disregard what people tell you they will do because they are "just people"
Project 2025 been admitting their goals for years but they're just people they would never, right?
The policy-outcome feedback loop should be tight. People rapidly adapt when that happens.
Fortunately site selection is still possible and construction teams are still well occupied. America’s fortunate to enter a period with such clean industry. Dropping the ball here would have been so foolish.
DCs set up there because power was cheap, train coverage is good (useful for construction), fiber is everywhere, and of course lobbyists and politicians have their hands out all over NoVa