内容来源：https://www.wired.com/story/the-blue-wave-has-tech-bros-scrambling-for-data-centers-in-space/

内容总结：

美国多州民主党候选人在周二的选举中赢得州级和国会席位，其中得克萨斯州尤为引人关注——该州既是全美数据中心集聚地，也是马斯克旗下SpaceX的总部所在地。多名胜选候选人在竞选中公开反对数据中心产业。选举结果公布后，科技界部分人士开始在社交媒体上高呼“仍然看好数据中心建设”，但地点未必在得州，甚至未必在地球上，而是将目光投向了太空数据中心。

马斯克本人也加入了这一行列。他在社交媒体平台X上发文称：“太空数据中心现在看起来相当有吸引力。”此前，他曾投入超过4亿美元支持共和党候选人，但这些人最终全部在中期选举中落败。科技圈知名账号“Crémieux”的运营者乔丹·拉斯克同样表态支持太空数据中心，称“任何怀疑这一想法的人都没有认真思考今晚的选举结果”。当天，马斯克旗下员工、科技投资人、AI研究人员、风险投资人和行业拥趸纷纷加入支持太空数据中心的讨论。还有智库研究员提出，水下数据中心也应纳入考量——今年6月，中国已开始运营其宣称的全球首个水下数据中心。

事实上，已有部分企业着手将算力送入轨道。谷歌发射了一颗搭载“数据中心级TPU”的卫星；SpaceX表示计划“最早于2027年底开始部署数千颗AI卫星”；蓝色起源也已向美国联邦通信委员会申请许可，拟发射5万颗卫星构建“轨道数据中心系统”。此外，初创公司Starcloud声称已于2025年11月将“首块英伟达H100 GPU送入轨道”。尽管技术上可行，但轨道数据中心面临诸多现实困难：成本远高于地面数据中心，无法扩展至超大规模，且受制于卫星发射的风险和不确定性。

在得州层面，科技界人士的担忧并非毫无依据。专家表示，领导层更迭可能带来一些实质性变化，但影响有限。民主党虽掌控得州众议院，但共和党仍控制州参议院。得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校教授罗伯特·帕特森指出，这种分割意味着一些急切的改革尝试“可能会受到一定阻碍”。非营利消费者权益组织“公共公民”得州办公室主任阿德里安·谢利则表示，立法机构可能是讨论重新分配州机构资源等高影响力政策的场所，但州长可通过发布行政命令或要求政治任命官员辞职来实现更即时的变化。谢利指出，得州环境质量委员会、公用事业委员会和水资源发展委员会等监管机构有权对违法行为处以罚款，极端情况下可撤销数据中心等项目的许可。但帕特森提醒，得州开发商拥有较强的“既得权利”，一旦许可获批，即使尚未开工，项目条款也受到保护。

中期来看，赋予县更多权力可能是重塑得州数据中心产业的另一途径。帕特森指出，该州近半数数据中心位于未建制地区，不受城市分区法管辖。与其它州不同，得州各县执法能力相对有限。根据该州所谓的“狄龙规则”，县仅拥有州政府“明确授予”的权力。因此，县虽对县级道路进出、洪泛区建设等事务有管辖权，但缺乏对数据中心等项目进行密切监管的分区权力。帕特森认为，新任总检察长理论上可调整州两年一度发布的手册中关于县权力的限制条款。他还指出，即便立法机构分裂，鉴于反数据中心情绪跨越党派界限，州议员仍可能提出可行法案，赋予县“对数据中心的有限分区权”。谢利表示，既然“数据中心是此次蓝色浪潮的决定性因素”，即将到来的立法季将“非常有趣”。他说：“数据中心行业迄今未表现出与州议员或地方领导人合作的意愿，我很有兴趣看看这种局面是否会改变。”若不然，近地轨道始终是一个选择。

中文翻译：

全国各地的民主党候选人在周二的州和国会选举中纷纷获胜——尤其是在得克萨斯州，这里是全国数据中心的热点地区，也是埃隆·马斯克旗下SpaceX的所在地——其中许多候选人都曾表态反对数据中心产业。这一结果让科技行业的某些角落开始仰望苍穹寻找答案。

