'I wouldn't bet against Elon': Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins 'absolutely' wants to put data centers in space

Date:
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:35:00 +0000

Description:
Cisco execs are discussing what they need to send data centers to space, but we're a long way off that just yet.

FULL STORY
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins has revealed his company
execs are already discussing plans to put data centers in space.

Robbins clearly backs the idea, noting that space could remove some of
Earth's key constraints like power, cooling and land availability. Abundant solar energy and fewer community objections are among the highlights (though
a different type of objection would likely occur). And Robbins isn't the only person with influence over data centers who believes this: "Sam Altman is one who says, 'I dont think they should be in their backyards'," he told Nilay Patel of The Verge .

Cisco is actively exploring putting data centers in space

Although Altman may be sceptical of locating data centers in space, SpaceX's Elon Musk is a major supporter. When asked whether he would believe Altman,
who claims space-bound data centers are a "pipe dream," or Elon Musk, Robbins stated: "I wouldnt bet against Elon."

These campuses are generally seen as noisy, energy-intensive operations that are especially unpopular locally. Hyperscalers face increasing public opposition and concerns over environmental impacts, however soaring usage is
a conflicting trend that's requiring ongoing buildouts.

However, Cisco is still figuring out some of the technical challenges
relating to temperature, atmospheric conditions and launch logistics.

There's also a growing demand for data sovereignty, and it's unclear at best how space-located data centers would play into this with infrastructure
design shifting from global systems to localized deployments.

As for the next steps, there are clearly a lot of them. "Were in the early stages of just making sure the atmospheric issues, the temperatures, all of those things are taken into consideration," the CEO stated, noting "we dont even know everything we need to do yet."

"Absolutely," Robbins concluded when asked whether we should put data centers in space.

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/i-wouldnt-bet-against-elon-cisco-ceo-chuck-robbi ns-absolutely-wants-to-put-data-centers-in-space

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