Dear Editor,
With plans recently announced to build data centers in orbit there is no longer a need for data centers in Guyana. The announcement is a game changer for the industry as it addresses the major constraints and limitations faced by data centers.
The first limitation it resolves is the need for abundant uninterrupted energy. Solar power is to be used with a higher irradiance provided due to no atmospheric attenuation.
Another very attractive and appealing benefit is that there will be no resource shortage for cooling. On earth these centers consume millions of gallons of water daily for cooling and the centers also place “immense strain” on the local electrical grid. Another key advantage of the orbital data centers is that they overcome bandwidth constraints by using satellites to facilitate in orbit data processing. These orbital centers are also less vulnerable and scalability is faster than centers established on earth. (References: Scientific American and RackSolutions). Major companies in the industry such as Google, SpaceX and Starcloud are pursuing this initiative with an orbital data center coming online this year.
CRG recommends that our nation’s energy resources be redirected to other uses and not be used in the pursuit of yesterday’s technology infrastructure. The revenue from the sale of the energy resources planned for a local data center should be invested in the U.S. stock market where liquidity will remain high and exposure to the financial upside of AI and data centers can be achieved without the burden and risk of owning the physical assets. These energy resources are also currently in high demand on the market due to the multiple wars overseas. This makes pricing attractive and our nation’s cash flow will improve, allowing us to benefit from the time value of money if invested wisely in the U.S. financial markets.