Join us for an in-depth AMA and podcast conversation with Philip Johnston, Co-founder & CEO of Starcloud, the world’s first orbital data center company. 🚀

We cover:

1. Why orbital infrastructure is the next leap in AI compute

2. Starcloud’s plan to launch megawatt-scale compute into orbit by 2027

3. The challenges of energy, cooling, and scalability in space

4. Lessons from building at the frontier of deep tech, aerospace, and AIThis wide-ranging discussion blends technical insight, founder perspective, and long-term vision. Perfect for anyone curious about the future of AI infrastructure, space technology, and frontier startups.

📌 Topics include: orbital data centers, AI compute demand, space infrastructure, scaling deep-tech startups.

00:00 Intro

01:13 What Starcloud is building

02:19 5 GW vision; module approach

03:03 Architecture: central spine + modules

03:27 Solar arrays and radiators

03:58 Demo sat (H100s), Nov target

04:21 Roadmap to 40 MW modules

05:29 Modularity and self‑sufficiency

06:06 Cooling and racks

08:05 Top risks and objections

11:20 Mission life & end‑of‑life

13:16 Disposal options

14:09 Maintenance strategy

17:40 Backhaul plan

18:22 Iteration and capex

19:32 Launch cadence; Sat‑2 service

20:31 Costs/runway overview

22:12 Early customers (DoD/USG)

23:37 Differentiation (H100s)

25:01 EO data bottleneck

25:44 Space‑to‑space optical

26:08 On‑orbit inference example

26:49 Latency: hours → seconds

27:09 Contrarian view (waste heat)

29:01 Q&A

31:48 Debris strategy

35:16 LEO capacity; Lagrange points

38:23 Scale refs; mass & launches

41:20 Launch economics context

42:23 Misconceptions (cooling, latency)

47:19 CAPEX per module

50:57 Closing advice

51:39 Wrap