Crusoe and Starcloud Partner to Launch the First Cloud in Space

Crusoe, the vertically integrated AI infrastructure provider known for coupling high-performance computing with clean energy solutions, has announced a landmark partnership with Starcloud – the first company building AI data centers in space. The collaboration aims to make Crusoe the first public cloud provider to run workloads beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Under the agreement, Crusoe will deploy its Crusoe Cloud platform aboard a Starcloud satellite set to launch in late 2026. The project will inaugurate a new era of off-planet computing, with limited GPU capacity expected to be available to customers by early 2027. The companies say the initiative represents a step change in the evolution of AI infrastructure – a move from purely terrestrial systems toward orbital platforms designed for high-performance, energy-efficient computing.

The venture builds on Crusoe’s “energy-first” approach to computing – designing infrastructure around abundant, sustainable power sources. By locating data centers in orbit and harnessing direct solar energy, Crusoe and Starcloud aim to demonstrate a new model for AI operations that decouples compute capacity from Earth’s physical and environmental constraints.

“At Crusoe, we believe that space will ultimately matter to the future of computing because it enables new solutions to a key scaling constraint for AI infrastructure: sourcing abundant, consistent, and clean energy,” said Cully Cavness, Crusoe’s co-founder, president, and COO. “Since our founding, we’ve focused on co-locating compute infrastructure with novel energy sources. By partnering with Starcloud, we’re extending that principle from Earth to the next frontier – outer space.”

Scalability and Sustainability

Starcloud’s orbital data centers are self-contained, satellite-based computing platforms powered entirely by solar arrays. Without the need for terrestrial energy grids, water-based cooling, or physical land use, the design would offer unmatched scalability and sustainability. The upcoming satellite will include a module running Crusoe Cloud, enabling customers to deploy AI workloads on infrastructure operating entirely in space.

Philip Johnston, CEO of Starcloud, described the partnership as a natural fit between two companies intent on redefining the boundaries of compute. “Having Crusoe as the foundational cloud provider on our platform is a perfect alignment of vision and execution,” said Johnston. “Together, we’re not just putting a data center in orbit – we’re establishing a new category of cloud computing that will open extraordinary possibilities for research, discovery, and innovation.”

Beyond the initial satellite deployment, the partnership also includes plans to develop larger space-based data centers as demand for orbital computing grows. Both companies envision a scalable network of AI-ready orbital platforms that could one day complement or even offload portions of terrestrial data infrastructure.

For Crusoe, this marks the next step in its strategy to tackle the energy and scalability challenges facing AI. For Starcloud, it represents the realization of a bold vision – one where the cloud extends into space, unlocking an entirely new layer of the digital ecosystem. Together, they aim to redefine not only where data centers operate, but what sustainable, high-performance computing can look like in the decades to come.