• About Us
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Privacy Policy

Data Center Frontier

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing.

  • Cloud
    • Hyperscale
  • Colo
    • Site Selection
    • Interconnection
  • Energy
    • Sustainability
  • Cooling
  • Technology
    • Internet of Things
    • AI & Machine Learning
    • Edge Computing
    • Virtual Reality
    • Autonomous Cars
    • 5G Wireless
    • Satellites
  • Design
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
  • Voices
  • Podcast
  • White Papers
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Companies
    • Data Center 101
  • Jobs
You are here: Home / Cloud / Google Cloud Connects to SpaceX Starlink, Will Host Ground Stations at Data Centers

Google Cloud Connects to SpaceX Starlink, Will Host Ground Stations at Data Centers

By Doug Mohney - May 13, 2021

Google Cloud Connects to SpaceX Starlink, Will Host Ground Stations at Data Centers

Servers inside a Google data center. Google Cloud will connect to the SpaceX Starlink satellite broadband network. (Photo: Google)

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

In the latest chapter of the cloud connecting to space, Google and SpaceX announced a partnership to connect SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband network to Google Cloud infrastructure, enabling the delivery of data, cloud services, and applications to enterprise customers at the network’s edge.

“Applications and services running in the cloud can be transformative for organizations, whether they’re operating in a highly networked or remote environment,” said Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure at Google Cloud. “We are delighted to partner with SpaceX to ensure that organizations with distributed footprints have seamless, secure, and fast access to the critical applications and services they need to keep their teams up and running.”

SpaceX will locate Starlink ground stations within Google data center properties, providing single-hop access between Starlink customers and Google Cloud infrastructure.  While SpaceX Starlink beta customers have access to Google Cloud today through Starlink’s existing set of network connections, establishing direct connections between the SpaceX low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation and Google Cloud reduces latency and improves performance, especially when it comes to real-time communications such as voice and video.

“Combining Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband with Google’s infrastructure and capabilities provides global organizations with the secure and fast connection that modern organizations expect,” said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. “We are proud to work with Google to deliver this access to businesses, public sector organizations, and many other groups operating around the world.”

High-Speed Access at the Network’s Edge

For enterprise customers with large footprints, such as public sector agencies and those operating in rural areas, having access to low-latency high-speed broadband access is essential, especially where fiber or other alternatives aren’t available due to a lack of infrastructure.  Starlink will provide these organizations with high-speed access at the network’s edge to complement and in some cases replace existing terrestrial connectivity.

“Combining Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband with Google’s infrastructure and capabilities provides global organizations with the secure and fast connection that modern organizations expect.”
– SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell.

Currently in beta, the SpaceX Starlink broadband network is providing users anywhere between 50 Mbps to 150 Mbps downlink speeds on average at a price of $499 for the user terminal/dish and $99 per month in service, with latencies between 20ms to 40ms.  Some users are seeing speeds up to 300 Mbps with the latest network tweaks with that expected to be the norm this fall, according to a tweet from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.  While SpaceX has not committed to a formal timetable to move Starlink into commercial service, Musk has said he expects it to take place later this year.

An overhead view of data center buildings on a Google campus. These campuses have ample room to place satellite ground stations. (Image: Google)

An overhead view of data center buildings on a Google campus. These campuses have ample room to place satellite ground stations. (Image: Google)

The Google Cloud/Starlink capability for enterprise customers is expected to be available in the second half of 2021.  Presumably, this means that multiple Google Cloud data centers will have Starlink ground stations installed and connected with the formal launch of services. The press release doesn’t make clear if Google Cloud enterprise customers will buy SpaceX Starlink services directly from Google as part of a larger package, or if separate arrangements will be made with Google forwarding enterprise customers over to SpaceX for the remote/edge connectivity piece.

Regardless of how customers get connected, SpaceX now has relationships with both Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Last fall, Microsoft announced it was working with satellite broadband provider SES to collocate SES ground stations with Microsoft data centers and have SpaceX Starlink as a connectivity option for the Microsoft Azure Modular Data Center.

