By Al Root
AI data centers need a lot of power. The AI industry is wrestling with solutions to that problem.
SpaceX, for instance, is looking to bring data centers to orbit, leveraging the power of the sun. Meta Platforms has another idea for using the giant fusion ball in the sky, which accounts for 99%-plus of all the mass in our solar system.
Monday, Overview Energy and Meta announced a first-of-its-kind agreement to bring space solar energy to data centers.
"This is the first of many of these deals," says Overview CEO Marc Berte. "The sky's the limit on what we can do with this [technology]."
Berte, an MIT-educated nuclear and aerospace engineer, founded Overview in 2022 with the goal of producing energy at scale.
The agreement gives Meta early access to a planned gigawatt of generating capacity. (That's enough to power 500,000 to 1 million homes.) Overview declined to provide financial details of the agreement.
But doesn't all solar power come from space? Well, yes, but Overview's satellites essentially gather sunlight in geosynchronous orbit and beam it down as near-infrared light to existing solar projects.
The general idea is to turn solar power projects into near-24/7 operations. Existing solar producers don't need significant upgrades, and near-infrared light is invisible to humans. The company plans to be in orbit by 2028 with operations in 2030.
The technology is fascinating. There are other options for space solar, with solar panels in space beaming microwaves to a receiver.
Cost, of course, is an issue. Reaching space is still relatively expensive, even though SpaceX has cut costs to reach orbit by more than 90% compared with the Space Shuttle. Still, data centers are looking for ways to power themselves without causing a consumer burden. Average U.S. electricity prices are up about 15% since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022. (They are up about 40% since before the pandemic.)
Meta stock was up 0.4% in midday trading on Monday, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were flat and down 0.1%, respectively.
Gains left Meta stock up 3% year to date and up 24% over the past 12 months.
Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 27, 2026 14:48 ET (18:48 GMT)
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