The idea of colonizing the Moon’s data hides three of the biggest areas of friction and conflict between the United States and China. The first has to do with energy. China has built a very strong position in clean energy technologies, such as solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. Moreover, the Land of the Dragon is emerging as a global leader in advanced nuclear technology
We have often played with the meaning of the term frontier, but we have never understood the frontier as a term of distance. And yet, this seems the most appropriate term for the idea of building data centers in space and on the Moon: with an average distance from Earth of 384,400 km, it is the true frontier of our data. Various companies and agencies with space scientists are working on projects to create advanced digital infrastructures beyond Earth. One is that of a startup, Lonestar Data Holdings, which is planning to build data centers on the Moon. The first step of this project was the launch of a small “data center in a box” via Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission. The company aims to bring modules to the lunar surface to create autonomous data centers by 2026.
Lunar data centers have several unique advantages such as the physical security offered by the satellite, which is free from earthquakes or other natural disasters, unquestionable energy efficiency and the possibility of being a perfect recovery, far from problems for critical data.
It is clear that the technological challenges are great and the problems that need to be faced range from radiation resistance to ensuring a stable power supply. However, the borders are also places where differences and tensions become apparent. The idea of colonizing the moon’s data obscures three of the biggest areas of friction and conflict between the United States and China. The first has to do with energy. China has built a very strong position in clean energy technologies, such as solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. Moreover, the Land of the Dragon is emerging as a global leader in advanced nuclear technology. Beijing is ahead of the United States in developing and deploying fourth-generation (4G) nuclear reactors, seen as the future of high-tech nuclear power. By contrast, the United States has been slow to develop new nuclear power plants. China’s ability to develop advanced energy technologies could strengthen its position as a global supplier of clean energy and increase its international influence, especially as many countries seek energy sources to power their data centers. This tension is linked to the “chip war”: semiconductors, or microchips, are the second focus of the technological rivalry between the United States and China. These components are essential for a wide range of technologies, from artificial intelligence to everyday electronics to military applications.
The United States has adopted a containment strategy to limit China’s access to advanced technologies, especially those related to the production of advanced chips. These measures are intended to slow down China’s technological progress and protect US national security.
According to some American institutes, however, the tension over microchips is caused precisely to resist Chinese energy power and to ensure that it does not produce a very visible advantage.
And this brings us to the third tension, which is the return to the moon. Tensions between the United States and China have also extended to space, with a “new race for the moon”, which has profound geopolitical and technological implications. Both countries are developing ambitious space programs aimed not only at returning to the Moon, but also at establishing a permanent presence on the satellite, with potential economic and strategic implications. China has already demonstrated significant space capabilities with the Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 missions. These successes have raised concerns in the United States: in fact, competition in space reflects geopolitical tensions on Earth. At this level, a number of complex challenges arise, starting with ethics – whether, for example, we have the right or not to modify and – perhaps – contaminate our satellite with biological waste and human artifacts. The possibility of permanent settlement on the Moon raises questions about the rights to space resources and how these activities should be regulated.
Currently, there are no clear international agreements, and this competition for resources is a strong driver of potential conflict. We may be not only the only known species capable of extending its habitat into exoplanetary spaces, but also the only one capable of exporting conflict. In short, before tensions turn into conflicts, we should at least attempt some ethical mediation, on the new border.