Exactly how Microsoft Azure’s Starlink connectivity will square up against Google Cloud remains to be seen, since there’s been no public announcement of SpaceX putting ground stations directly next to Microsoft data centers.

Enterprise customers are going to end up comparing SES’s O3b mPower satellite network and its direct connection to Azure with SpaceX Starlink network connections to Azure at various interconnection points worldwide and the Google Cloud-Starlink ground station connections. Needless to say, it’s going to get complicated.

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tagged With: Google, Satellite, SpaceX, Starlink

Newsletters

Stay informed: Get our weekly updates!

Are you a new reader? Follow Data Center Frontier on Twitter or Facebook.

About Doug Mohney

Doug Mohney has been working in and writing about IT and satellite industries for over 20 years. His real world experience including stints at two start-ups, a commercial internet service provider that went public in 1997 for $150 million and a satellite internet broadband company that didn't.Follow Doug on Twitter at @DougonIPComm

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Voices of the Industry

Overcoming Supply Chain Roadblocks: How to Avoid Disruptions in Your Data Center

Overcoming Supply Chain Roadblocks: How to Avoid Disruptions in Your Data Center The data center industry continues to experience significant global supply chain problems. Brett Williams of Service Express, explores the importance of leveraging the secondary hardware market to overcome supply chain roadblocks.

White Papers

6Sigma Digital Twin

Release 16: Empowering Data Center Teams with Each New Software Release

In this white paper from Future Facilities, you’ll learn about the updates and features in the newest version of their 6Sigma Digital Twin, a 3-D physics-based virtual modeling software that provides cutting-edge graphics and integrations.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

DCF Spotlight

Data center modules on display at the recent Edge Congress conference in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Edge Computing is Poised to Remake the Data Center Landscape

Data center leaders are investing in edge computing and edge solutions and actively looking at new ways to deploy edge capacity to support evolving business and user requirements.

An aerial view of major facilities in Data Center Alley in Ashburn, Virginia. (Image: Loudoun County)

Northern Virginia Data Center Market: The Focal Point for Cloud Growth

The Northern Virginia data center market is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Data Center Frontier explores trends, stats and future expectations for the No. 1 data center market in the country.

See More Spotlight Features

Newsletters

Get the Latest News from Data Center Frontier

Job Listings

RSS Job Openings | Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting

  • Critical Power Energy Manager - Data Center Development - Ashburn, VA
  • Site Development Manager - Data Center - Ashburn, VA
  • Data Center Facility Operations Director - Chicago, IL
  • Electrical Engineer - Senior - Dallas, TX
  • Mechanical Commissioning Engineer - Calgary, Alberta

See More Jobs

Data Center 101

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Open Spectrum, brings our readers a series that provides an introductory guidebook to the ins and outs of the data center and colocation industry. Think power systems, cooling, solutions, data center contracts and more. The Data Center 101 Special Report series is directed to those new to the industry, or those of our readers who need to brush up on the basics.

  • Data Center Power
  • Data Center Cooling
  • Strategies for Data Center Location
  • Data Center Pricing Negotiating
  • Cloud Computing

See More Data center 101 Topics

About Us

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing. We write about what’s next for the Internet, and the innovations that will take us there. We tell the story of the digital economy through the data center facilities that power cloud computing and the people who build them. Read more ...
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Our Founder

Data Center Frontier is edited by Rich Miller, the data center industry’s most experienced journalist. For more than 20 years, Rich has profiled the key role played by data centers in the Internet revolution. Meet the DCF team.

TOPICS

  • 5G Wireless
  • Cloud
  • Colo
  • Connected Cars
  • Cooling
  • Cornerstone
  • Coronavirus
  • Design
  • Edge Computing
  • Energy
  • Executive Roundtable
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • Hyperscale
  • Interconnection
  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Network
  • Podcast
  • Servers
  • Site Selection
  • Social Business
  • Special Reports
  • Storage
  • Sustainability
  • Videos
  • Virtual Reality
  • Voices of the Industry
  • Webinar
  • White Paper

Copyright Data Center Frontier LLC © 2022