Space Mafia: How orbital AI changes everything

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of orbital AI and its potential impact on various sectors with guest Andreas Hamberger.

Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to the data centres of Silicon Valley or the cloud regions dotted around the world.  It is heading into orbit, hitching a ride on satellites and space stations in a way that could transform defence, climate monitoring, disaster response – and the balance of power itself. Starcloud, Google's Project Suncatcher, SpaceX V3 Starlink satellites, and Axiom Space represent the first wave of the orbital AI race. When SpaceX undertakes its initial public offering (IPO), as early as next month, its valuation will depend to a large extent on how much credibility its plans to put data centres in space are deemed to be. In space, solar panels can supply constant energy to power the chips running high-capacity AI workloads. But that's only part of the reason why tech companies are scrambling to put data centres in space... This week on The Business of Tech, I talk to Wellington‑based enterprise architect and AI governance specialist Andreas Hamberger, whose new book Space Mafia explores how quickly “orbital AI” is moving from sci‑fi to infrastructure.  Drawing on three decades in enterprise tech and a deep background in…

People in this episode

Guest: Andreas Hamberger

Topics covered

• orbital AI
• satellites
• defense
• climate monitoring
• disaster response
• AI governance

Keywords

• orbital AI
• satellites
• SpaceX
• AI governance
• climate monitoring
• disaster response
• accountability gap

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Google, SpaceX, Axiom Space, Starcloud, Project Suncatcher

Places: Silicon Valley, space, Wellington

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