近几个小时内，数据中心的支持者们纷纷在社交媒体上宣称，他们仍然“看好”建设数据中心——只是不一定在得州，甚至不一定在地球上。他们说，现在是时候把目光投向太空数据中心了。

埃隆·马斯克就是带头呼吁的人之一。他曾投入超过4亿美元的财富支持共和党候选人，而这些候选人最终全部在中期选举中落败。周三凌晨，在民主党确定拿下众议院和参议院后，马斯克在X上发文称：“太空数据中心现在看起来相当有吸引力。”

乔丹·拉斯克——X账号“Crémieux”的背后运营者，该账号在科技圈颇受欢迎，以发布基于种族的伪科学内容而闻名——也发表了看法，称：“太空数据中心是个绝妙的主意，任何质疑它们的人都没有认真思考今晚的选举结果。”

整整一天，马斯克的员工、科技投资人、AI研究人员、风险投资人和行业粉丝纷纷加入支持太空数据中心的合唱。技术乐观主义智库“美国创新基金会”的研究员索哈姆·梅塔则主张，水下数据中心也应纳入考虑范围。（今年6月，中国开始运营其声称的全球首个水下数据中心。）

一些公司已经在尝试将算力送入轨道。其中包括谷歌，该公司发射了一颗卫星，声称其上搭载了“数据中心级TPU”；还有SpaceX，该公司表示计划“最早于2027年底开始部署数千颗AI卫星”。蓝色起源也参与其中，已向联邦通信委员会申请许可，计划发射5万颗卫星，构成一个“轨道数据中心系统”。

还有几家初创公司也瞄准了太空数据中心，其中包括Starcloud，该公司声称已于2025年11月将“首块英伟达H100 GPU送入轨道”。

尽管在技术上可行，但轨道数据中心的现实困难重重。除其他问题外，太空数据中心的成本远高于地面数据中心，无法扩展到超大规模，还要承受卫星发射的风险和不确定性。

说到得克萨斯州的数据中心，科技人士的担忧并非完全没有根据。专家告诉《连线》杂志，领导层的更迭可能会给该行业带来一些实质性变化——尽管存在局限。

虽然民主党控制了得州众议院，但共和党仍然掌控着州参议院。得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校土地利用与环境规划教授罗伯特·帕特森告诉《连线》，这种分裂意味着一些试图立即推动变革的尝试“可能会受到一定阻碍”。

非营利消费者权益倡导组织“公共公民”得州办公室主任阿德里安·谢利告诉《连线》，立法机构可能是讨论诸如州机构资源重新分配等高影响力政策的合适场所。不过，他补充说，州长可以通过发布行政命令或要求州机构中政治任命的官员辞职来实现更即时的变化。

谢利表示，这些监管机构——如得州环境质量委员会、公共事业委员会和得州水资源发展委员会——有权对违反州法律的行为处以罚款，在极端情况下还可以撤销数据中心等项目的许可。但帕特森指出，得州的开发商拥有特别强大的“既得权利”，从许可获批的那一刻起就保护其项目条款，即使施工尚未开始。

中期内重塑得州数据中心产业的另一条途径可能是赋予各县更多权力。帕特森指出，该州近一半的数据中心位于未建制地区，这使得它们不在城市分区法律的管辖范围内。

帕特森说，与其他州不同，得州县的执法能力相对有限。根据该州所谓的“狄龙规则”，县只拥有“州政府明确分配给它的”权力。因此，虽然他们对县道的进出通道或洪泛区的建设等事务有管辖权，但他说，他们并不拥有有助于对数据中心等项目进行严格监管的分区权限。

帕特森表示，新任总检察长理论上可以调整该州两年一度的手册中的条款，该手册规定了县的权力界限。他还认为，即使在分裂的立法机构中，特别是反数据中心情绪跨越了党派界限，州议员仍可能提出一项可行的法案，赋予各县“对数据中心的有限分区权限”。

谢利告诉《连线》，由于“数据中心是这次蓝色浪潮的决定性因素”，即将到来的立法季将“非常有趣”。

“我想说，数据中心行业迄今为止并未表现出与州议员或地方领导人合作的很大兴趣，”谢利说，“我很想看看这种情况是否会改变。”

