infrastructureScore 35/100Watch
Brad Gersner: Space-based data centers represent 'trillions' of dollars in future capex—'most compute will be in space within 10 years'; bigger than any other space business today
Will Marshall· Planet Labs· Space· 2026-07-19· about Planet Labs, Altimeter Capital (PL)
“no question within 10 years most compute will be putting in space, which to give you a sense is a lot of money like trillions and um will be bigger than any of the other space businesses today.”
Why it matters
A leading tech investor explicitly states that space compute will be the largest segment of the space economy within 10 years—a multi-trillion dollar opportunity. This validates the long-term secular thesis but implies massive capex requirements.
Investment implication
Launch providers (SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Axiom), space-qualified power systems, thermal management, and RF communication infrastructure will see explosive demand. Terrestrial data center real estate and operators may face secular headwinds if cost curves continue to favor space.