Weekly Tech Roundup: AI Spending, Orbital Data Centers, and VR Hardware
This weekly roundup gathers recent technology and science coverage, including projections that AI infrastructure spending could reach $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032. It also notes doubts about AI returns, Google's planned orbital data center test, a military incident linked to an AI-generated report, and new VR hardware.
Brookings-published estimates put data-center and related AI infrastructure investment at $10.3 trillion between 2025 and 2032. Yet an Ernst & Young executive said current AI spending rests more on enthusiasm than evidence, with only about one in ten clients able to point to ROI in their income statements.
Google plans an October 1 test of a refrigerator-sized satellite carrying four custom TPU accelerators, exploring solar-powered AI hardware in orbit. Separately, a chatbot’s inaccurate report about a ship’s cargo nearly triggered a US military interception, and Meta showed VR glasses tethered to a compute puck.
The scale of AI infrastructure spending could shape energy demand, jobs, and investment returns for years, while doubts about ROI may affect businesses and investors. Orbital data centers may change how computing power is sourced, but also raise governance questions. AI-related incidents in military or health settings could endanger lives and erode public trust. VR hardware shifts may affect consumers and developers. Overall, these developments may concentrate influence among a few technology providers while prompting broader scrutiny.