X @Elon Musk

Business Idea - SpaceX is considering deploying AI computing (inference) in orbit, leveraging the high value per kg and revenue per kW of GPUs [1] - The proposed system, potentially named "Star Thought," could be based on Starlink v3 satellites [2][3] - The system would use sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at 560 km to maximize sunlight exposure and eliminate the need for batteries [3] Technical Design - Satellites would use a "sun slicer" solar array configuration to minimize drag while maximizing sunlight capture, generating approximately 130 kW of electrical power [3][4] - The design incorporates MLI heat reflectors to passively cool the back side of the main bus, where GPUs are racked [4] - A potential design involves directly attaching GPUs to solar modules, using local wifi connections instead of high-voltage cables to maximize power density [6] - This distributed architecture helps with thermal management by avoiding concentrated heat generation [7] Financial Analysis - A model with 200 H100-equivalent GPUs could generate 13,000 tokens per second, resulting in $4 million in annual revenue at $10/token [5] - Assuming an all-in cost of $50,000/kW, the system could achieve a 60% ROI per year [5] - The economics are viable if the revenue per kWh exceeds $4.00 [8] Scalability - One Starship launch could deploy 100 metric tons to LEO, equating to approximately 30 MW of inference capacity [8] - 1,000 launches could achieve 30 GW of inference capacity [8]