如果不变的话，还有低地球轨道嘛。

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英文来源：

A wave of Democratic candidates across the country—and notably in Texas, a national data center hotspot and home to Elon Musk’s SpaceX—won their state and congressional races on Tuesday, including many candidates who voiced opposition to the data center industry. The results have sent some corners of the tech industry looking to the heavens for answers.
In recent hours, data center enthusiasts have proclaimed on social media that they’re still “bullish” on building data centers—just not necessarily in Texas, or even on Earth at all. Instead, they say, it’s time to focus on data centers in space.
Elon Musk—who sank more than $400 million of his fortune supporting Republican candidates who all went on to lose their midterms races—has been among those leading the charge. “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now,” Musk posted on X in the early hours of Wednesday, after it was clear that Democrats had taken the House and Senate.
Jordan Lasker—the man behind the X account "Crémieux,” which is a popular follow in the tech world, and known for posting race-based pseudoscience—also weighed in, saying, “Data centers in space are an incredible idea and anyone who doubted them didn't think enough about tonight's election results.”
Throughout the day, Musk employees, tech investors, AI researchers, venture capitalists, and industry fans joined the chorus of support for space-based data centers. Soham Mehta, a research fellow at the techno-optimist think tank Foundation for American Innovation, argued that underwater data centers should also be considered. (In June, China began operating what it claims is the world’s first underwater data center.)
Some companies are already trying to put compute in orbit. Among them are Google, which launched a satellite that it says contains "data center class TPU,” and SpaceX, which says it aims to deploy “thousands of AI satellites starting as soon as late 2027.” Blue Origin is also in the mix, having filed for a Federal Communications Commission permit to launch 50,000 satellites that will constitute an “orbital data center system.”
There are also a few startups aiming to build data centers in space, including Starcloud, which claims to have carried "the first NVIDIA H100 GPU into orbit" in November 2025.
Despite being technically possible, the realities of in-orbit data centers are difficult. Among other things, space-based data centers are much more expensive than land-based ones, can’t grow to hyperscale size, and are subject to the risks and whims of satellite launches.
When it comes to Texas data centers, the concerns of tech bros aren’t completely unfounded. Experts tell WIRED that the change in leadership could translate to some concrete changes in the industry—albeit with limits.
Although Democrats have control of the Texas House, Republicans still have control over the state’s senate. Robert Paterson, professor of land use and environmental planning at the University of Texas at Austin, tells WIRED that the split means that some immediate attempts at change “will probably be stymied a bit.”
Adrian Shelley, director of nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen’s Texas office, tells WIRED that the legislature would be a likely place to hash out high-impact policies like the reallocation of state agency resources. However, he adds that the governor could effect more immediate changes by issuing executive orders, or requesting the resignation of politically appointed officials in state agencies.
Shelley says that these oversight agencies—such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Public Utility Commission, and the Texas Water Development Board—have the authority to charge fines for breaking state law, or in extreme cases, to revoke permits for projects like data centers. But Paterson notes that Texas developers have particularly strong “vested rights,” which protects the terms of their projects from the moment their permits are approved, even if construction hasn’t begun yet.
Another medium-term route to reshaping Texas's data center industry could be giving more power to its counties. Paterson noted that nearly half of the state’s data centers exist in unincorporated territory, which puts them outside the jurisdiction of city zoning laws.
Unlike other states, Paterson says, Texas counties have relatively limited enforcement abilities. Under the state's so-called Dillon's Rule, counties only have powers that are “specifically allotted to it by the state.” So while they have authority over things like access and egress to county roads, or construction on floodplains, he says they don't have the zoning authority that would help closely regulate projects like data centers.
Paterson says that the new attorney general could theoretically adjust the terms in the state’s biannual handbook, which establishes the limits of county authority. He also argues that even in a split legislature, especially since anti-data center sentiment crosses party lines, state lawmakers could propose a viable bill giving counties “limited zoning authority over data centers."
Shelley tells WIRED that since “data centers were a decisive factor in this blue wave,” the upcoming legislative season will be “very interesting.”
“I will say the data center industry hasn't shown a lot of interest in working with state lawmakers or local leaders,” Shelley says, “and I will be interested to see if that changes.”
If not, there’s always low-Earth orbit.
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