Space datacenter cooling debate: radiative cooling is 90-99% worse than liquid, physicist argues
aronchick · x · 2026-11-03
Sequoia's Shaun Maguire argues space datacenter cooling is viable once Starship makes mass cheap: passive aluminum radiators with ammonia working fluid phase-changing near chips. Aronchick pushes back: "black body radiation ejects heat into space" hits Stefan-Boltzmann/thermodynamic limits — radiative cooling is 90-99% worse than convective or liquid cooling, and vacuum is a thermos that refuses heat, not a cold sink. He says he's watched many videos trying to understand why so many smart people don't see this as a showstopper.
Related event: Debate flares over feasibility of space data centers(2 posts)→
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