COMPANIES · SPACE INFRA

Starcloud

Starcloud is a Washington-state startup building data centers that run in orbit, powered by sunlight and cooled by the vacuum of space. In November 2025 its 60kg Starcloud-1 satellite put the first data-center-class NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit, and it says it has since trained an AI model and run a Google model in space.

DirectSpace infra
What it does

Starcloud is a Washington-state startup building data centers that run in orbit, powered by sunlight and cooled by the vacuum of space. In November 2025 its 60kg Starcloud-1 satellite put the first data-center-class NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit, and it says it has since trained an AI model and run a Google model in space.

Why it matters

Starcloud is the one company in orbital compute with real hardware doing real inference in space rather than a rendering, which is why NVIDIA and Cisco put money into it. Everything beyond that single satellite - the talk of 88,000 satellites and 20 gigawatts - is a plan, and the company's own chief executive has said its growth depends on launch capacity it has not yet booked.

How it makes money

It has so far been funded by venture capital; it plans to sell GPU compute capacity in orbit, with Crusoe announced as the first cloud provider to run on its satellites from 2027.

Geography

United States

AI stack position

Space and next-generation infrastructure. Launch providers, satellite builders and operators, ground networks and the first attempts at running computing in orbit. Most of these companies have no AI business today; they are on this map because of what they carry, connect or build for the companies that do. Open the space lens.

Connections (9)

Every connection below is tied to a readable source, date, classification and statement of its limits. A company source establishes what that company stated; it does not necessarily provide independent confirmation.

Current relationships (6)

Starcloud depends on launch capacity from SpaceX
Buys fromCurrent
Starcloud chief executive Philip Johnston said launch capacity is constrained and that being unable to book SpaceX launch capacity in 2029 would be challenging for the company, with SpaceX's Starship still unproven.

Source: 2026-08-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Reported operating

Limits: A chief executive's statement about expected future launch needs and market scarcity. It does not establish a signed launch contract, any committed volumes or prices, or that SpaceX has agreed to carry Starcloud's future satellites.

Starcloud raises $250 million for orbital data centers as launch options dry up ↗
NVIDIA invested in Starcloud
Invested inCurrent
NVIDIA was named as a new investor in Starcloud's $250 million Series A extension, announced at a $2.3 billion post-money valuation and led by Manhattan West.

Source: 2026-08-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Establishes participation in a funding round. It does not establish the size of NVIDIA's stake, any board seat, control, commercial commitment to buy capacity, or that the valuation reflects revenue.

Starcloud Raises $250 Million at $2.3 Billion Valuation to Scale AI with Orbital Data Centers ↗
NVIDIA supplies GPUs to Starcloud
SuppliesCurrent
Starcloud said its Starcloud-1 satellite, launched in November 2025, carried the first data-center-class NVIDIA H100 GPU to operate in orbit.

Source: 2026-08-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Establishes that one NVIDIA GPU flew on one satellite. It does not establish the commercial terms, whether the part was sold, donated or supplied through a program, any volume commitment, or that NVIDIA will supply GPUs for a larger constellation.

Starcloud Raises $250 Million at $2.3 Billion Valuation to Scale AI with Orbital Data Centers ↗
Cisco Systems invested in Starcloud
Invested inCurrent
Cisco Investments was named as a new investor in Starcloud's $250 million Series A extension announced in August 2026.

Source: 2026-08-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: Establishes participation in a funding round by Cisco's investment arm. It does not establish the size of the stake, any board seat, or any commercial or product relationship between Cisco and Starcloud.

Starcloud Raises $250 Million at $2.3 Billion Valuation to Scale AI with Orbital Data Centers ↗
Starcloud ran a Google model on Google (Alphabet subsidiary)
Uses technology fromCurrent
Starcloud said its Starcloud-1 satellite achieved the first training of an AI model in space and ran Google's Gemini in orbit.

Source: 2026-08-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Reported operating

Limits: A company claim about a technical demonstration. It does not establish a commercial agreement with Google, any licensing terms, which model variant or size was used, or that the demonstration produced a usable service.

Starcloud Raises $250 Million at $2.3 Billion Valuation to Scale AI with Orbital Data Centers ↗
SpaceX launched the satellite of Starcloud
Provides infrastructure toCurrent
SpaceX launched Starcloud's Starcloud-1 satellite, carrying an NVIDIA H100 GPU, in early November 2025, and Starcloud's chief executive said the spacecraft had reached nominal operations.

Source: 2025-11-03 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Secondary reporting of an on-record executive statement · Reported operating

Limits: Establishes a single rideshare launch and initial contact with the spacecraft. It does not establish commercial terms, that SpaceX has contracted any further Starcloud launches, any equity or preferential relationship between the two, or how long the payload operated.

Starcloud-1 satellite reaches space, with Nvidia H100 GPU now operating in orbit ↗

Dated or announced (1)

Crusoe Energy announced it will run its cloud on Starcloud
Partners withDated / announced
Crusoe said it will deploy Crusoe Cloud on a dedicated module of a Starcloud satellite launching in late 2026, with limited GPU capacity available from space in early 2027.

Source: 2025-10-22 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Primary-source statement · Announced; not confirmed operating

Limits: An announcement of intent with a future date. It does not establish that any hardware has been built or launched, the capacity involved, the commercial terms, or that customers can buy orbital compute from Crusoe today.

Crusoe to become first cloud operator in space through strategic partnership with Starcloud ↗

Comparisons (2)

Blue Origin competes with Starcloud
Competes withComparison only
Blue Origin applied to the US Federal Communications Commission for 'Project Sunrise', a proposed constellation of up to 51,600 orbital data center satellites, arguing that space-based AI data centers sidestep terrestrial land and power constraints.

Source: 2026-03-21 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Product/market overlap

Limits: A regulatory filing and nothing more. No Project Sunrise hardware exists, no partners or customers were named, the filing seeks waivers from standard deployment rules, and the source does not name Starcloud.

Blue Origin ramps up New Glenn manufacturing, unveils Orbital Data Center ambitions ↗
Axiom Space competes with Starcloud
Competes withComparison only
Axiom Space said its Axiom Data Center Unit One launched to the International Space Station in August 2025 and is operating cloud computing on the station, with at least three interconnected orbital data center nodes planned by 2027 - the same orbital-compute market Starcloud is building for.

Source: 2025-09-16 · reviewed 2026-09-24

Evidence: Analytical comparison · Product/market overlap

Limits: The cited source does not name Starcloud. The two take different approaches - a station-hosted unit versus free-flying satellites - and this does not establish compute capacity, customers, pricing or revenue for either.

Axiom Space, Spacebilt Announce Orbital Data Center Node Aboard International Space Station ↗

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Inclusion in this database is not an endorsement of a company or its securities. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and none of it is individualized investment advice. See the disclosures. Data: AI Map v3.22, released .