Tech Figures Eye Orbital Data Centers After Texas Election Losses

Democrats won key races in Texas and other states on Tuesday, including candidates who opposed the data center industry, prompting some tech figures to advocate for building data centers in space instead. Tech enthusiasts, including Elon Musk, posted support for orbital data centers on social media after the election results. Musk spent over $400 million backing Republican candidates who lost, and companies like Google and SpaceX are already exploring space-based compute options. Space data centers face high costs and size limits, while Texas policy changes may be constrained by a split legislature and developers' vested rights. Experts say counties could gain limited zoning authority over data centers in the upcoming legislative session.