Political shifts prompt tech industry to explore space for data centers

Following Democratic victories in recent state and congressional races, including in Texas, tech figures like Elon Musk and Jordan Lasker are exploring orbital data centers. Google has launched a satellite reportedly containing a data center-class TPU. SpaceX plans to deploy thousands of AI satellites starting in late 2027. Blue Origin is pursuing a permit for an orbital data center system involving 50,000 satellites, and Starcloud claimed to place the first NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit in November 2025. In Texas, political shifts present varied challenges. Robert Paterson, a University of Texas at Austin professor, noted that the split control between the state's House (Democratic) and Senate (Republican) might slow immediate changes. Adrian Shelley of Public Citizen's Texas office suggested the governor could enact immediate changes via executive orders. Paterson also suggested empowering counties, which house nearly half of the state's data centers in unincorporated territory, as a medium-term solution, despite counties having limited zoning authority under Dillon's Rule.