Building Data Centers in Space?! Starcloud’s Mission to Revolutionize Compute

In this episode of The Lobster Talks, we sit down with Philip Johnston, Founder & CEO of Starcloud (formerly Lumen Orbit). He’s on a groundbreaking mission to build massive GPU data centers in outer space—tapping into abundant solar energy, sidestepping Earth’s power constraints, and completely rethinking what’s possible for cloud computing.

Listen in as we explore:
• How Starcloud plans to harness orbital launch cost drops (thanks, Starship!)
• Why running GPUs in space could transform data processing
• The challenges and breakthroughs of launching a next-gen satellite
• Raising a massive seed round—oversubscribed by top VCs

00:00 - 00:50 Intro
00:50 - 01:23 What's StarCloud?
1:23 - 02:05 Why GPUs in Space?
02:05 - 03:35 Abundant Energy
03:35 - 05:50 Why No One Did It Before
05:50 - 07:30 Starship Economics
07:30 - 08:50 Philip’s Background
08:50 - 10:00 Can Anyone Start a Space Company?
10:00 - 12:30 Building in Space
12:30 - 13:20 Does Space Solar Affect Earth?
13:20 - 17:00 Raising an $11M Seed Round
17:00 - 19:00 Spending Habits
19:00 - 20:00 Hiring at StarCloud
20:00 - 21:00 Relocating
21:00 - 24:15 Hard vs. Easy Startups
24:15 - 25:35 Skepticism & Critics
25:35 - 27:00 The Rebrand
27:00 - 29:25 Next Steps
29:25 - 30:25 Book Recommendations
30:25 - 30:56 Closing Thought

If you’re curious about the frontier of hardware, AI, and space tech, don’t miss this deep dive into the future of data centers… in orbit!

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