Aetherflux Targets $2 Billion Valuation as It Pivots Toward Space-Based AI Data Centers

New updates have been reported about Aetherflux.

Aetherflux is seeking to raise between $250 million and $350 million in a Series B round that would value the space solar power startup at about $2 billion, according to people familiar with the process and media reports. The company, founded in 2024 by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt and having raised roughly $80 million to date, is reportedly working with Index Ventures as lead investor, though Aetherflux has declined public comment on the financing.

The company has recently shifted its primary focus from beaming power down to Earth via lasers to using its orbital power systems to run data centers directly in space. Bhatt said the team realized about a year ago that powering AI workloads is more economically attractive if compute chips are placed in orbit and fed by space-based power, rather than transmitting energy to terrestrial facilities.

Aetherflux will continue research on laser power transmission, including experiments using a satellite bus supplied by Apex Space, but that work is now secondary to the build-out of space data center infrastructure. The company’s first data center satellite is planned for launch in 2027, with management emphasizing that the key objective is to achieve cost structures comparable to ground-based data centers.

This strategic pivot positions Aetherflux to participate directly in the fast-growing demand for AI compute by enabling distributed, in-orbit processing architectures that major space operators are exploring. If the targeted Series B is completed at the indicated valuation, the company would significantly strengthen its balance sheet for capital-intensive satellite development while validating investor confidence in space-based data center economics.

For executives and investors, the fundraising size, implied valuation, and 2027 satellite timeline are central markers of execution risk and capital needs over the next several years. Success will depend on Aetherflux’s ability to demonstrate technical reliability, competitive cost per unit of compute, and integration with emerging in-space networking infrastructures, all while proving that space-based AI processing can realistically compete with terrestrial alternatives.