As the Space Force prepares for its workload to expand, Colorado Springs should expect to see military-centric data centers move to town. 

Hundreds of military satellites are expected to be sent into orbit to track threats, such as hypersonic missiles. The satellites will generate a tremendous amount of data that local Space Force guardians and industry partners will need help from artificial intelligence to process and use to make defense decisions, explained Ret. Gen. John Hyten, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Space Symposium on Tuesday.  

 “We as a community need to worry about making sure that this mountain of data, that comes in, that industry needs, and that is coming through Colorado because we built it that way 50 years ago, continues to be where the data comes,” Hyten said.  

The planned satellites will be in multiple orbits, operate on multiple frequencies and will drive every element of military command and control, Hyten said. 

He expects the new space data network will be “big, resilient, fast,” with so many pathways that an adversary can’t find the critical information they want, he said. 

Peterson, Schriever and Buckley Space Force Bases will all need data centers for the work, he said. A proposed data center on Colorado Springs’ westside recently sparked concern among residents worried about its water and power consumption. The proposed data center will use 200,000 gallons of water within a closed loop to cool the center. It could use up to 50 megawatts of power, enough to power between 20,000 and 45,000 homes. 

Without those centers, Space Force units would have to move out of Colorado because they could not perform their missions, he said.

“It’s really that simple,” he said. 

Last week, the Air Force and the Defense Innovation Unit announced that Buckley Space Force Base has already been selected as a potential site for a nuclear microreactor. Trucks can transport these small reactors, and they won’t require a large specialized staff, according to the Department of Energy. 

Across the country, the AI’s demands will drive the need for additional power, including modular nuclear reactors, said Seth Harvey, the CEO of Bluestaq, a Colorado Springs-based company. He also expects AI to drive transformational changes in the next 16 to 18 months. 

Colorado Springs Utilities has been selected to work with national laboratory experts to “evaluate advanced nuclear technologies and hybrid energy systems that support grid resilience, clean energy integration, and long-term reliability,” spokeswoman Danielle Nieves said.  The work is slated to begin next month. 

Utilities has also hired a project manager to coordinate the first steps in investigating the integration of nuclear power with the region’s grid.

The Utilities board, which also serves as the Colorado Springs City Council, will hear about new energy generation options next week, she said.