Atlanta Startup Unveils ‘Data Centers in Space’ Marketplace as AI Demand Surges

The last few weeks had just about everyone thinking about space, as NASA launched its first lunar flyby mission in well over 50 years.

But there will soon be even more reasons to look up and think about what’s flying high above us in outer space. And that is because we are seeing a bigger and bigger push to move our data centers into orbit, freeing up land and resources here on Earth.

That could become more of a reality, thanks to a Metro Atlanta-based startup.

Atomic-6, a space systems manufacturer, today announced the launch of ODC.space, a new marketplace where AI developers, software providers, and government agencies can secure orbital data center (ODC) capacity on-demand.

Our Data Center Future

This addresses two of the main issues surrounding data centers and their orbital capabilities, says Founder and CEO Trevor Smith told Hypepotamus.

“When the topic of data centers comes up, whether terrestrial or space or space, the first two things that everyone talks about is power and thermal management,” Smith told Hypepotamus.

On Earth, we power data centers with energy from the grid and cool computing chips with nearby cooling ponds. But there is a heavy price tag that comes with building out data centers in communities.

“On the ground, AI infrastructure is increasingly gated by ‘big iron’ bottlenecks: transformers, turbines, transmission upgrades, and permitting,” said astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, an Atomic-6 Board of Advisors member. “Space systems operate under a different regulatory regime, with more predictable licensing pathways and fewer public-facing constraints.”

While data centers in space have access to unlimited solar power, cooling becomes particularly tricky. Atomic-6’s new marketplace helps address that issue. ODC.space enables visitors to immediately spec, price, and order data center capacity. This means they don’t have to design, build, and operate their own satellite programs based on what computing systems they want to put into space. The marketplace works as an “ecosystem of suppliers across the supply chain,” Smith added, allowing customers to curate the size of the spacecraft needed according to specific computing requirements.

The marketplace will deliver sovereign (organization-owned) or colocated (rented) capacity onboard orbital data centers in 2-3 years compared with terrestrial data center timelines that exceed 5 years, according to a press release. Ultimately, timelines could be condensed to just a matter of weeks.

Smith said early customers of ODC.space include companies focused on Earth observation and imaging. But there is also a strong military use case, Smith pointed out.

Georgia’s Space Startup

While the orbital data center work is new, Atomic-6 has been working on deployable power for space applications for several years already.  Last year, the company announced a partnership in which they will be powering data centers in lunar orbit.

Its ODC.space marketplace joins Atomic-6 growing list of core technologies, which include its  Light Wing™ power systems, its Hot Wing™ thermal radiator systems, and Space Armor® shielding technology (Hypepotamus article on that here).

Atomic-6, founded in 2018, designs and manufactures the systems locally in Georgia.

Smith told Hypepotamus that the company officially became a “real space company” in late March after launching its first product into space on board SpaceX’s Transporter 16. Atomic-6 has at least two more launches planned for later this year.