Meta Signs Deal To Beam Solar Power From Space For AI Data Centers

The surging demand for electricity to power artificial intelligence has pushed tech giants to look beyond the terrestrial grid. Meta has signed an agreement with the startup Overview Energy to potentially source solar power beamed directly from space. This ambitious project aims to capture sunlight via orbital satellites and transmit it to Earth via microwave beams, providing a consistent energy source even after the sun goes down.

This deal highlights the extreme measures being taken to manage the "energy gap" created by massive data centers. While traditional solar and wind power are variable, space-based solar could theoretically provide 24/7 carbon-free energy. For Meta, securing a stable power supply is critical as the company continues to scale its AI infrastructure and processing capabilities.

However, the technology remains in its nascent stages. Large-scale microwave power transmission and the cost of launching heavy infrastructure into orbit present significant engineering and economic hurdles. What to watch for in the coming years will be the first successful ground-to-orbit tests and whether the pricing can compete with emerging terrestrial solutions like small modular nuclear reactors.

TechCrunch first reported on the agreement between Meta and Overview Energy.