紐時賞析／AI資料中心的太空想像

科技領袖擔憂AI競賽耗盡土地與能源，解方或許在太空。紐約時報

A.I. in the Sky? Space Is Seen As a Data Site.

AI資料中心的太空想像

If the architects of the artificial intelligence boom are right, it is only a matter of time before data centers — the giant computing facilities that power AI — will float in orbit and be visible in the night sky like planets.

如果人工智慧熱潮的主導者判斷正確，爲AI提供運算動力的資料中心將會漂浮在地球軌道上，甚至像行星一樣在夜空中清晰可見，只是遲早的問題。

The science-fiction-like dream is being driven by AI and space industry leaders who are growing increasingly worried that data centers will eventually require more energy and land than are available on Earth. So one solution — perhaps the only solution, they say — is to start building them in space.

這個宛如科幻小說的構想，背後推手是人工智慧與太空產業的領袖人物。他們愈來愈擔心，資料中心最終對能源與土地的需求，將超過地球所能承受的上限。因此，在他們看來，解方之一，甚至可能是唯一的解方：開始把資料中心搬到太空。

Google announced in November that it was working on Project Suncatcher, a space data center project that would begin test launches in 2027. Elon Musk said at a recent conference that space data centers would be the cheapest way to train AI “not more than five years from now.” Others pledging support for the idea include Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin; Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI; and Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia.

Google去年11月宣佈，正投入名爲「追日計劃」的太空資料中心計劃，預計2027年測試發射。馬斯克近期在一場會議上表示，太空資料中心將在「不超過5年內」成爲訓練AI成本最低的方式。公開表態支持這項構想的，還包括亞馬遜與藍色起源創辦人貝佐斯、OpenAI執行長奧特曼，以及輝達執行長黃仁勳。

“It is not a debate — it is going to happen,” said Philip Johnston, the CEO of Starcloud, a space data center startup. “The question is when.”

太空資料中心新創公司Starcloud執行長強斯頓直言：「這不是爭論會不會發生的問題，因爲一定會發生。真正的問題，是什麼時候會發生。」

The notion has gained traction as the AI race hits a fever pitch, fueling fears of a potential bubble. Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon and other big tech companies are investing hundreds of billions in data centers worldwide, with OpenAI alone committing $1.4 trillion to such projects. Saudi Arabia and other nations are also pouring money into these efforts, while smaller companies pile up debt and take on financial risks to join the frenzy.

隨着AI競賽愈演愈烈，太空資料中心的概念逐漸獲得關注，也同步引發市場對泡沫風險的憂慮。Meta、OpenAI、微軟、亞馬遜等大型科技公司，正在全球投入數以千億美元計的資金興建資料中心，其中僅OpenAI承諾投入的金額就高達1.4兆美元。沙烏地阿拉伯等國家也大舉注資，而規模較小的公司則透過舉債、承擔高度財務風險，試圖參與這波投資熱潮。

Yet earthbound data centers are increasingly running into limits. In many places, the projects lack enough available power for the computing needs. Local opposition has also flared over whether data centers are driving up utility bills and exacerbating water shortages.

然而，地球上的資料中心愈來愈頻繁地碰到現實限制。許多地區的電力供應已無法滿足龐大運算需求；所在地的反對聲浪也愈來愈高，質疑資料中心是否推升電費，並加劇用水短缺的問題。

That has led to more creative — some might say wishful — thinking with space data centers. Technologists and scientists have researched the idea and concluded that some version of these projects may be possible in the next few decades. But skeptics said the proposals flew in the face of physics and would be astronomically expensive.

正因如此，太空資料中心成爲更具創意、有人也許會說，一廂情願的解決方案。科技人員與科學家研究後認爲，數十年後，某種形式的太空資料中心或許會出現；但懷疑者指出，這類構想不僅挑戰物理極限，成本更可能高到難以想像。

文／Eli Tan and Ryan Mac，譯／國際中心

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