Barely a year into the generative AI boom, it’s become obvious that the future of artificial intelligence may depend less on algorithms and more on electricity.
That urgency is now pushing tech giants into unfamiliar territory. An example is Meta Platforms which has just signed a new agreement with startup Overview Energy to explore the radical idea of generating solar power in space and transmitting it to Earth at night.
The concept sounds like science fiction but is quickly moving toward commercial reality. Under the deal, a network of satellites would harvest sunlight in orbit and beam it down as infrared energy to solar farms on Earth, allowing them to keep producing electricity even after sunset.
This is not just an experiment in clean energy. It is a direct response to the exploding power demands of AI systems. Meta’s data centers alone consumed more than 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, a figure that rivals the annual energy use of entire cities.
And that number is rising fast.
Training and running advanced AI models requires vast computing infrastructure, which in turn demands constant, uninterrupted electricity. Traditional renewable solutions, particularly solar, face a basic limitation; they stop working when the sun goes down, unless paired with expensive battery storage or backup generation.
Space-based solar power attempts to solve that problem at its root. Satellites in orbit can capture sunlight almost continuously, unaffected by weather or nightfall, and transmit it to Earth on demand.
For companies like Meta, the appeal is obvious. The race to dominate AI is quickly becoming a race to secure reliable, scalable energy sources. Conventional grids are already under strain, and renewable expansion on Earth alone may not be enough to keep pace.
The agreement with Overview Energy is still early-stage, and significant technical and economic hurdles remain. Building and maintaining satellite constellations capable of transmitting usable power is complex, capital-intensive, and largely unproven at scale.
Meta has already committed to building tens of gigawatts of renewable capacity to support its operations, alongside multiple large-scale solar deals in recent years. The move into space-based power signals a willingness to look beyond traditional infrastructure as AI ambitions accelerate.
Across the tech industry, similar thinking is taking hold. From experimental space data centers to novel energy storage systems, companies are reimagining how and where computing infrastructure should be powered.
What is emerging is a new layer of competition beneath the AI race. Not just faster models or better chips, but access to energy itself.
In that context, Meta’s latest deal is less about space and more about survival in an energy-constrained future. If AI is to scale as rapidly as its proponents expect, securing electricity will be just as critical as advancing the technology.
And increasingly, that electricity may come from above.
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Emmanuel Abara Benson is a business journalist and editor covering artificial intelligence, global markets, and emerging technology.
He has previously worked with Business Insider Africa and Nairametrics, reporting on finance, startups, and innovation.
His work focuses on AI, digital economy, and global tech trends.
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