• Steve@communick.news
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    9 hours ago

    I genuinely don’t understand why anyone would put money behind this. I thought it insane when Musk first mentioned it. Can someone explain a single advantage of a space based data center? Even if it’s not worth spending this kind of money on.

    • adarza@piefed.ca
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      8 hours ago

      google owns a fair chunk of the company from a substantial investment a decade ago. this is just a further ‘investment’ to boost spacex financials prior to the anticipated ipo. has nothing to do with elon’s pipe dream of data centers in space.

    • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Can someone explain a single advantage of a space based data center?

      An angry mob cannot destroy it during the social revolution.

      However, the ground stations can still be destroyed.

      • OwOarchist@pawb.social
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        7 hours ago

        An angry mob cannot destroy it during the social revolution.

        One decent hacker getting into the control and stabilization system, though…

    • einfach_orangensaft@sh.itjust.works
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      8 hours ago

      there is high military value in space based compute. Centralized datacenters on earth are “easy targets”. It a lot harder of low end opponents to strike a satelite, even more so if its many.

      Also it makes the latency shorter to the drones on the front lines.

      Imagen FPV drones, but they transmit picture strait to low earth orbit datacenter where compute happens. This keeps the ping low and the compute hardware on the drone itself cheap.

    • gnutrino@programming.dev
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      8 hours ago

      This isn’t space based, this is traditional data center capacity that spacex acquired when it bought xAI. Although given the inclusion of a no-penalty termination clause if the promised capacity isn’t provided a cynic might suspect that Elon is just juicing expected revenues ahead of the IPO and that these contracts will quietly be discarded when the promised compute turns out not to exist…

        • gnutrino@programming.dev
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          55 minutes ago

          I’d be wary of that given the detachment from reality of the TSLA share price. The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent and all that.

        • swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          7 hours ago

          Can you trade options on a stock pre-IPO? I’d imagine those would be expensive af, but I’ve been out of that game for some time

          • OwOarchist@pawb.social
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            6 hours ago

            Unfortunately not, I think. At least not for us mere mortals.

            I’d have to wait until it’s already being traded.

            • swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              5 hours ago

              Sadge. Probably for the best though, if Tesla is any indication, this one will stay overvalued for no good reason, long enough to put off quick shorts anyways.

      • adarza@piefed.ca
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        8 hours ago

        cynic might suspect that Elon is just juicing expected revenues

        given his reputation, previous actions, and thirst for even more wealth… anyone with more than three brain cells should see the scam being set up.