@planet
NEW: The case for AI data centers in space, Earth intelligence, & why orbital compute could soon be cheaper than on Earth
Interview w/ Planet Labs (NYSE: $PL) Co-Founder & CEO Will Marshall (@Will4Planet)
"Data centers is all an energy problem."
"In space, for each solar panel, you get 5X more power."
@planet has built 718 satellites, 2nd only to SpaceX, & operates the only constellation capable of imaging Earth's entire landmass daily, generating 4M images per day.
Now, Planet is working with Google on Project Suncatcher, testing AI compute in orbit, alongside NVIDIA-powered processing aboard its Pelican satellites.
Will explains the economics:
"No interruption from clouds, no interruption from day & night. So you don't have to have batteries, you don't have to have gas, you don't have any of those other power systems."
He estimates that once launch costs hit $200 to $300/kg, roughly 3X to 4X below SpaceX's current price, orbital data centers could be cheaper than ones on Earth.
"This is going to suddenly massively increase the size of the space sector."
Beyond compute, we discuss how Planet is turning its massive archive of Earth data into AI-powered intelligence, alongside its growing defense business supporting Ukraine, the US Navy, and sovereign satellite programs across Europe & Asia, including Sweden's first reconnaissance satellite, launched just four months after signing.
With growing resistance to terrestrial data center construction, many are watching if next major AI infrastructure buildout going to happen in orbit..
𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒
(00:00) Will Marshall, Co-Founder & CEO at Planet Labs
(00:49) “We go where the cool people are”
(01:46) What it takes to image Earth every day
(04:13) Why information is power in modern war
(07:39) Why countries want their own satellites
(08:34) How Wall Street & Big Tech are watching from space
(10:22) The new face of warfare
(11:16) The most surprising uses of satellite imagery
(14:49) Imaging any point on Earth within 30 minutes
(17:24) What if you could ask a satellite a question?
(19:41) Every AI story comes back to compute
(20:38) Do data centers in space make sense?
(25:32) Why satellites are so sensitive
(26:55) The NASA maverick who made Planet Labs possible
(28:37) Who's on Planet Labs no-go list
(29:18) Will's prediction on finding aliens
(33:34) Inside NASA's alien hotline
(35:05) How a childhood hero inspired Will’s space career
(38:21) Why persistence matters mostView quoted post on X
www.planet.com Introducing the Planet AI App: Search. Explore. Act. Search the planet using everyday language and explore a decade of near-daily satellite imagery with no GIS expertise required. You can now ask the planet anything: The Planet AI app is generally available! 💬🌎 Today's AI models have read the internet, but they haven't seen the world.
The @planet AI app changes that. You can now ask questions directly to a 10+ year, 3,000+ layer archive of daily satellite imagery.
During beta, we've seen:
🌾 Farmers boosting crop yields
🚒 First responders tracking disaster paths
🛡️ Security teams uncovering emerging risks
🌲 Park rangers halting illegal deforestation in real time
We're putting satellite intelligence into more hands, helping more people see what's happening on Earth and make better decisions. Search. Explore. Act.
What questions do you have? Try it now: ai.planet.com/?utm_campaign=…View quoted post on X
